Clas Malmstrom is fundraising for Wildlife ACT’s Project to Conserve Ground Hornbills in Zululand

by Wildlife Act Fund Trust

Hluhluwe iMfolozi, Kwazulu Natal Environment Social Need

I believe Wildlife ACT’s Project to Conserve Ground Hornbills in Zululand is a great cause. I am doing this because...
Clas Malmstrom

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Different Donations

R 400

Funded to date

R 4,000

Goal

Wildlife ACT’s vision is to save Africa’s iconic and endangered species from extinction through strategic partnerships, thereby enabling broad-scale biodiversity conservation through:

Enabling and informing effective conservation management of wildlife through professional and strategic monitoring and research.
Identifying and developing programs with surrounding communities to support wildlife conservation. • Working with strategic partners to secure existing protected areas and supporting range expansion of African wildlife.

The Zululand Ground Hornbill Project

The Southern Ground-Hornbill is the largest hornbill species in the world. Known throughout Southern Africa as the Thunder bird, this prehistoric looking species is culturally significant and a flagship species throughout their existing range. Although they are classified globally as Vulnerable; in Southern Africa they have experienced a 65% range reduction and are classed as Endangered. KwaZulu-Natal holds a substantial proportion of this existing range, so the conservation of this subpopulation will be fundamental for maintaining the integrity and health of the entire Southern Ground Hornbill population in Southern Africa. More information is needed about the habitat and nesting requirements of the species within and surrounding protected areas. In partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Wildlife ACT’s aim is to gain a better understanding of the ecological requirements of Ground Hornbills in Northern KZN. This is the very first step in formulating a species conservation action plan for Ground Hornbills in the region.

The main objective of the Zululand Ground Hornbill Project is to determine the detailed demographics, movement patterns and habits of Ground Hornbills occurring in Northern KZN. Ground Hornbills hold territories within and surrounding protected areas. Therefore, they cannot be contained or managed by conventional protected area management approaches. This presents a unique challenge for the monitoring and protection of these birds. In order to observe movement data, especially designed GPS backpacks are to be deployed onto adult birds. Target groups will be identified using historical data collected through current endangered species monitoring efforts around Zululand and one individual per group will be fitted with a GPS backpack. The fine-scale data and frequent GPS locations we receive will increase our knowledge of Ground Hornbill ecology. This will help to guide conservation actions. Through the use of data transmitted through from the GPS backpacks we will be able to locate potential nesting and roosting sites to determine characteristics of nesting and roosting sites, quantify demographics and breeding success for each identified group. Camera traps will be set up at nesting sites to study nesting behaviour as well as dietary habits of Ground-Hornbills during the breeding season at the various stages (incubation and nestling periods).

This is the first time that a project of this nature has been carried out in the province. Through this project, we ultimately hope to engage with Protected Area management, members of the rural communities and local land-owners, to facilitate the protection of both the species and the habitat that it is reliant upon.

Project activity

27

Oct

Allocated R100 to Clas Malmstrom is fundraising for Wildlife ACT’s Project to Conserve Ground Hornbills in Zululand 2 years, 6 months ago

Clas Malmstrom has updated their profile picture on their #doDifferent Activist page and completed step 2 of Becoming an Activist. Their NGO received R100 to make a difference in South Africa
Allocated R300 to Clas Malmstrom is fundraising for Wildlife ACT’s Project to Conserve Ground Hornbills in Zululand 2 years, 6 months ago

Clas Malmstrom signed up as a #doDifferent activist completed step 1 of Becoming an Activist. Their NGO received R300 to make a difference in South Africa

Clas Malmstrom is fundraising for Wildlife ACT’s Project to Conserve Ground Hornbills in Zululand

by Wildlife Act Fund Trust

Hluhluwe iMfolozi, Kwazulu Natal Environment Social Need

Project activity

Funded to date:

R 400

Funding goal: R 4,000

NGO: Wildlife Act Fund Trust

Start: 27th October 2021

End: 30th November 2021