Ploughing up our biodiversity will help save Sungazers
By Bradley Gibbons, the EWT’s Threatened Grassland Species Programme Field Officer, and Dr Ian Little,
the EWT’s Threatened Grassland Species Programme Manager
Due to the magnitude of habitat loss for a number of threatened grassland species in KwaZulu-Natal,
Mpumalanga and the Free State provinces, landowners are increasingly required to protect and
sustainably manage their remaining grassland areas. To halt the habitat destruction for these species,
landowners are required to apply for a permit for the transformation of intact native grassland areas.
Habit Loss is the single biggest threat to biodiversity globally. In the grasslands of South Africa the
transformation of native grassland to agricultural land has resulted in more than 60% of this biome being
irreversibly transformed. The remaining grasslands are under significant threat from further
transformation as demand for agricultural and mining products increases. Less than 3% of this remaining
grassland is formally conserved and it is important, not only for the conservation of biodiversity but also
for retaining ecosystem services like water production.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Threatened Grassland Species Programme is specifically concerned
about some of the species that are directly affected by ploughing of grassland areas, some of these
threatened, specialist and endemic species include the Yellow-breasted Pipit, Botha’s Lark, Rudd’s Lark,
Golden Moles, Blue Swallows, Oribi and Sungazer lizards. Ploughing of grasslands is currently one of the
biggest threats facing Sungazer lizards.
These lizards are habitat specialists, meaning that they are only found in the pristine grasslands in a limited
region of the north-eastern Free State and south-western Mpumalanga. This region contains high-quality
grasslands that are not yet heavily grazed or over-utilised. Unlike their relatives, Sungazers do not live on
rocky outcrops found on hills or mountains that are generally undisturbed, Sungazers are terrestrial
creatures that make burrows in which to live. These burrows are of course destroyed with their occupants
when a plough is put through a grassland.
The loss of virgin grasslands is simply described as something that can never be replaced. It is not possible
to rehabilitate an old maize land back to pristine grasslands again; once the biodiversity is lost in an area,
it cannot be replaced. It is not only the change of plant species that occurs after a section has been
ploughed, but the soil type is also modified – so the clays and sands are thus out of place compared to
what the Sungazers require.
Sungazers generally require a sandy top layer with a clay soil underneath. If it is not exact, then these
lizards are not able to survive in the affected area. When the grasslands are ploughed, in most cases
Sungazers are killed in the process as they are not able to get out of their burrows in time.
Landowners with Sungazers on their properties, planning to change a piece of virgin grassland are urged
to contact the Endangered Wildlife Trust. It’s crucial that the correct steps are followed and that a permit
is acquired to change a piece of virgin grassland with Sungazers on it. For more information about the
permits and the translocation of Sungazers please contact Bradley Gibbons on 082 566 5803 or
[email protected] , as he can help with the translocation of the Sungazers.
The translocation of Sungazers is highly complex and to be successfully done, the translocation involves
determining the required soil type, quality and vegetation to match the place where the Sungazers are
found. We would like to thank all landowners for the continued support and assistance in our efforts to
save the remaining Sungazers that we have left in South Africa!
Ploughing up grasslands? Then apply for a permit for the transformation of intact native grassland
areas.