Anthropogenic termite mound erosion: Spatio-temporal distribution, biophysical characteristics and farmers’ perceptions in SW Uganda

Abstract

Tension between termite mound existence and human activities is pervasive. But termite mound ecology, erosion and associated human perceptions remain poorly understood. In this paper, we report on the spatio-temporal distribution and biophysical characteristics of termite mounds in the Rwizi catchment in SW-Uganda, and associated human perceptions towards their presence in cropping and livestock ranches (agricultural land), peri-urban and pristine (national Park) ecosystems using a cross-sectional survey in combination with remote sensing and GIS. We mapped >20,000 mounds detectable in Google Earth (GE) imagery over a period of 5 years (2016–2020) in an area approx. 1411 km², and characterized 328 mounds in detail: we collected 1968 termite-, >400 vegetation- and 432 soil samples. We also interviewed 104 farmers to capture their (varied) perceptions on termite mounds. Our data show that sites in the national park had a significantly larger (p < 0.05) mean area (m²) coverage of mounds compared to the agricultural and built up areas: Kiruhura (9042 ± 1874^a) (national park region), Isingiro (3907 ± 2648^b) (grazing and cropping region) and Mbarara (3687 ± 1081^b) (urban and peri-urban area) respectively. Biophysical analyses reinforce the fact that the termite mounds are ‘islands’ of nutrient and vegetation abundance in resource–scarce environments. Macrotermes bellicosus was the most dominant termite species, and mounds were spatially clustered (Moran's I: 0.4–0.96, p < 0.05) but temporally varied. The majority of farmers (71.2 %) reported that they destroy termite mounds on their farms due to the perceived destructive nature of termites, especially with respect to agricultural pasture and settlement constructions. Termite mound erosion was however associated with education level, age and gender of farmers (χ² = 11.605, p = 0.001). Nonetheless, farmers perceived that termite mounds support mushroom growth (68.0 %) followed by alates (45.6 %) as the most important benefits. Ecological benefits (e.g., nutrient recycling) are lacking from farmers' views however. Improving farmer knowledge on the ecological importance of the termite mounds could better decision making and a balance between termite mound erosion and conservation in resource-poor environments.