Karingani Game Reserve is a relatively new protected area in southern Mozambique, bounded to the north by the Olifants River and Massingir Dam, to the south by the Nuanetzana River, and to the west by Kruger National Park, with which it shares an approximate 72 km boundary. This region of Mozambique has a recent history of civil war and poaching, which decimated local wildlife populations. Karingani is therefore key to the recovery and rehabilitation of the area’s wildlife, and since it adjoins Kruger National Park, it adds to the incredible expanse of wilderness already protected. Karingani’s vegetation comprises a range of varied savanna types, including sandveld savanna and the unique Pumbe Sandveld thickets, comprising key woody species, such as Guibourtia conjugate, Strychnos madagascariensis, Sclerocarya birrea, and Pteleopsis myrtifolia. Other dominant woody plant species in Karingani include Acacia (syn. Senegalia) nigrescens, Kirkia acuminata, Balanites maughamii, Terminalia sericea, and Colophospermum mopane. Since Karingani’s inception in 2008, wildlife has begun to return to the 1500 km² reserve, both through passive (mostly from Kruger) and active reintroductions.
We have two ongoing projects in Karingani. First, the return of megaherbivores (e.g., elephant, black rhino) is likely to have a considerable impact on vegetation dynamics, especially since herbivores have been absent from the reserve for decades. We are using LiDAR data to track changes in vegetation structure and biomass across the park in response to increasing wildlife populations. Second, the reintroduction of black rhino into Karingani provides a unique opportunity to understand how animals establish themselves in new habitats and then begin to transform these habitats and/or respond to changes within them. We are planning to use GPS telemetry to track the movements and behavior of incoming individual black rhino, and using LiDAR data to map the habitat in an effort to both assess black rhino use of new habitat, and to quantify their impact on vegetation patterns across the landscape.