Study tracks changing birdlife in Kruger Park

BIRD communities inside the Kruger National Park flew under the radar for many years, until Rion Lerm tackled the subject in his PhD research.

- WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

The functional ecologist who graduated from UKZN this week, addresses a significant knowledge gap in African protected area research through his thesis titled: Bird Distribution Dynamics of the Kruger National Park and Surrounds: Drivers and Diversity.

He also examined how factors such as drought, seasonal change, and environmental conditions affect bird diversity and function.

“The project was centred on protected areas and it was specifically focused around Kruger National Park, which is in the top five largest protected areas in Southern Africa, and the top 20th largest protected area in Africa, specifically with regards to Savannah protected areas. So it's a significant area and from 2003 to 2013, there were over 500 scientific publications that emanated from this place.”

Lerm’s study provides insight into the local and landscape drivers of avian diversity, and the impacts of drought on birds.