Abstract:
Sport hunting is an important source of funding for biodiversity conservation. However, it is an
activity that can alter the behaviour and population structure of wildlife, which is critical for
conservation efforts, as these factors can have an impact on foraging efficiency and population
growth rates. In Niassa Special Reserve (NSR) in Mozambique sport hunting has been formally
practiced for years, but studies on its impacts on wildlife are still scarce. Therefore, this study
evaluated the effects of sport hunting on the behaviour and population demography on a model
species, the impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus). For data collection, in November 2022,
a vehicle was driven along existing and accessible roads in selected sport hunting and
ecotourism areas (serving as a control area) to find groups of impala and record data on their
group size, sex, age class, and initial behaviour in response to an approach vehicle. Overall, the
group size, proportion of individuals in each age class and sex ratio of impala’s population
differed between the hunting and ecotourism areas. Impala group size was larger in the
ecotourism area than hunting area. The age-sex structure in both hunting and ecotourism area
was mainly composed of adult’s females, with a sex ratio more skewed towards females in the
ecotourism area, although none of the pairwise differences for individual classes between the
two areas were significant. The frequency distribution of behaviors exhibited by impalas in
response to approaching vehicles differed between the hunting and the ecotourism area,
although there were no significant differences in their flight initiation distance between the
areas. The results suggest that there is little interference from sport hunting on the response
variables measured. However, future evaluations and monitoring in NSR using the results of
this study as a baseline to assess the long-term impacts of sport hunting on ungulate populations
are recommended
