The effects of sport hunting on impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus) population demography and behaviour in the Niassa Special Reserve

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