Km. Dunham, Status of a reintroduced population of mountain gazelles Gazella gazella in central Arabia: management lessons from an aridland reintroduction, ORYX, 35(2), 2001, pp. 111-118
Mountain gazelles were reintroduced to central Arabia during 1991-95. Hawta
h reserve was searched for gazelles during the 1998-99 winter. Gazelles wer
e seen in one wadi system and their signs were found in several others and
on the plateau. sightings were used to calculate the minimum number of gaze
lles in the Matham wadi system, which previously held most of the populatio
n. During October-November 1998, the minimum number was 64 per cent less th
an 4 years earlier. Frequent observation of recent signs in areas where no
gazelles were seen suggested that daytime sightings alone were no longer ad
equate for monitoring this population The decline in the number of gazelles
seen, an increase in their flight distance and an apparent change in their
activity patterns were consistent with the rangers' claim that poaching ha
d commonly occurred. Poaching started after reserve management built, witho
ut adequate consultation, a new fence that was intended to bar local people
from part of the reserve. Management lessons include the need for the foll
owing: continued monitoring of reintroduced populations after the initial p
ostrelease phase; long-term dialogue with local people; effective law enfor
cement; and the management of aridland domestic livestock in ways that prev
ent inter specific competition for food causing the elimination of wild ung
ulates.