Page 101 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

Q&A

Q WHAT CAN I SEE IN...? NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WORLD
ETOSHA

NAMIBIA

A The secret to Etosha is its
scarcity of water. Because it is 4
such a precious commodity,
diverse groups of mammals
3
and birds congregate around
waterholes in easy-to-find
clusters. It’s the key reason
why this national park is
2
regarded as one of the best
places in Africa to see wildlife,
from endangered species
such as the black rhino,
predators including lions and
d
n
1
cheetahs, and herbivores such
as springboks and mountain
zebras. The Okaukuejo and
d
t
Halali waterholes are said to
be especially good for
g
rhinos, while those wanting
to see lions should head
for Okondeka.
Some 340 bird species
have been recorded in
the park, and you've a good
chance of sighting raptors blue cranes. Etosha is named TOP OF THE NATIONAL PARK IN NUMBERS
such as bateleurs and martial after the vast saltpan that TICKLIST
eagles. Both greater and lies at its centre. For most of 86 114 2,500
lesser flamingos gather to the year it’s a dry, unforgiving 1 Mountain zebra
breed in the saltpans towards place, but fills – to an extent – 2 Black rhino WATERHOLES SPECIES OF RESIDENT
the end of the rainy season, when the rains come between 3 Greater flamingo MAMMAL ELEPHANTS
during which you can also see November and April. 4 Etosha Pan

VOLUNTEERING protecting locally important sites – for example woodland, scrub and wet areas. The glade
HOW CAN removing rhododendron and Himalayan is awash with colour in the summer, with
butterflies and dragonflies flitting through
balsam from Breary Marsh Site of Special
I HELP...? Scientific Interest (SSSI), or taking out scrub the orchids, but in recent years it has become
from Adel Moor, one of only two sites in Leeds
increasingly shaded and scrubby and the pond
that is home to common lizards. has dried up. We will coppice trees to allow in
Leeds City Council more light, remove the willow and birch scrub
Leeds Wildlife Volunteers What’s your next project? and hopefully restore the pond.
Over 2018 we plan to restore the glade area
Tell us about your volunteers of Eccup Whin – a site of oak and birch What’s a recent achievement?
We’ve just restored a pond at Chevin Forest
Our group comes from all over Leeds. Many
Illustration by Bex Glover; Jonathan Dunster/Leeds City Council employed workers who can sneak in a day of Breary Marsh. a stand of greater reedmace gave it away. We
Volunteers remove
Park Local Nature Reserve. The pond had been
are retired, but we also have students, people
rhododendrons at
between jobs, stay-at-home parents and self-
unmanaged for years and had silted up, but
volunteering every two weeks. They all have
spent an entire day scooping out vast amounts
of accumulated mud. It was hard and extremely
different motivations: giving something back
to their local area, a love of wildlife, socialising
smelly, but by the end of it we’d created a nice
with like-minded people or gaining experiencee
big hole to fill with water. It will help enormously
towards maintaining and increasing local
in the conservation sector.
amphibian numbers.
What sort of tasks do you do?
We work at council-owned nature sites in and
around the city. Much of what we do involves
www.leeds.gov.uk
February 2018 O JON DUNSTER BBC Wildlife 101