A four-year conservation assessment programme – aimed at identifying and conserving reptile species threatened by extinction in South Africa – was launched in May 2005 by Holly Dublin, chairperson of the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Species Survival Commission, Les Underhill , director of the University of Cape Town's Avian Demography Unit (ADU) and Brian Huntley, the CEO of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
SARCA is rectifying this. Funded and developed by SANBI, the project is being driven by experts from South African universities, museums, conservation agencies and the Herpetological Association of Africa (HAA). The ADU is co-ordinating the project, which involves gathering thousands of records of reptile sightings from all over South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. The ADU has previously successfully atlased the birds and frogs of Southern Africa, and this has proved invaluable for SANBI, which has a mandate from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to monitor and plan for the conservation of South Africa's biodiversity.
SARCA Activities
Since its launch a little under a year ago, SARCA has certainly not been hibernating! While ~49 000 museums records already exist for reptiles in Southern Africa, these have tended to be concentrated in certain accessible and popular areas. Barend Erasmus and Bryan Maritz at Wits carried out a gap analysis that produced a priority list of grid cells that are at least 80% under-sampled. Although priority grid cells are found in almost all provinces of South Africa, the great majority are in Northern Cape and North West provinces. This is where Marius Burger (SARCA's Project Herpetologist) has completed seven 10-day field surveys, with the help of enthusiastic and energetic volunteers. Approximately 40 such surveys will be completed around the country within the 4-year SARCA period.
How can I help?
SARCA has developed, to our knowledge, the world's first “virtual museum”, housing photographic “specimens” sent in by members of the public . We invite you to take digital photographs of reptiles in the wild and to submit these along with some simple supporting information, by email, to SARCA. The images and data are processed and placed in the virtual museum collection , which is available to the world, online, as part of the SARCA website ( www.saherps.net ). To date, more than 170 people have contributed 1000 photographic records to the SARCA virtual museum. These “specimens”, although virtual, will not lose their colour with time and will not need regular topping up with 70% alcohol! Best of all, anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world, can access this fascinating collection and learn from it.
SARCA relies on volunteers to help Marius Burger (Project Herpetologist) to trap and identify reptiles in the field. While the strenuous work in remote areas is not for the faint hearted, no volunteer has yet returned without a wide dusty grin and great tales to tell. Their efforts have been invaluable. “It is astonishing how much valuable and useful information can be gathered by the public if their contributions are organized appropriately,” said James Harrison, SARCA Project Coordinator.
Contact details:
James Harrison (Project Coordinator)
Email: batlas@adu.uct.ac.za ; Telephone: 021 – 650 2564
For more details of how this dynamic project is conserving our reptiles, and how you can get involved, please visit www.saherps.net
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At SARCA's launch, Kristal Maze, Director of Biodiversity, Policy and Planning at SANBI, explained:
“We know very little about the conservation status of reptiles, despite the fact that South Africa has an extremely rich reptile fauna – over 360 species from 22 families. This information is essential for identifying priorities for conservation action, which are likely to include regulation of collection for the pet trade and minimising habitat loss. “
Professor Graham Alexander, a prominent reptile researcher at Wits University and editor of African Journal of Herpetology added:
“The last time any attempt was made to record the distribution of South Africa 's reptiles in a co-ordinated way was 16 years ago. Many new species have since been discovered and there is an extreme shortage of information on these and several other species that are most in need of conservation management. It is clear that a new conservation assessment is critical for the conservation of reptiles in South Africa ,” |
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South Africa has an exceptionally rich reptile fauna with more than 360 species in 22 families. This is approximately five times as many species as one would expect based on land area alone. South Africa has more lizard species than almost any other country in the world, with the exception of Australia and Mexico . A high proportion (>35%) of our reptile species are endemic to the country, that is, they are found nowhere else in the world.
Reptiles include turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes and crocodiles. While tortoises are herbivores, most other reptiles are predators. As predators, reptiles play an important role in ecosystems by preying on abundant species, including species that may become pests, such as rats, mice, flies, ants and termites. |
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