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Factors influencing impala distribution patterns in Nairobi National Park, Kenya

Vincent Obade¹ and Eva Clercq²

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1. South Dakota State University, GISCE
2. Ghent University, Forestry and Spatial Information Techniques

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Document Type:

Manuscript

Date:

Received 22 September 2009 14:21 UTC; Posted 22 September 2009

Subjects:

Ecology, Plant Biology

Tags:

• habitat
• impala
• Kenya
• management
• patterns
• remote sensing

Abstract:

Monitoring the distribution of wild animals using appropriate methods and survey techniques is essential not only for sustainable management but also to avoid wastage of resources. This study applied remote sensing to investigate the factors influencing the distribution of herbivores in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Impala was selected as indicator specie for the herbivores within the park, because the population of impala had drastically reduced over time. The influence of food availability, water and disturbance on herbivore presence was investigated. A positive significant statistical relationship between impala population density and feed availability was observed. However, the correlation between impala population density and water distance was negative, indicating less impalas as the distance from water sources increase. An interesting finding was the expectation of greater impala population presence next to roads. The study demonstrated a rapid method for gaining information useful for conservation and land use planning practices, such as in the determination of the carrying capacity or even for redistributing animals within the park.

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License:

This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Obade, Vincent and Clercq, Eva. Factors influencing impala distribution patterns in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2009.3799.1> (2009)

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