Saving Riverine Rabbits one bossie at a time Article by Bonnie Schumann RRP Senior Field Officer

The Riverine Rabbit programme, based in Loxton in the Nama Karoo, has taken saving one of South Africa’s most unique endangered mammals to “grass roots level” by addressing the issue of habitat degradation, literally one Karoo bossie (bush) at a time. Besides being slow to reproduce and relatively short-lived, Riverine Rabbits are also habitat specialists, preferring the dense riparian vegetation found along the Karoo rivers. These riparian areas are also favoured by livestock, particularly during dry periods when they contain valuable fodder. This selective grazing pressure can result in overgrazing and the degradation of Karoo river systems.

Simply removing livestock from degraded areas in the Karoo often has very little effect as seed banks, as well as important components such as palatable species, are entirely absent. The soil is often compacted and its barren surface does not provide the conditions required for germination and seedling recruitment; thus reintroducing these species by simply sowing seeds in these areas is not a viable option.

Enter the Riverine Rabbit Programme’s Indigenous Karoo Plant Nursery in Loxton. Here a group of intrepid locals, led by veteran “bossie mother” Pop (Roos) van Schalkwyk sow and nurture a variety of Karoo bossies. These bossies are special in that they, just like the Riverine Rabbit, prefer Riparian areas. They are adapted to withstand extreme environmental conditions including flooding and even excessive saline levels.

Established in 2007, the purpose of this nursery is to propagate and supply a steady stream of seed and young bossies destined to repopulate degraded areas as part of the Riverine Rabbit Programme’s Habitat Rehabilitation project. Thus far four pilot sites have been established in degraded areas in cooperation with Karoo conservancy farmers. Rehabilitation methodologies are being investigated at the pilot sites in order to establish a protocol for rehabilitating degraded riparian areas. These areas require intensive and exhausting work to combat erosion, introduce organic matter and create micro-catchment areas where water and organic material can be trapped. This sets the stage for the re-establishment of the young bossies propagated at the nursery, as well as the germination of seed grown at the nursery and also collected in the veld. Rehabilitation of these areas ultimately aims at enhancing landscape connectivity by creating corridors that not only allow for species migration, but also climate change resilience.

The challenges facing Riverine Rabbit conservation are complex and often overwhelming; as such they require innovative approaches. Pop and her team are not daunted by the odds, they are simply saving Riverine Rabbits one bossie at a time.

Photo: 1. Hester de Wee, Johnny Arends and Pop (Roos) van Schalkwyk with their bosseis at the Riverine Rabbit Programme’s Indigenous Karoo Plant Nursery in Loxton.

2. Nursery staff hard at work planting bossies at a rehabilitation pilot site. Micro-catchments (hollows) are designed to retain water, slow the flow of water and trap organic material.

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