IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Application for Funding

Name of organisation:

Enviro consortium

Name of Project
Study on the effects of two different property rights on the diversity and abundance of
beetles and spider in the succulent karoo ecosystem.

Location:
The study will be conducted in and around Aus settlement on communal farms within the
Aus Town lands and adjacent communal farms.

Contact Person
See address’ section

Partner Organisation:
National Museum of Namibia will provide scientific equipments necessary for I.D of
specimen collect e.g. microscopes and space. Voucher specimens will be deposited at
the National Museum of Namibia.

Address
1. Corris Kaapehi
P.0. Box 131, Maltahohe
Namibia.
Tel: +264(0) 63 683085
Cell: 264(0) 813228565
e-mail: ckaapehi@yahoo.com

2. Silvanus Uunona
Cell: 264 (0) 812792212
Email: skuunona@hotmail.com
Background:
The Succulent Karoo ecosystem is located in the south-western corner of Namibia and a
small corner in the north-western corner of South Africa. This area is also an endemism
biodiversity hotspot for succulent plant species, reptiles and invertebrates in Namibia
(Barnard, 1998). This ecosystem is unique in the sense that it is rare and found nowhere
else in the world. Thus, making the conservation of the ecosystem a national priority.
While trying to protect our biodiversity, livelihoods should be taken into consideration at
the same time. This can be only achieved by the understanding of natural process that
govern livelihoods in these areas e.g. land use practices such as farming and its effects
on the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem. Thus, making it necessary to conduct
research that will contribute to understanding and implementing mitigating measures.

Geographical Location
The study will be conducted on the Aus townlands and adjacent commercial farms.

Beneficiaries:
The proposed project contributes to the objective of SKEP of improve the knowledge on
the biodiversity and Succulent Karoo ecosystem in critical areas for conservation
management. The research will provide baseline data and detailed information about
two property right systems and their effects on invertebrates and arachnids. The
proposed project contributes to all already existing long-term projects and will help to
overcome some logistical challenges. Therefore the project will ultimately contribute to
the knowledge about invertebrates and how different property rights affect them.
An intern (Polytechnic student) will be employed by the project under the supervision of
the two team leaders.

Project:
The main aim of this study is determine whether land use, specifically farming under
different property rights, have effects on the natural biodiversity of invertebrates in the
Succulent Karoo ecosystem. The two property rights discussed in this report are State
property (Aus townland) and private property (Commercial farmlands). The Aus townland
is heavily utilized by subsistence farming mainly with small livestock such as sheep and
goats. Whereas the commercial farms are predominantly used fro tourism purposes and
game farming.

Land degradation due to non-sustainable use results in shifts of faunal composition

(Vohland et al, 2005), such as in communal farming setup where the situation is to be
termed as “tragedy of the commons”. Studies in Africa documented negative effects of
non-sustainable land use for some invertebrates (Rivers-Moore and Samways, 1996,
Seymour and Dean, 1999, Fabricius et al. 2003 and Nghishidi, 2004).

Invertebrates occupy diverse niches and therefore react differently to natural processes
such as fire, drought and habitat modification. Due to their varied nature they have been
used in various studies as indicators to interpret the condition of the ecosystem (Vohland
et al, 2005, Fabricius et al. 2003, Seymour and Dean, 1999 and Rivers-Moore and
Samways, 1996 and Nghishidi, 2004). In scientific research, indicators can be used to
quantify environmental factors (Duelli and Obrist, 2003). Since biodiversity of even a
small area is far too complex to be comprehensively measured and quantified, suitable
indicators have to be selected (Duelli and Obrist, 2003).
Thus, the focus of this study will be on certain invertebrate groups that will serve as
environmental indicators: Beetles (Coleoptera e.g. of Families: Tenebrionidae (toktokie)
and scarabidae) and Spiders of Order Araneae (Plant-living, Ground-living and Web-
living spiders. Families: Grass living e.g. Philodromidae and Oxyopidae, wandering
spiders e.g. Scytodidae and Salticidae, and web-spinning families e.g. Zodaridae and
Eresidae will be the targeted. These groups were chosen because they are large
groups, are taxonomically stable, can be easily sampled and are fairly well documented.

Spiders are highly dependent on the structure and heterogeneity of the ecosystem and
are predators high up the food chain and their presence should reveal the abundance of
food source, which are primarily other invertebrates. Thus, they should show greater
sensitivity to habitat modification, for example web spinning spiders. Beetles are a fairly
well documented order and have been used in various studies throughout the world to
measured and quantify ecosystems (Vohland et al., 2005, Fabricius et al., 2003,
Seymour and Dean, 1999 and River-Moore and Samways, 1996).

Project objectives
The main objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the diversity and abundance
of invertebrate groups in three different habitats, namely (i) communal livestock farming
and (ii) commercial livestock areas. In addition, previously unknown factors of the
ecology of these invertebrates, such as seasonal variation and endemic species, may
also be revealed during the study.

Experimental design and sampling procedures

Habitats Communal Commercial Notes

Sampling
plots/habitat 8 8
No. of days
sampling at each
plot 6 6
No. of traps in each
sampling plot 15 15
Traps in each
sampling plot per 15 (no. of traps) multiplied by 8 (no. of sampling
season 120 120 plot/habitat)
15 (no. of traps per plot) multiplied by 6 (no. of
Trap nights per days sampling each plot), equal to 90 multiplied by
season 720 720 8 (sampling plots/habitat)
Trap nights at the
end of the study 720 (traps night per season) multiplied by 2
period 1440 1440 (season)

What will the project produce?

Data collected will allow for comparison between the various farming practices. This is
important, especially in rare ecosystem that can be mainly conserved by human
intervention due to their size. The species collected within the project will be used as
reference materials in the museum.
How will these tangible products make a difference to the environment and/or to
peoples’ livelihoods?
To allow for comparison, data from the six sampling sites in each habitat -communal
livestock farming and commercial livestock farming- will be statistically compared to
determine whether there are significance differences in terms of the diversity and
abundance of invertebrate groups between the two respective habitats. Depending on
the type and nature of the field data obtain, e.g. distribution and dispersion, parametric
or non-parametric statistical tests will be used for testing significance differences.
These results are vital for a better understanding of the effect of land use practices such
as farming in an arid and rare ecosystem of the succulent karoo. In addition, the study
provides an opportunity to collect and identify invertebrates of the succulent karoo
ecosystem, since the objectives engaged by SKEP.

Objectives Activities Results/ Impacts/

Outputs Indicators
1. To evaluate and Collect paired data from Results will be To better
compare the each of the three respective statistically understand the
diversity and habitats compared to effect of land
abundance determine use practices
significance such as
difference farming on the
between the ecosystem.
habitats
2. Unknown factors Collect data over two Data from the Contributes to
of the ecology of seasons, winter and two seasons an opportunity
invertebrates, such summer. will be to collect and
as seasonal compared to identify
variation and determine invertebrates of
endemic species, variation in the succulent
may also be diversity and karoo
revealed during the abundance ecosystem
study. from season to
season.
Project Activities and Timeframe

Year 1 Months
Activities Where 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Preliminary survey In the field
Data collection
Season 1 (Winter) In the field
Sort collection and
prepare reference
collection
Season 1 (Winter) National Museum of Namibia
Identification of
reference
collection National Museum of Namibia
Data entry
Data collection
Season 2 (Summer) In the field

Year 2
Sort collection and
prepare reference
collection
Season 2 (Summer) National Museum of Namibia
Identification of
reference
collection National Museum of Namibia
Data entry
Data analysis and
write-up
Budget:

Daily subsistence & travel U$

Field time 550.67
Laboratory time 2400.00
Traveling 800.00
Car hire 2000.00
Human resources
Local field staff 400.00
Operational expenses
Postage fees 53.33
Telephone calls 66.67
Stationery 80.00
Photocopying 40.00
Literature 0.00
Subject books (I.D guide) 200.00
Capital Equipment
GPS & download cables 400.00
Research equipment
Measuring tape 60.00
Hand shovel 10.00
Min/Max thermometer 13.33
Consumables
Batteries 40.00
70% ethanol 1066.67
Mono-ethylene-glycol 666.67
Vials (3000) 666.67
Miscellaneous
First aid kit 33.33
Contingency (10%) 450.00
Total U$ 9997.33

Own contribution:
The project team intends to contribute an estimated N$12,980 in kind. Further other cost
of the project including materials for the project will be covered by National Museum of
Namibia and the biodiversity project.

Partner Organisation:
National Museum of Namibia, with help of Tharina Bird, Curator of Arachnology, will
provide space and equipment such microscopes and traps. Tharina Bird will also provide
technical and scientific advice to the project. Experts such as Dr. E. Marais (National
Museum of Nam.) and Dr. J. Henschel (DRFN) will be called upon for scientific help
during the study. Unfortunately, we could not get a letter of approval from the National
Museum because Tharina Bird, who is to ramrod the study is oversea busy with her
study. A confirmation email could be gotten from her (tharinab@gmail.com.