Research Proposal

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Application for Funding Name of organisation: Enviro consortium Name of Project Study on the effects of two different property rights on the diversity and abundance of beetles and spider in the succulent karoo ecosystem. Location: The study will be conducted in and around Aus settlement on communal farms within the Aus Town lands and adjacent communal farms. Contact Person See address’ section Partner Organisation: National Museum of Namibia will provide scientific equipments necessary for I.D of specimen collect e.g. microscopes and space. Voucher specimens will be deposited at the National Museum of Namibia.

Address 1. Corris Kaapehi P.0. Box 131, Maltahohe Namibia. Tel: +264(0) 63 683085 Cell: 264(0) 813228565 e-mail: [email protected] 2. Silvanus Uunona Cell: 264 (0) 812792212 Email: [email protected]

Background: The Succulent Karoo ecosystem is located in the south-western corner of Namibia and a small corner in the north-western corner of South Africa. This area is also an endemism biodiversity hotspot for succulent plant species, reptiles and invertebrates in Namibia (Barnard, 1998). This ecosystem is unique in the sense that it is rare and found nowhere else in the world. Thus, making the conservation of the ecosystem a national priority. While trying to protect our biodiversity, livelihoods should be taken into consideration at the same time. This can be only achieved by the understanding of natural process that govern livelihoods in these areas e.g. land use practices such as farming and its effects on the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem. Thus, making it necessary to conduct research that will contribute to understanding and implementing mitigating measures. Geographical Location The study will be conducted on the Aus townlands and adjacent commercial farms. Beneficiaries: The proposed project contributes to the objective of SKEP of improve the knowledge on the biodiversity and Succulent Karoo ecosystem in critical areas for conservation management. The research will provide baseline data and detailed information about two property right systems and their effects on invertebrates and arachnids. The proposed project contributes to all already existing long-term projects and will help to overcome some logistical challenges. Therefore the project will ultimately contribute to the knowledge about invertebrates and how different property rights affect them. An intern (Polytechnic student) will be employed by the project under the supervision of the two team leaders. Project: The main aim of this study is determine whether land use, specifically farming under different property rights, have effects on the natural biodiversity of invertebrates in the Succulent Karoo ecosystem. The two property rights discussed in this report are State property (Aus townland) and private property (Commercial farmlands). The Aus townland is heavily utilized by subsistence farming mainly with small livestock such as sheep and goats. Whereas the commercial farms are predominantly used fro tourism purposes and game farming. Land degradation due to non-sustainable use results in shifts of faunal composition (Vohland et al, 2005), such as in communal farming setup where the situation is to be termed as “tragedy of the commons”. Studies in Africa documented negative effects of non-sustainable land use for some invertebrates (Rivers-Moore and Samways, 1996, Seymour and Dean, 1999, Fabricius et al. 2003 and Nghishidi, 2004). Invertebrates occupy diverse niches and therefore react differently to natural processes such as fire, drought and habitat modification. Due to their varied nature they have been used in various studies as indicators to interpret the condition of the ecosystem (Vohland et al, 2005, Fabricius et al. 2003, Seymour and Dean, 1999 and Rivers-Moore and Samways, 1996 and Nghishidi, 2004). In scientific research, indicators can be used to quantify environmental factors (Duelli and Obrist, 2003). Since biodiversity of even a small area is far too complex to be comprehensively measured and quantified, suitable indicators have to be selected (Duelli and Obrist, 2003).

Thus, the focus of this study will be on certain invertebrate groups that will serve as environmental indicators: Beetles (Coleoptera e.g. of Families: Tenebrionidae (toktokie) and scarabidae) and Spiders of Order Araneae (Plant-living, Ground-living and Webliving spiders. Families: Grass living e.g. Philodromidae and Oxyopidae, wandering spiders e.g. Scytodidae and Salticidae, and web-spinning families e.g. Zodaridae and Eresidae will be the targeted. These groups were chosen because they are large groups, are taxonomically stable, can be easily sampled and are fairly well documented. Spiders are highly dependent on the structure and heterogeneity of the ecosystem and are predators high up the food chain and their presence should reveal the abundance of food source, which are primarily other invertebrates. Thus, they should show greater sensitivity to habitat modification, for example web spinning spiders. Beetles are a fairly well documented order and have been used in various studies throughout the world to measured and quantify ecosystems (Vohland et al., 2005, Fabricius et al., 2003, Seymour and Dean, 1999 and River-Moore and Samways, 1996). Project objectives The main objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the diversity and abundance of invertebrate groups in three different habitats, namely (i) communal livestock farming and (ii) commercial livestock areas. In addition, previously unknown factors of the ecology of these invertebrates, such as seasonal variation and endemic species, may also be revealed during the study. Experimental design and sampling procedures Habitats Communal Commercial Notes Sampling plots/habitat 8 8 No. of days sampling at each plot 6 6 No. of traps in each sampling plot 15 15 Traps in each sampling plot per 15 (no. of traps) multiplied by 8 (no. of sampling season 120 120 plot/habitat) 15 (no. of traps per plot) multiplied by 6 (no. of Trap nights per days sampling each plot), equal to 90 multiplied by season 720 720 8 (sampling plots/habitat) Trap nights at the end of the study 720 (traps night per season) multiplied by 2 period 1440 1440 (season) What will the project produce? Data collected will allow for comparison between the various farming practices. This is important, especially in rare ecosystem that can be mainly conserved by human intervention due to their size. The species collected within the project will be used as reference materials in the museum.

How will these tangible products make a difference to the environment and/or to peoples’ livelihoods? To allow for comparison, data from the six sampling sites in each habitat -communal livestock farming and commercial livestock farming- will be statistically compared to determine whether there are significance differences in terms of the diversity and abundance of invertebrate groups between the two respective habitats. Depending on the type and nature of the field data obtain, e.g. distribution and dispersion, parametric or non-parametric statistical tests will be used for testing significance differences. These results are vital for a better understanding of the effect of land use practices such as farming in an arid and rare ecosystem of the succulent karoo. In addition, the study provides an opportunity to collect and identify invertebrates of the succulent karoo ecosystem, since the objectives engaged by SKEP. Objectives

Activities

1. To evaluate and compare the diversity and abundance

Collect paired data from each of the three respective habitats

2. Unknown factors of the ecology of invertebrates, such as seasonal variation and endemic species, may also be revealed during the study.

Collect data over two seasons, winter and summer.

Results/ Outputs Results will be statistically compared to determine significance difference between the habitats Data from the two seasons will be compared to determine variation in diversity and abundance from season to season.

Impacts/ Indicators To better understand the effect of land use practices such as farming on the ecosystem. Contributes to an opportunity to collect and identify invertebrates of the succulent karoo ecosystem

Project Activities and Timeframe Year 1 Activities Where Preliminary survey In the field Data collection Season 1 (Winter) In the field Sort collection and prepare reference collection Season 1 (Winter) National Museum of Namibia Identification of reference collection National Museum of Namibia Data entry Data collection Season 2 (Summer) In the field Year 2 Sort collection and prepare reference collection Season 2 (Summer) National Museum of Namibia Identification of reference collection Data entry Data analysis and write-up

National Museum of Namibia

1 2 3 4 5

Months 6 7 8 9

10

11

12

Budget: Daily subsistence & travel Field time Laboratory time Traveling Car hire Human resources Local field staff Operational expenses Postage fees Telephone calls Stationery Photocopying Literature Subject books (I.D guide) Capital Equipment GPS & download cables Research equipment Measuring tape Hand shovel Min/Max thermometer Consumables Batteries 70% ethanol Mono-ethylene-glycol Vials (3000) Miscellaneous First aid kit Contingency (10%)

Total

U$ 550.67 2400.00 800.00 2000.00 400.00 53.33 66.67 80.00 40.00 0.00 200.00 400.00 60.00 10.00 13.33 40.00 1066.67 666.67 666.67 33.33 450.00

U$ 9997.33

Own contribution: The project team intends to contribute an estimated N$12,980 in kind. Further other cost of the project including materials for the project will be covered by National Museum of Namibia and the biodiversity project. Partner Organisation: National Museum of Namibia, with help of Tharina Bird, Curator of Arachnology, will provide space and equipment such microscopes and traps. Tharina Bird will also provide technical and scientific advice to the project. Experts such as Dr. E. Marais (National Museum of Nam.) and Dr. J. Henschel (DRFN) will be called upon for scientific help during the study. Unfortunately, we could not get a letter of approval from the National Museum because Tharina Bird, who is to ramrod the study is oversea busy with her study. A confirmation email could be gotten from her ([email protected].