Chameleons and vineyards in the Western Cape of South Africa
Is automated grape harvesting a threat to the Cape Dwarf Chameleon?
A report by Krystal Tolley and John Measey of the SA National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) just out discusses just this with the conclusion that vineyards are not optimal habitat and are generally avoided by chameleons.
No chameleons were found in the vineyards at all during the extensive study; they were rather found in abundance in shrubs and dense vegetation other than vines.
Force studies were also conducted, and in the unlikely event that a chameleon on vines was passed over by a harvester, the harvester generally does not produce enough force to remove a chameleon under normal conditions.
For a more in-depth view on this, download the report here. (200kb pdf - right-click link and save as).
Update: here's a video clip of Krystal explaining the issue.
