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News 2008
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March -
April 2008:
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March
and April are key months when it comes to road maintenance inside the
reserve: the heavy eroding rains have come to an end but the soil is still
relatively wet and therefore soft enough to be tilled (when completely dry
the soil becomes as hard as concrete). The Wildlife Action Group Support
(our European branch: www.wildlife-malawi.com),
provided W.A.G. with the funding to maintain and upgrade approximately 2
kilometers of road inside Thuma F.R.. Villagers from the communities East
of Thuma F.R. provided the required labour and by that earned a welcome
(extra) income during these last 2 months before harvesting time when
their food supplies from the previous year are running towards their end.
Interestingly,
these upgraded roads seem to have an attractive power on elephants. It is
well known that elephants like to use specific tracks to travel from A to
B within their home range. These tracks, which provide the easiest way to
move around, are often in use for generations and are part of the
collective knowledge of elephants in the area. The elephant, being of an
inquisitive nature and always open minded for new opportunities,
apparently has no problem including (new) manmade roads into their
elephant road infrastructure. They often use our roads when zigzagging
from one side of the road to the other while foraging, including the
‘new’ roads, notwithstanding the fresh smell of human labour (sweat!).
And we, well, we are of course happy to share, despite the occasional tree
that they like to push across the road.
Picture
to the left: Elephant
foot prints on the recently upgraded road. |
February 2008:
The Dutch
company &Samhoud
has donated funds to W.A.G. to build a heritage
centre in Thuma F.R.. Volunteer Alice Mostert, who works for &Samhoud,
has been collecting data about the history of Thuma F.R. and the
communities that were once located in Thuma before it was gazetted a
forest reserve (in 1926).
In the heritage centre the story of the history
of the reserve will be told and information will be displayed about the
animal and plant species in Thuma F.R. and the overall importance of the
conservation of areas like Thuma F.R.. The primary target group will be
school children from the surrounding communities who will be invited to
visit the reserve and enjoy the bush.
The construction of the heritage centre will start after the end of the
rainy season this year. |
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January 2008:
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January
and February are the wettest months of the year in Malawi. Especially this
year, a huge amount of rain has been fallen in the region. The bush is
swiftly growing towards its annual climax with grasses over 2 meters high,
and hearing takes over sight as being the most important primary sense in
the field. The abundance of food, water and cover makes it some of the
most premium months of the year for wildlife. |
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In 2007 we
conducted the Mammal Survey in Thuma Forest Reserve for the second
consecutive year. Field staff and volunteers collected over 1,500 species
recordings and the data show a positive trend in the mammal species
distribution in the reserve over the last two years. A full account
of the results and conclusions are presented in the Thuma Forest
Reserve Mammal Survey 2007 Report which can be downloaded here. |
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