Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: John Power Matthew Child
Contributors: Nico Avenant Margaret Avery Rod Baxter Duncan MacFadyen Ara Mondajem Guy Palmer Peter Taylor Beryl Wilson
Reviewers: John Power Matthew Child

Rationale

This species remains Least Concern in view of its wide distribution within the northern savannah regions of South Africa, its local abundance in certain areas, its occurrence in a number of protected areas (including Kruger National Park), and because there is no evidence for its decline. Although local declines may be caused by ongoing woodland loss from fuel-wood extraction (for example, in the Soutpansberg and Bushbuckridge regions in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces respectively), overall the Savannah Biome is not threatened and projected to increase in extent with climate change. This is corroborated by a range expansion in North West Province since 1983. (Power 2014) The primary intervention is to incentivise or regulate sustainable fuel-wood extraction.

Regional population effects: The habitat is connected across regions and this species is similarly common in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique. Thus, dispersal across countries is an almost certainty.

Distribution

This species is widely distributed in the savannahs of southern Africa, extending north into Central and East Africa (Monadjem et al. 2015). It ranges from Tanzania to southern Mozambique and westwards to southeastern Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, northeastern Botswana and northeastern South Africa. Within the assessment region, it occurs commonly in the savannah woodlands in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West provinces. It is absent from the Nama-Karoo, Succulent Karoo and forest biomes (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). It does not occur in either Lesotho or the highlands of Swaziland (Lynch 1994; Monadjem 1998), but may marginally occur in the lowlands of Swaziland. In North West Province there has been a range expansion (49% increase in extent since 1983), which seems to be correlated with the advancement of bush and woodland onto the highveld grassland regions (Power 2014). Wondergat, north of Mafikeng, is the most southerly location in the North West Province, and probably designates the southerly edge of the species’ range (Power 2014). Extra-limital occurrence is possible as it is sometimes kept as a pet and escapees can establish local subpopulations.

Population trend

Trend

It is a common species in suitable habitat. For example, it occurs at densities of 280–258 squirrels / km2 in sandveld woodlands to 498 / km2 in termitaria thicket habitat, which equates to a biomass of 45–111 kg / km2 (Viljoen 1986). Its abundance in termitaria-dominated woodlands or thickets is confirmed by Fleming and Loveridge (2003).

Threats

There are no major threats to the species. The only local threat is woodland cover loss from fuelwood harvesting by local communities.

Uses and trade

This species is not utilised extensively. It is sometimes removed from the wild to be kept as a pet, but this is not on any widespread commercial scale.

Conservation

Occurs in a number of large and well managed protected areas throughout the assessment region, the most notable being the Kruger National Park. While no specific interventions are necessary at present, protection of suitable woodland habitat through conservancy formation and the management or regulation of fuelwood harvesting would benefit this species. Both interventions should aim to protect large, old trees necessary for nesting, such as Mopane or Acacia trees. Protecting clusters of termitaria woodlands will also benefit this species.

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:
  • Protect large trees from being harvested.
Research priorities:
  • Molecular research is necessary to resolve the taxonomy of this potential species complex.
  • Research to gather evidence on the effects of different land uses on the distribution and abundance of the species.
Encouraged citizen actions:
  • Report sightings of this species, especially outside protected areas, on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP).

References 

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 title = {The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion},
 year = {2005}
}
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 title = {The distribution and status of mammals in the North West Province},
 year = {2014}
}
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,@phdthesis{16205,
 author = {Viljoen S.},
 school = {University of Pretoria},
 title = {Aspects of the ecology, reproductive physiology and ethology of the bush squirrel, i>Paraxerus cepapi cepapi</i> (A. Smith, 1836). M.Sc. Thesis.},
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,]
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