Research Programmes & InitiativesPr<strong>of</strong>. Tim Croweis the current president <strong>of</strong> theSouthern <strong>African</strong> Society forSystematic Biology, an ElectedFellow and member <strong>of</strong> thecouncil <strong>of</strong> the Willi HennigSociety <strong>of</strong> Systematic Biology, amember <strong>of</strong> the InternationalOrnithological CongressCommittee, the editorial board<strong>of</strong> the journal SystematicBiology, the Council <strong>of</strong> the IzikoMuseums <strong>of</strong> Cape Town (untilDecember) and a researchassociate at the AmericanMuseum <strong>of</strong> Natural History inNew York. He serves on, and isinterim chairperson <strong>of</strong>, theSteering Committee <strong>of</strong> theSouth <strong>African</strong> Bio-systematicsInitiative and acts as externalexaminer for the MScProgramme in Mammalogy atthe University <strong>of</strong> Pretoria.Tim co-ordinates the MScProgramme in ConservationBiology and runs the moduleCharacterizing Biodiversity. Inthe year under review hesupervised or co-supervised onehonours student, one M.Techstudent, two MSc students,three PhD students and onepost-doctoral student. He taughtmodules to two undergraduateclasses and three additionalMSc classes in the Zoology andBotany Departments. He wasauthor or co-author <strong>of</strong> sixscientific papers. He attendedand presented papers at twointernational meetings orconferences and gave talks totwo membership-basedsocieties. He refereed sevenscientific papers for fourdifferent journals and reviewedtwo applications for researchgrants and four assessments forpersonal scientific evaluation forthe National ResearchFoundation.Pr<strong>of</strong>. Tim Crowe, togetherwith Dr Peter Ryan, also leadsthe Systematics &Biogeography ResearchProgramme.Gamebird ResearchProgramme leaderPr<strong>of</strong>. Tim CroweResearch teamDr Brian Reilly (Department <strong>of</strong> Nature Conservation, Pretoria Technikon)Flock <strong>of</strong> Helmeted Guineafowl in rehabilitated agricultural land, KwaZulu-Natal. Photo: TimCroweOverviewThis programme was initiated in 1990 and aims to identify the key factors that sustainor otherwise affect populations <strong>of</strong> gamebirds (e.g. guineafowl, francolins, spurfowl,sandgrouse and ducks/geese), develop area-specific management strategies for thespecies concerned, and to determine the extent to which they can act as indicators <strong>of</strong>the status <strong>of</strong> overall avian diversity. Publications produced by programme researchershave tended to focus on ecology, demography, ecotoxicology and parasitology <strong>of</strong> thespecies studied. The key practical products <strong>of</strong> this programme’s research have beenthe development <strong>of</strong> biologically sustainable and economically viable wingshootingindustries and area-specific management strategies for key gamebird species.In terms <strong>of</strong> more academic research, key findings have emphasised the importance<strong>of</strong> maintaining gamebird meta-populations. These are structured populations thecomponents <strong>of</strong> which (demes) provide immigrants for those that may be declining. Forexample, demographic and genetic research by Dr Rob Little demonstrated that themeta-populations <strong>of</strong> Greywing Francolins Francolinus africanus in the Eastern Capeare healthy and there is regular movement between demes. On the downside,Charles Ratcliffe (MSc December 2000) and a team <strong>of</strong> researchers showed that metapopulations<strong>of</strong> Helmeted Guineafowl in the Midlands <strong>of</strong> KwaZulu-Natal have collapsedover the last two decades and provided remedial measures that can reverse thisdemographic disaster.The new project, the Riemland Gamebird Project, launched in May 2002, isscheduled to finish in October 2003. This project is a joint endeavour with the PretoriaTechnikon and involves Dr Brian Reilly as co-leader (with Tim Crowe) and M.Tech.student, Ms Helen Prinsloo. The aims <strong>of</strong> this project are to identify the key factors thatsustain massive populations <strong>of</strong> Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris in the vicinity<strong>of</strong> Petrus Steyn, a small town in the Riemland Region <strong>of</strong> the northeastern Free State.Gamebird Research 15
StudentsM.Tech. student Helen Prinsloo was the only student workingwithin this programme.The Riemland Gamebird Project is a joint endeavour between the<strong>Percy</strong> <strong>FitzPatrick</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> and the Pretoria Technikon. Photo: TimCrowe.LecturesTim Crowe gave two talks to various gamebird huntingorganizations outlining past and current research results.These was also a report-back to investors in the RiemlandGamebird Project during June and prospects for furtherfinancial support for new projects appear good.Gallinuloides wyomingensis – oldest fossil gamebird? Collaborativeresearch with Dr Gareth Dyke, University College Dublin, suggeststhat this fossil is perhaps the most ancient pheasant-like bird (seeSystematics & Biogeography p. 13). Photo: Tim CroweKey findings• Riemland guineafowl do not have home ranges in thetraditional sense <strong>of</strong> the word. Rather than use thelandscape relatively uniformly, they frequent focal areasthat provide critical resources (roosts, food, cover andwater) and merely pass through intervening areas.• Shooting pressure seems to have no negative effects onannual reproduction.• The sex ratio <strong>of</strong> adult (but not first-year) birds favoursmales by 2 to 1, presumably due to higher mortality <strong>of</strong>females.• Reproduction during the 2002-2003 season was less thanhalf <strong>of</strong> that for the previous season, probably because <strong>of</strong>the relatively poor and late rains.• Agricultural products make up nearly 40% <strong>of</strong> the diet <strong>of</strong>during winter months.AcknowledgementsIn addition to funding to Tim Crowe from the NationalResearch Foundation, The Honourable Charles Harris, MrPeter Wales and a range <strong>of</strong> wingshooters provided thebalance <strong>of</strong> funds necessary to launch the RiemlandGamebird Project. Tim would like to thank the host <strong>of</strong>colleagues (in particular Dr Rob Little), students,wingshooters (in particular Messrs Roger Johnson andPeter Wales) and farmers for making this Programmepossible and the Pretoria Technikon for input to keep itgoing.16 <strong>Percy</strong> <strong>FitzPatrick</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> Annual Report: July 2002 - June 2003
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