The effect of seasonality and post-fire on habitat preferences of the endangered Swayne’s hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Maze National Park, Ethiopia

Abstract Introduction The availability of preferred habitats determine the spatial and temporal distribution of herbivores in savanna ecosystems and is crucial for developing conservation strategies of targeted wildlife species. Habitat preference of large grazers in connection to grass height and post-fire effect has been debated for the last century. Here, we examined Swayne’s hartebeest’s (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) seasonal habitat selection, grass height preferences and post-fire effect on their habitat preferences in Maze National Park. Data for seasonal habitat selection were collected using both visual observation along established transect routes and pellet counting using permanently established plots. Every month, we measured fresh bite grass height that was grazed by Swayne’s hartebeest in grassland habitat. Starting from the first week of burning, we recorded the abundance of Swayne’s hartebeest in both burned and unburned grassland areas. Results From detected pellets, 94.3% were recorded in the grassland habitat indicating that other habitat types are less used despite their extensive cover > 50% of the Park. During wet and early dry seasons, Swayne’s hartebeest exclusively preferred grassland habitat. We found that 85.2% (n=1079) and 85.3% (n=593) of individuals observed in areas with a grass height below 30 cm during wet and early dry seasons, respectively; while 70.9% (n=2,288) preferred grass height below 30 cm during the dry season. The density of Swayne’s hartebeest in burned grassland area was higher than unburned grassland areas upto 150 days since burning. However, in unburned grassland areas, the density was initially low but showed increasing trend for consecutive days, reaching similar abundance with burned areas after 150 days since burning. Conclusion Swayne’s hartebeests exclusively preferred grassland habitat, particularly during wet and early dry seasons, shortest available grass height in all seasons and were attracted to burned grassland areas. Our results suggested that fire played an important role in maintaining habitat quality in grassland, and that management should continue using controlled burning as a tool for the conservation of Swayne’s hartebeest. However, we remain cautious of our findings given the paucity of information regarding other confounding factors and the absence of long-term data on fire disturbance.