Kruger National Park

KNP Scientific Services

Research

Increasing demands on park resources and escalating impacts of development around the park necessitate new approaches in research.

To meet all these challenges, the research section has been organized into three branches, the Species Research (focuses on traditional species projects), Systems Research (aims to understand a broader ecosystem functioning and interaction) and the Environmental Impact Research (Social ecology, deals with human influences, often originating outside the park’s boundaries).

We have a strong team of specialist scientists working on different fields. Our scientists together with external scientists (mainly from academic institutions) have conducted groundbreaking research in many topics including but not restricted to, safe procedures for the chemical immobilization of wild animals, population studies; fire behavior, vegetation landscapes, aerial game census techniques. The data on this research and more can be viewed and/or downloaded from our GIS Visual Catalogue and Kruger Data Repository. Some significant social and cultural research has also been conducted over the years in Kruger National Park, although there is general agreement that this needs more emphasis. Social research often requires specific interlinkage with biophysical and economic research and understanding, hence contributing towards a holistic understanding. Because of the central role of values in conservation, and the fact that human behaviour is often the key to resource management, the understanding generated by such social research may well form the often missing hub around which the conservation wheel can turn far more successfully in future. Social research is now co-ordinated by the newly-formed People and Conservation Department.

Important Protocols for Researchers Working in SANParks

Click here to download important researcher information along with ranger and Park manager contact details as a .PDF document. You may also click on the links provided below to download the SANParks proposal procedure and format, current and past projects and more.

A. Park entry in KNP:

• Please send the following information to Thembi Khoza (for research in the south & central region of KNP) or Sharon Thompson (for research in the northern region of the park) a few days before arrival to enable arrangement of a gate permit:
  -Date of entry
  -Gate of entry
  -Car registration number
  -Number of people
• Park entry in other National Parks: An approval letter received after the agreement has been signed by both parties will serve as an entry permit in the park.

B. Accommodation in KNP:

• There is limited research accommodation in these camps, bookings should be made timeously.
• Phalaborwa (max. 6 people, no bedding or towels) – book through Sharon Thompson (click here for details of facilities at Phalaborwa Research House)
• Shingwedzi (max. 20 in guest rooms, and 14 in permanent tents) – book through Sharon Thompson (click here for details of facilities at Shingwedzi Research Camp)
• Skukuza (max. 38 in huts and 12 camping) – book through Patricia Khoza (click here for details of facilities at Skukuza Research Camp)
  Tshokwane (max. 2 people)
• Costs: R100 per person per night for huts and permanent tents, R50 for camping space. Except for Phalaborwa which will be R80 per person per night.
• *Skukuza Park homes will no longer be available for bookings after the 2009 networking meeting.
• Accommodation in other National Parks: It is the responsibility of the researcher to make their own reservation in the tourist camp and to settle the account.
• Park managers can be contacted well in advance to negotiate a discount for a camping site.

C. Game guards: All researchers who are working outside their vehicles and outside of the tourist camp area must be accompanied by a trained, armed Game guard. Game guards should not be used as field assistants, as this will jeopardize their function to guard you. If you intend using a game guard please arrange well in advance (at least 2 weeks).

• Costs: R100 – daily fee
  An additional overtime/weekend hourly fee is also applicable should the guard work overtime or on weekends:
  R30 – per hour overtime from Monday to Saturday
  R40 – per hour overtime on Sundays and Public holidays
  R240 – per day S & T (if the game guard has to spend a night outside Skukuza)

Payment:
Daily hiring fee (R100) – Recieve an invoice from Patricia Khoza and pay at Finance window, Skukuza
Overtime Costs – Recieve an invoice from Patricia Khoza and pay at Finance window, Skukuza. Details with Patricia Khoza & Sharon Thompson
S&T costs – Recieve an invoice from Patricia Khoza and pay at Finance window, Skukuza. Details with Patricia Khoza & Sharon Thompson

D. Section rangers in the KNP:

• Each part of KNP has a section ranger (see below). The local section ranger has to be informed of your research in his area, i.e. what you will be doing, when and where you will be in the area. Your KNP liaison will inform the section ranger, however, each researcher must phone the specific section ranger at least a day before they do fieldwork in that area.
• Park Managers: Researchers working outside KNP need to contact park managers (see below) at least two weeks in advance to notify them of their intention to do fieldwork in their park.
• All researchers must fill in the attached ranger notification form and send it to their SANParks liaison at least a week before their fieldwork.

E. Koedoekop decals:

• In order to have SANParks decals you now require a permit and to ensure speedy application please ensure that you fax all the documents specified in the form including a completed application form to +27137354055. If you are using a University car or hired vehicle you do not have to have vehicle registration documents, but for all personal vehicles it is required.

F. Communication:

• Please copy your coordinator in all your SANParks correspondence.
  

G. Project proposals:

• Proposals have to be handed in to the coordinators at least a month prior to the meeting. Any proposal submitted later than this date will be discussed on the next project meeting.

H. How to contact us:

• Thembi Khoza (Scientific Liason, Skukuza): thembik@sanparks.org; 0137354254
  Patricia Khoza (Scientific Services, Skukuza): patriciak@sanparks.org; 0137354234
  Sharon Thompson (Scienitific Services, Phalaborwa): sharont@sanparks.org; 0137353545

Project proposals: Proposals have to be handed in to the coordinators at least two weeks before the meeting date.

Data and Metadata requirements

We are busy establishing a data catalogue that is available through the internet. You can view the current datasets at the web page http://dataknp.sanparks.org/sanparks The spatial feature is not working yet as we are busy with this but the text search will work.

We have already added most of the KNP datasets and would like to add the research datasets as the projects are completed. For us to be able to do this efficiently could you please submit the original unprocessed data and metadata in the following way

General metadata required for the whole studies data:

1. The final report needs to be completed as requested.
2. Abstract for the dataset.
3. Geographic coverage. Area of the study needs to be stipulated eg Entire KNP or where you are working with transects the beginning and end point coordinates need to be given. If points are used then a GPS point for each should be given.
4. Temporal coverage. The dates that the data was collected.
5. Keywords.
6. Taxonomic coverage of the dataset. Please provide the genus and specie name of the individuals that were sampled in your dataset. This can be provided in a table format.
7. Data Usage rights. Enter a paragraph that describes the intended usage rights of the data. Specifically include any restrictions( scientific, technical, ethical) to sharing your data within the public scientific domain.If your dataset is lead time protected please include the length of this period.
8. Access control .If you do want to restrict the dataset but have certain people that you would like to be able to access this data they should be mentioned here.
9. Methods. The methods of the study should be discussed here. If you already have them in your project proposal please just copy and paste them.
10. People and organizations. Please supply the contact details of the people that you would like to be associated with the dataset and also the role that they played on the dataset e.g metadata provider, principal investigator.

The metadata needed for each dataset is as follows:

1. GIS data and Imagery - Each shape file needs to be submitted with a FGDC xml metadata document that can be made via the metadata tool of Arc catalogue. Any imagery needs to be accompanied by a text file that indicates the level of processing of the image.
2. Spreadsheet or column data - Excel spreadsheet and any other column data ( eg Access tables) need to be exported as text files. For each column in the text file the following information is needed:

• Column heading
• Column description
• Type of variable i.e numeric, date/time, enumerated( i.e if you have codes you need to describe all the codes used. This description may be in another text file then just indicate that here.
• Measurement unit eg mm, parts per million(ppm) etc.
• Precision of the measurement i.e if your measurements are in meters and your precision is 1 it means that your measurement is accurate to the nearest meter.
• Bounds if the variable that you measured can only take on certain values stipulate them eg if a value can only be between 0 1 and 1 say min =0 max = 1.
  

This data and metadata need to be submitted to JudithK@sanparks.org and Cc. to ThembiK@sanparks.org or visa versa. If your data does not fit in any of the above categories please contact JudithK@sanparks.org for help.