Road Counts

Each week we complete a road count on the reserve in order to monitor the number of game animals here. This enables us to determine general health, numbers of young/lambs present, and allows us to estimate a carrying capacity for the reserve (how many animals can be kept here without causing detrimental effects on vegetation health etc).

When carrying out these road counts, we split the reserve into different sections depending on the type of habitat in order to gain an idea of what species are found more abundantly in what areas. For example, one section might be open grassland, another dense woodland, thick grass veldt etc. We then drive around the tracks throughout the reserve and record all species seen within 100meters either side of the road. It is essential that accurate counts are gained, and animals that move location are not counted twice, as this would result in largely inaccurate counts, potentially leading to inappropriate decisions being made in regard to game control.