Page 48 - State of Biodiversity 2023-2024

Number of areas of contiguous habitat remaining that have potential to contain a viable sub-population – one.
Area of suitable habitat at Chameleon Park and connected D’MOSS areas – less than the 582 ha required for a viable sub-population, and trend unknown.
Number of adults at Chameleon Park – the target has not been reached. Numbers of adults over the past five years have fluctuated above and below the target, but remained mainly below (Figure 1).
In terms of representing urban biodiversity, three taxonomic groups are commonly surveyed, i.e., plants, birds, and butterflies. In Durban, reliable, quantitative data sets for most groups of organisms are difficult to obtain because of the lack of long-term monitoring initiatives. The Biodiversity Management Department is currently considering ways and potential partners that could change the situation for future reports as it is important to understand long term population and species dynamics especially in the context of the predicted climate change impacts and how these scenarios could also influence habitat management. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, only data that is collected consistently and quantitatively is utilised.
4.4.1 KwaZulu Dwarf Chameleon
Bradypodion melanocephalum is a regionally endemic chameleon and its range is restricted to the coastal belt of KZN. It is known to inhabit very small patches of suitable habitat in a variety of vegetation types, including road verges and urban gardens along the KZN coast and Midlands. The two vegetation types most frequently inhabited by this chameleon are North Coast Grassland
and South Coast Grassland, both of which are classified as Critically Endangered. These vegetation types have been largely transformed by sugarcane cultivation, urbanisation, and timber farming. The population of the KwaZulu Dwarf Chameleon is, therefore, threatened with an IUCN Red List status of Near Threatened.
In 2002, EKZNW initiated the monitoring of this species at two localities in Durban, i.e., Chameleon Park and a plot of land within D’MOSS next to the Edwin Swales Business Park on Bellair Road. While population sizes have varied greatly since 2002 when counts began, the highest numbers have been recorded in 2007, 2017 and 2018 (Figure 6). The trend shows a steep decline since 2018 which is likely the result of limited management of AIPs on site for which the landowners need to take responsibility and consider its prioritisation of management interventions.
Bradypodion melanocephalum
is a regionally endemic chameleon and its range is restricted to the coastal belt of KZN.
46 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2023/2024