2.1 Study Area
NGR is a 10 117 ha wildlife reserve bordering both the Mathenjwa
community of Northern KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa and also
Mozambique (Figure 1). The boundary of the reserve is fenced except on
its northern side, where the seasonal Usuthu River separates South
Africa and Mozambique. There are two seasons: wet (October- March) and
dry (April-September) with an average annual rainfall of 638 mm. The
mean annual temperature is 21.9 °C with dry season temperatures often
reaching well above 40 °C. Villages around the eastern, western, and
southern boundaries of the reserve are typical of South African communal
areas where subsistence farming is the major economic activity. The
villagers grow mainly maize and keep livestock which include cattle,
goats, pigs, and chickens. Dipping, the driving of cattle through a
specially constructed concrete tank with water and an acaricide to
control ticks on cattle, is a regular activity in these villages.
NGR is home to a variety of mammals including different species of
antelope, black and white rhinos, hippos, crocodiles and both species of
wild suids (bushpigs and warthogs). The Usuthu and Pongola Rivers feed
the pans (water-logged areas), namely Nyamithi, Banzi, Shokwe, Usuthu,
and Pongola pans. Within the game reserve, fence and reserve patrols are
a daily activity for field rangers to combat poaching.
The reserve has seven major vegetation types: Western Maputaland Clay
Bushveld, Makatini Clay Thicket, Lowveld Riverine Forest; Western
Maputaland Sandy Bushveld, Sand Forest, Subtropical Alluvial Vegetation;
and Subtropical salt pans (Mucina,
Rutherford, & Powrie, 2006). In order to facilitate interpretation and
analysis of the results, only four vegetation types were used after
grouping vegetation types with similar physical vegetation structure and
plant species: Bushveld, Thicket, Sandveld and Water (Figure 1).