Conservation

Custodian programme

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•    The Oribi Custodianship Programme, giving incentive-based recognition for landowners contributing to oribi conservation.

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The Oribi Working Group Committee will review awards of oribi custodianship on an annual basis.

Criteria for becoming an Oribi Custodian
In order for a landowner to “qualify” or “earn” custodianship, the following criteria should be closely followed (but should also be used as a guideline):
• Must have oribi present on the property.
• Must implement management practices on the property that encourage oribi to remain and possibly increase in population size.
This must include, where applicable, the following:
• Maintenance of suitable areas of natural grasslands on the property for oribi.
• Implementation of a sustainable grassland management programme which allows both long grass for cover and short grass for foraging, and
utilizing mowing, cattle grazing and mosaic burning as management tools (refer to the Management chapter of this plan).
• Removal / control of encroaching alien vegetation and problem indigenous plants on grassland areas.
• Modification of internal fences to allow oribi to move freely between camps, and external fences (where-ever practicable) to allow them to
move between properties.
• Maintenance of corridors of suitable habitat and of adequate dimensions between habitat fragments.
• Control of movement and behaviour of all domestic dogs on the property i.e. the landowner should either not allow dogs to be kept on the
property, or all dogs should be prevented from roaming freely on the farm (including the landowner’s dogs).
• Conducting of hunts in an ethical manner, controlled by the landowner, and with permits issued by the provincial authority (refer also to the
Legal Hunting of Oribi section in this plan).
• Following of correct authorization procedures prior to any change in land-use where habitat alteration is involved.
14 Guidelines for custodianship in South Africa
Adhere to the conditions of capture and translocation.
• Oribi may only be captured and translocated by appropriately trained and experienced personnel, and in accordance with conditions laid
down in the Oribi Conservation Plan.
• Landowners must show a willingness to adapt agricultural practices to allow oribi to flourish , rather than translocating them to alternate
sites,
• Landowners must adhere to the genetic principles of translocation (see Genetics and Translocation section in the Management chapter, page
8 of the plan).
• All oribi translocations must be performed with the primary focus being the conservation of the oribi antelope.
Make a positive contribution to the conservation of the oribi.
This could include:
• Monitoring the population status of oribi annually on their properties.
• Creating awareness about the oribi amongst neighbouring landowners.
• Participating in conservancies or biospheres for the benefit of oribi populations.
• Rehabilitation of transformed grassland areas back to their natural state.
Custodians should have an excellent “Oribi-Friendly” attitude and should be willing to:
• Maintain a good working relationship with the Oribi Working Group,
• Report regularly to the Oribi Working Group on the progress and status of the oribi on the property,
• Inform and involve the Oribi Working Group of any proposed developments that may impact on the oribi,
• Carry out management recommendations that will enhance / benefit oribi populations.

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