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Connochaetes gnou
– Least Concern
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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ARTIODACTYLA
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Family:
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BOVIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Connochaetes gnou
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Species Authority:
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(Zimmermann, 1780)
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Common Name/s:
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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LC ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2003
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Assessor/s:
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Alais, M., Bloomer, P., Castley, G. & Whyte, I. (CBSG CAMP South African Mammals workshop)
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Evaluator/s:
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East, R. & Estes, R. (Antelope Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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The black wildebeest has an extent of occurrence greater than 20,000 km² and an area of occupancy greater than 2,000 km². The species is restricted to protected areas and private reserves. The total global population is estimated at more than 18,000, with over 11,000 in its natural range and over 7,000 in farmlands in Namibia. The population is increasing and the species is considered to be Least Concern.
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History:
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| 1965 | - | "Very rare but believed to be stable or increasing" (Scott 1965) |
| 1994 | - | Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994) |
| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/conservation dependent (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Connochaetes gnou is occurs in South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho. It has also been introduced widely onto private farmlands in Namibia.
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Countries:
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Native:
South Africa
Introduced:
Namibia
Reintroduced:
Lesotho; Swaziland
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Population
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Population:
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By the end of the 19th century, excessive hunting had reduced the formerly vast population to a few individuals surviving on two farms in the Free State Province of South Africa (East 1999). Since then, protection by farmers and conservation agencies has allowed the species to recover (East 1999). It has now been reintroduced to parts of its former range (Swaziland and Lesotho) and into farmland areas outside of its natural range (Namibia). The current global population is estimated at over 18,000 and is increasing.
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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Open plains of South Africa and Lesotho, grassveld of karroid regions of the Free State, central and northern Cape and Eastern Cape. Southern highveld of the former Transvaal.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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Threats
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Threats:
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Previously, the main threat to this species was hunting pressure. However, now that the species has recovered and numbers are increasing, the only significant threat is the problem of hybridization with the Blue Wildebeest, C. taurinus which can occur when the two species are mixed unnaturally on fenced land (East 1999).
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List of Threats:
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| 1.1 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture (future) |
| 3 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) (past) |
| 7.1 | Natural disasters - Drought (future) |
| 8.4 | Changes in native species dynamics - Hybridizers (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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20% of the population occurs in protected areas, with around 80% occurring on private farmland and conservancies (East 1999). Participants at the CBSG CAMP South Africa workshop (March 2002) recommended further surveys, and genetic research for this species. It was also recommended that the impacts of the establishment of this species outside its former range should be established. Management recommendations included management of the wild population, monitoring, and the avoidance of keeping C. taurinus and C. gnou in the same areas.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 4.4.2 | Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. East, R. (compiler) 1999. African Antelope Database 1998. IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group. Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN. 2003. 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 18 November 2003. Scott, P. (ed.) 1965. Section XIII. Preliminary List of Rare Mammals and Birds. In: The Launching of a New Ark, pp. 15–207. First Report of the President and Trustees of the World Wildlife Fund. An International Foundation for saving the world's wildlife and wild places 1961–1964. Collins, London.
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