A camera trap appraisal of large mammals' seasonal space use around permanent point water sources in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Abstract

Human population expansion and infrastructural developments increasingly result in the confinement and isolation of large mammals to small, fenced reserves. This disrupts seasonal migration and behavioural patterns, necessitating management strategies, including using artificial point water sources to alleviate water shortages during dry seasons. Theory suggests that areas heavily used around dry season water sources (<4 km) will be abandoned for better forage as alternative water sources like pans and seasonal streams fill up during the wet season. Within Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR), a small (691 km2) and fenced reserve in southern Malawi, an extensive dry season camera trap study indicated that the space use of some large mammals was affected by both water and grass availability. In this study we investigated potential relationships between large mammals and proximity to water by comparing estimated dry and wet season site abundances of the large herbivore species at 15 camera trap locations, within four kilometres of permanent point water sources over 40-day periods within MWR. We used a Bayesian Royle-Nichols occupancy model and found differences in space use between the wet and dry season for herbivores of different feeding guilds and digestive tract physiologies. Both hindgut fermenter species, two ruminant browsers, and a ruminant mixed-feeder species showed a significantly higher dry season abundance near point water sources. Ruminant grazers and the non-ruminant elephant (Loxodonta africana), however, showed no significant seasonal difference in estimated abundances around water sources. Understanding how permanent water sources affect large mammals' seasonal behaviour is crucial for management decisions relating to water provision.