Protecting the resource: an assessment of mitigation methods used to protect large trees from African elephant impact in a savanna system

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) can alter the structural components of savanna ecosystems, often through the reduction of the large tree (>5 m height) cover component. Elephant impact can be amplified in small, protected areas, or areas where water is readily available to elephants. One management option is to protect large trees directly using applied mitigation methods to limit elephant impact. In this paper, we assessed and compared the effectiveness and logistical requirements of four mitigation methods that have been applied to protect large trees from elephant impact in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park - namely African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) in beehives; creosote oil in glass jars, concrete pyramids arranged in circles around trees, as well as wire-netting the trees’ main stems. For each method, elephant impact levels and tree mortality rates were measured over a 2–5-year period depending on the method in use. Sample sizes ranged from 43 to 59 t...

非洲象（Loxodonta africana）能够改变稀树草原生态系统的结构组成，通常通过降低高度大于5米的大型乔木的覆盖占比实现这一效果。在小型受保护区域或大象易于获取水源的区域，大象的生态影响会被进一步放大。一种可行的管理方案是采用实用的缓解措施直接保护大型乔木，以限制大象带来的负面影响。本研究评估并对比了四种已在南非大克鲁格国家公园（Greater Kruger National Park）中应用的、用于保护大型乔木免受大象影响的缓解措施的效果与后勤保障需求，具体包括：安置有非洲蜜蜂（Apis mellifera scutellata）的蜂箱、盛装于玻璃瓶中的杂酚油、环绕树木排布的混凝土金字塔，以及包裹树木主干的金属网。针对每种措施，研究人员依据所采用的方法，在2至5年的周期内对大象影响程度与树木死亡率进行了测定。本次研究的样本量范围为43至59……