Bushveld Biodiversity Research Centre

Ongoing monitoring of free-roaming cheetahs within a 27,000-hectare (66,700-acre) nature reserve in Limpopo, South Africa, provides a basis for investigating their movements and population ecology. By combining photographic records and spatial information, the project contributes to our understanding of how individual cheetahs use the landscape and how their movements and activity patterns change over time. Research Focus: Monitoring cheetahs through camera trap surveys Identifying individual animals from distinctive coat patterns Maintaining and expanding photographic identification records Recording locations and movements to investigate spatial use of the reserve Examining patterns in habitat use, activity, and distribution Processing and interpreting data collected through ongoing monitoring Working with a long-term dataset allows interns to contribute to an ongoing monitoring programme while developing a practical...

Bushveld Biodiversity Research Centre is situated within a 27,000-hectare (66,700-acre) bushveld ecosystem in Limpopo, South Africa, providing the setting for this project investigating African civet ecology.  African civets are nocturnal and largely solitary animals, making them a particularly interesting species to study through remote monitoring techniques. The project aims to build a better understanding of where civets occur within the reserve, which habitats they use, when they are most active, and how their presence varies across the landscape. Camera trap data collected over time provides an opportunity to investigate these patterns and contribute to a better understanding of civet ecology within a natural savanna environment. Research Focus: Monitoring African civets using camera traps positioned across the reserve Check, maintain, and relocate camera traps where required Reviewing photographic records to identify civets and document their...