SABAP2 is the most important bird conservation project in South Africa. This is because conservation interventions depend on knowing the distributions of species and how they are changing. This slideshow gives some examples of changes between the first and second bird atlas projects, SABAP1 and SABAP2

1. SABAP2
Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2
Range changes of
selected species
Les Underhill, Doug Harebottle and
Michael Brooks
Animal Demography Unit
Department of Zoology
University of Cape Town
http://sabap2.adu.org.za

2. SABAP2 is a partnership between the Animal
Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town,
BirdLife South Africa and the South African
National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)

3. • These seven species are a tiny sample
of those which show range changes
between the first and second bird atlas
projects
• SABAP1 data collection took place
mainly between 1987 and 1991
• SABAP2 started in July 2007 and is
ongoing

4. Read this first!
• The blocks on the maps are quarter degree grid cells (QDGC)
• RED = seen in SABAP1 but not in SABAP2 = maybe it’s gone
extinct in QDGC
• ORANGE = recorded less frequently in SABAP2 than SABAP1 =
maybe it’s becoming less common in QDGC
• YELLOW = same frequency of records in both projects
• GREEN = recorded more frequently in SABAP2 than SABAP1 =
maybe it’s becoming more common in QDGC
• BLUE = seen in SABAP2 but not in SABAP1 = maybe it’s colonized
the QDGC
• PINK = the species occurred here in SABAP1, but there is not yet
SABAP2 data for this QDGC
• Everything is couched in MAYBEs. These are not the definitive,
authoritative analyses. These are being done. But so far, these
results are all standing up to scrutiny

6. The map is mostly RED and
ORANGE. Black Storks are being
recorded far less frequently in
SABAP2 than in SABAP1. The
reason is unclear. This was a change
that no one suspected until this
range-change map was produced

8. The map is mostly ORANGE. There seem
to be fewer Hamerkops during SABAP2
than there were in SABAP1. Once again,
the reason is unclear. This was also a
change that no one suspected until this
range-change map was produced

10. This is an unusual range change map. In
the northeast it is mostly RED aand
ORANGE. It seems to get increasingly
GREENER towards the Western Cape,
and there seems to be a bit of range
expansion northwards in the NW corner
of the Western Cape. The grasslands of
the Highveld were the former range of
the Blue Crane, and from this it seems to
be disappearing. But the new core of the
distribution is in the wheat-growing
regions of the Swartland and Overberg in
the Western Cape. It is critically
dependent on the current agricultural
regime in these regions

12. The map is mostly GREEN! Although
there has not been much range
expansion, there has been a big increase
in the abundance of Egyptian Geese over
the SABAP2 region since SABAP1. This
is probably because this species has
adapted to agriculture and to living in
towns and cities. There are also lots
more Egyptian Geese on the shoreline
than in former times

14. The map is has lots of RED and
ORANGE, but also some GREEN and
BLUE. But the overall consensus is that
the Secretarybird is not doing well at
present. It is being recorded less
frequently in SABAP2 than it was during
SABAP1. The reasons are unclear. This
was a change that no one really
suspected until this range-change map
was produced

16. The map is mostly RED and ORANGE, especially
in the Western Cape. Ground Woodpeckers are
being recorded far less frequently in SABAP2
than in SABAP1. This was a change that was not
suspected until this range-change map was
produced. Potentially, this is a climate change
impact, because there have been no human-
induced changes of its mountainous habitat

18. The map is mostly BLUE and GREEN.
Common Mynas have expanded their range
massively since SABAP1. But it is a surprise
that they now appear to be less common in
KwaZulu-Natal than during SABAP1. This
ORANGE region was the core of their range
at that time. The range of this species in
expanding rapidly, and the ongoing SABAP2
project is keeping track of this in a
remarkable way. It is even expanding into
the Kruger National Park

19. • There are lots more examples like these
• SABAP2 has made a huge contribution to the
“broad brush” monitoring of all bird species
• It is important that this project continue
• If you can help to sponsor SABAP2, please contact Les
Underhill les.underhill@uct.ac.za
• Or you can do an EFT:
– UCT donations account, Standard Bank, Rondebosch
– Branch 025009, Account 071522387 (SWIFT code is SBZAZAJJ)
– Beneficiary reference: Fund 231454 (this is the ADU’s donations
“fund” and tells the University where to transfer the money to)
– Please send an email to Sue Kuyper sue.kuyper@uct.ac.za and tell
her that you want the donation to be allocated to SABAP2
– This email also enables UCT to send a Section 18A tax donation
certificate

20. • There are lots more examples like these
• SABAP2 has made a huge contribution to the
“broad brush” monitoring of all charge any "levy" on to
UCT does not
bird species
donations; the entire amount comes
• It is important that this project is a levy onservices we
the ADU. There
continue
contracts, but the multiple
formal
get for the amount we pay are pretty
good – the ADU projects could not be
• If you can help to sponsor SABAP2, please contact of the
run cheaper off campus – one Les
Underhill les.underhill@uct.ac.zaimportant benefits isonto fantastic
most
high quality access we get
the
the
• Or you can do an EFT: global internet highways!
– UCT donations account, Standard Bank, Rondebosch
– Branch 025009, Account 071522387 (SWIFT code is SBZAZAJJ)
– Beneficiary reference: Fund 231454 (this is the ADU’s donations
“fund” and tells the University where to transfer the money to)
– Please send an email to Sue Kuyper sue.kuyper@uct.ac.za and tell
her that you want the donation to be allocated to SABAP2
– This email also enables UCT to send a Section 18A tax donation
certificate