In dryland African regions, limiting wildlife water access can reduce water quality

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/vt-ida101315.php

Public Release: 13-Oct-2015
In dryland African regions, limiting wildlife water access can reduce water quality
Virginia Tech

Water-dependent wildlife populations in sensitive African dryland regions need continued access to limited surface water resources -- even as human development increases in these areas -- because restricting access and concentrating wildlife populations along riparian regions can impact water quality and, potentially, human health, according to Virginia Tech research published this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

While concentrated wildlife can be a boon for ecotourism operations, there can be substantial environmental impacts.

"Loss of habitat and limitation of wildlife access to rivers and floodplains in water-restricted regions may increase the impact of species on surface water resources," said first author J. Tyler Fox of Charlotte, North Carolina, a wildlife conservation doctoral student in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.

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"Activities of elephants and other large animals play an essential role in maintaining the long-term integrity of river corridors in southern Africa, adding nutrients and increasing patch heterogeneity of the riparian landscape. In areas where wildlife concentrate in riparian corridors, however, this influence may extend beyond the terrestrial environment to impact seasonal water quality dynamics," he added.

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