Project description
Savanna vegetation is the most widespread and typical of African ecosystems
and is the habitat which supports so much of Africa 's wildlife. Although African savannas are well represented in conservation areas they are undergoing widespread changes as a result of human influence through land management and climate change. Although African savannas are better known for their large charismatic game such as elephant, rhino and lion, there are a variety of smaller species that are threatened and important in the functioning of these ecosystems. They also contain some extremely long lived trees that have survived for centuries through droughts, fires, floods and other environmental change. There is a pressing need to better understand the ecology of African savannas and their threatened species in order to be able to manage them and effectively conserve them. Despite this, the resources available for doing so are limited. Hence the birth of the African savanna project.
This project involves research and hands on conservation action to investigate the ecology of savanna species in northeastern Swaziland to help in their conservation. We try to identify which species can be used as general indicators of the health of savanna ecosystems. Threatened birds and bats are a focus of this project in particular their reproduction and movement. Rhino and elephant are also monitored to identify activity patterns and changes in social structure. Tortoise movements and activity are also monitored and threatened plants (some found nowhere else in the world) may also be surveyed to monitor reproductive success and survival. 
The African Savanna Project is set in the 60,000 ha Lubombo Conservancy of north eastern Swaziland which contains lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, giraffe and a whole host of other big game. Working within this area, you will be joining the staff and researchers of All Out Africa to assist with a variety of research and conservation activities.
This area of Swaziland is particularly rich in threatened species, and forms part of the Maputaland centre of endemism (one of the World's "hotspots" of floral, as well as faunal, species richness and endemism). It is an area that provides an excellent location to investigate savanna ecology because of the variety of land-use histories on different parts of the area.
It is also an area with an interesting story behind it. In 1999 the Lubombo Conservancy was launched to co-operate the management of five adjoining national parks, nature reserves and conservation areas. Each of these areas has been managed separately by very different stakeholders (government, traditional communities, private owners) and the vision is to form one large conservation area managed as a unit. Building partnerships and knocking down fences to allow the wildlife to roam free is a process that takes many years but this is conservation in action and by joining the savanna project you can play your part in this process.
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