Seasonal variation of home range size and habitat selection of elephants in the Kabompo landscape of Zambia

Abstract

Movements of large herbivores and habitat utilization provide critical information for ecological monitoring and conservation. However, such geospatial information rarely exists, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to provide insight on seasonal variation of home range size and habitat utilization by African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Zambia’s Kabompo Landscape. Two male sub-adult elephants (estimated age 10–15 years) were collared and monitored between March 2018 and December 2021 using the Geographic Position System (GPS) tracking devices. We used Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), which uses the outermost points, to arrive at the largest home range of a study subject and the Kernel Density Estimator (KDE), which captures the intensity use of various parts of the home range. Distance from the river, elevation, slope, land cover type, fire intensity and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were assessed against habitat selection by elephants using multinomial logistic regression. The findings showed that the movements of the elephants were largely confined within the West Lunga National Park. The wet season had the largest home range (1720.8 km2) dominated by grassland, while the cold dry season had the smallest area of 931.8 km2. Elevation and land cover types had significant (p-value < 0.05) influence on home range across all the seasons. Other factors also had positive and negative impacts on the home range selection depending on the season. The insights from this study can be exemplary relevant to conservation planning through monitoring seasonal movement of elephants.