Towards Monitoring the Effects of Artificial Water Provision on Mammalian Species Occupancy in Semi-Arid North-Western Botswana

Abstract

Water is often the most limiting resource in semi-arid environments, but many such ecosystems are
managed through artificial water provision that can alter the distribution and composition of the mammalian
community. In addition, tourist lodges in semi-arid environments often establish artificial water points to
attract wildlife for visitors without fully understanding the repercussions for sympatric mammals. One such
ecosystem exists in north-western Botswana, where we deployed 24 camera traps across a 100 km2 grid
centred on a tourism lodge to assess occupancy levels of seven mammal species during the hot dry seasons
before and after provision of artificial water was initiated by that lodge in November 2015. Occupancy
levels of aardvark, brown hyena and duiker declined following artificial water provision, whereas
occupancy levels of gemsbok, kudu, porcupine and steenbok increased. For some species, occupancy and/
or detection varied with habitat type, but none showed varying occupancy in relation to distance to water.
No clear patterns predicting species response were detected, but most herbivore species showed increasing
occupancy, in keeping with previous studies that found an initial population increase following artificial
water provision. Overall results were inconclusive, most likely because of the short study period that could
only encompass one dry season before and after initiation of artificial water provision. Long-term studies
of how artificial water provision affects mammalian communities in semi-arid environments would be
beneficial considering predictions of extreme rainfall patterns and high temperatures linked to climate
change, such as those anticipated in Botswana. This study provides a baseline and recommendations to
benefit future research into the effects of artificial water provision in semi-arid environments