Wildlife farming, or game ranching, collectively termed here as the wildlife sector, has changed over the past few decades in South Africa, leading to growth in conservation and green economy, but resulting in an increase in wildlife fencing and intensive wildlife management practices. To describe spatial changes in the wildlife sector, the fences, camps, and intensive farm portions of wildlife properties in southwest Limpopo, South Africa, were mapped using remote sensing data from 2007, 2012 and 2017. A ground-truth study in 2019 confirmed the accuracy of the remotely-sensed maps. The number of camps smaller than 100 ha significantly increased, especially very small camps <50 ha, from 2007 to 2017. Over the ten-year period, farm portions became proportionately more intensive. This intensification resulted in an increased number of intensive farm portions within protected areas, critical biodiversity areas, and ecological support areas. An increase in total length of fences and number of camps, and a decrease in the mean size of camps were subsequently observed. These changes coincided with the rise of intensive breeding in the wildlife industry market between 2012 and 2017, after which this part of the sector declined. The increase in fencing and intensive management practices in southwest Limpopo could have implications for biodiversity conservation and planning. The remotely-sensed maps may help ensure sustainable wildlife management practices by aiding conservation policy frameworks and monitoring infrastructure developments.

Giraffe (Giraffa spp.) population numbers and distribution have shown dramatic declines across their global range (>30%) over the past 35 years. A century ago, the population size in the wild was estimated at >1 million. At present, there are ∼117 000 individuals remaining, of which 50% are in southern Africa. With substantial giraffe populations in the region, opportunities exist to re-introduce and establish founder populations in areas where they have become locally extinct. We assessed the potential for re-introducing Angolan giraffe (G. giraffa angolensis) into Iona National Park (NP), Angola, where they historically occurred. Our study investigated home range extent and preferred forage species of an Angolan giraffe population in northwest Namibia to assess the suitability of Iona NP for giraffe in terms of spatial requirements and food sources. Overall home ranges of giraffe in northwest Namibia were larger than in more temperate areas, an important aspect to consider when determining suitable habitat in Iona NP. Although arid riparian woodlands along ephemeral rivers formed the main habitat, the tagged animals moved independently of water and generally avoided human settlements. Species richness and diversity of giraffe forage species were encouragingly higher in Iona NP compared to northwest Namibia. We conclude that Iona NP is suitable with regard to available forage and size of habitat for the potential re-introduction of giraffe.

Porcupines were recorded to ringbark Cordyla africana, and debark Trichilia emetica and Spirostachys africana, in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe, in 1972. Fifty years later (2022), debarking of all three species by porcupines had escalated, although ringbarking was effectively absent. By 2022, elephants had begun debarking C. africana, ignored T. emetica, used the foliage of S. africana sparingly, but had heavily impacted Acacia species in the surrounding woodland. Over 50 years, the population of C. africana had aged, without any regeneration; such that future representation of this species in riverine woodland is expected to decline. By contrast, regeneration of T. emetica and S. africana, and rapid growth of T. emetica to adult size in under 40 years, indicates that representation of these two species should increase.

The African black rhinoceros (black rhino) as a species is critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This list categorizes threatened species assessed for risks of extinction. The IUCN Green Status is a new global standard of measurement created by IUCN to help show how a species is functioning within the ecological system it inhabits, and how much it has recovered thanks to conservation action. For the new Green Status, we provide an assessment of four conservation impact measures for the black rhino – conservation legacy, conservation dependence, conservation gain and recovery potential. Time sequences of estimates for four subspecies of black rhinos, collated from data provided by range States and various sources in the literature, provide the basis of this evaluation. Our findings reveal that in the absence of conservation interventions, the year 2022 would only have seen 296 black rhinos compared to 6487 reported, a legacy of 6191 individuals. If conservation interventions had been stopped in 2022, there would be 3354 black rhinos in 2032, i.e. there is a conservation dependence of 3133 rhinos. If conservation interventions continue, there will be 8943 black rhinos in 2032, a conservation gain of 2456 individuals, compared to the number in 2022. Various global change drivers contribute to available habitat for 20 952 black rhinos in 2122. Our analysis illustrated that the rhino recovery potential by 2022 was 14 465. For this to continue and materialize fully, the authorities will need to consider introducing ecological equivalent subspecies into available habitat, within ranges of extinct subspecies.

The use of telemetry for animal tracking studies has been a key component of wildlife research and monitoring for decades. The unique anatomy of giraffe, however, has presented special challenges for developing functional animal-borne tracking devices for these species. Since the first reported collaring of a giraffe in 1970, several modifications (from neck collars to ear tags, and head harnesses to tail units) and technological developments (Very High Frequency [VHF] to Ultra High Frequency [UHF], Global System for Mobile communication [GSM], and Low Range [LoRa] to Global Positioning System [GPS] satellite) have taken place. Here, we describe the evolution of tracking units used on giraffe and, where available, report their performance diagnostics, highlighting the applicability of such units for modern-day tracking studies with both improved data quality and improved animal welfare. Based on the data gathered, we make recommendations about which modern-day units to use regarding research and management goals.