---

Abstract: The fern genus Hymenophyllum (Hymenophyllaceae) so far encompassed not more than five species in western Central Africa. New investigations into BRLU and P collections on Hymenophyllaceae specimens collected in western Central Africa allowed us to identify a new species for the area. The species Hymenophyllum senterreanum sp. nov. displays indusia with an original and particular campanulate-like shape, usually observed in the distinct trichomanoid lineage. It seems endemic to sub-montane rainforests of coastal west-south Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and is currently known only from four localities. The novelty is considered as Endangered according to IUCN Categories and Criteria. An updated key is proposed for the genus Hymenophyllum for the region. © 2016 Magnolia Press.
Source title: Phytotaxa
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.257.3.7
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84964027073&doi=10.11646%2fphytotaxa.257.3.7&partnerID=40&md5=2e5ab7664141eb24c38cd17b38c42a07
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ; Equatorial Guinea ;
Protected area: Campo-Ma'an ; Monte Alén
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Taxonomy

---

Abstract: Bushmeat hunting is among the principal threats to larger-bodied vertebrate species, such as primates, in central Africa. However, species vary in their response to differing levels of hunting intensity, making it difficult to not only quantify the effect hunting has on wild populations, but also to plan for effective conservation interventions. In order to investigate the impact of hunting on primates on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, we collected data on primate abundance and hunting intensity across three areas in the Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve (GCSR) via reconnaissance surveys. We assessed how the relative abundance and proportional representation of Bioko's seven diurnal primate species varied among the different sites and in relation to hunting intensity. Overall primate species richness and abundance were highest in areas where gun hunting was minimal, but both measures declined with increasing evidence of gun hunting. Two species of primates, Cercopithecus erythrotis and Cercopithecus nictitans, were relatively tolerant of heavy hunting, but all other species were considered vulnerable. Procolobus pennantii, a species endemic to Bioko, exhibited the highest vulnerability, and its range appears restricted to a very limited area in the southwest of the GCSR. Our analyses indicate that hunting on Bioko is a strong contributor to current patterns of primate abundance and diversity, and suggest that hunting may be driving Bioko's most threatened primates (e.g., P. pennantii) towards extinction. These results highlight the need for rapid intervention on Bioko in order to safeguard the future of its unique primates. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
Source title: Biological Conservation
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2016.03.001
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84961279179&doi=10.1016%2fj.biocon.2016.03.001&partnerID=40&md5=43adbc6f0f0aec95511fe2798e14acab
Correspondence Address: Cronin, D.T.; Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut Street, PISB 503, United States; email: dtc33@drexel.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Equatorial Guinea ;
Protected area: Caldera de Luba
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance ; Hunting / Poaching

---

Abstract: Our affection for national parks is well founded, but many more areas need protection. © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
Source title: Nature
DOI: 10.1038/529437b
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84964296243&doi=10.1038%2f529437b&partnerID=40&md5=a50e9b826ad20935ea1ec793cab2504c
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Review
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Virunga
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Conservation initiatives ; Periphery / Management

---

Abstract: Local forest management is essential for enhancing the sustainability of both communities’ livelihoods and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Land Degradation (REDD+) projects. However, few studies have examined the impact of forest ownership and control on community engagement and the functioning of communities in a co-managing conservation initiative. This paper examines the influence of forest management on local participation and identifies the roles/functions of local communities in the Mount Cameroon National Park REDD+ conservation project. Cluster multi-stage random sampling was used to collect data from 259 respondents that were analysed using the chi-square, Mann–Whitney, t-test, Kruskal–Wallis, Jonckheere–Terpstra tests and NVivo. Results show that local communities have been involved in forest management practices before the establishment of the park. Communities support the establishment of a strict conservation zone and hope to promote local participation with a high expectation of benefits. Insecure tenure reduces project support and local engagement. Though communities massively support the initiative, engagement is low, and participants are not carrying out any tangible roles. They function mainly as manual labourers or mere committee members who only enforce rules/regulations within communities. Community-based natural resource management and integrated conservation and development projects have often not realised local expectations due to problems of application and impracticable legislation. Projects’ failure may be avoided by involving communities in tangible roles/functions and developing an effective co-management approach or establishing community-owned and-managed forest projects. This paper examines the progress of REDD+ from an early stage to help inform proponents in adapting strategies that are geared towards appropriate satisfactory outcomes, especially for local communities, to prevent the early failure of the initiative. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Source title: Environments - MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/environments3040036
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85040788909&doi=10.3390%2fenvironments3040036&partnerID=40&md5=42c288261b9f77905c5a0f3345f3e107
Correspondence Address: Awung, N.S.; York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, Environment Department, University of York, The Forgotten Green Heroes, Buea Post Box 294, United Kingdom; email: s.nvenakeng@cbe9.be
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Mont Cameroun
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Periphery / Management ; Conservation initiatives ; Governance / Policy

---

Abstract: Global change will likely affect savanna and forest structure and distributions, with implications for diversity within both biomes. Few studies have examined the impacts of both expected precipitation and land use changes on vegetation structure in the future, despite their likely severity. Here, we modeled tree cover in sub-Saharan Africa, as a proxy for vegetation structure and land cover change, using climatic, edaphic, and anthropic data (R(2) = 0.97). Projected tree cover for the year 2070, simulated using scenarios that include climate and land use projections, generally decreased, both in forest and savanna, although the directionality of changes varied locally. The main driver of tree cover changes was land use change; the effects of precipitation change were minor by comparison. Interestingly, carbon emissions mitigation via increasing biofuels production resulted in decreases in tree cover, more severe than scenarios with more intense precipitation change, especially within savannas. Evaluation of tree cover change against protected area extent at the WWF Ecoregion scale suggested areas of high biodiversity and ecosystem services concern. Those forests most vulnerable to large decreases in tree cover were also highly protected, potentially buffering the effects of global change. Meanwhile, savannas, especially where they immediately bordered forests (e.g. West and Central Africa), were characterized by a dearth of protected areas, making them highly vulnerable. Savanna must become an explicit policy priority in the face of climate and land use change if conservation and livelihoods are to remain viable into the next century. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Source title: Global change biology
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13299
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85027918630&doi=10.1111%2fgcb.13299&partnerID=40&md5=376bd0f08f76b074c85c54a962976aed
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Central Africa ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Environment
Subtopic: Land use / cover ; Forests ; Deforestation ; Savannas ; Climate

---

Abstract: Hunting and trade of wild animals for their meat (bushmeat), especially mammals, is commonplace in tropical forests worldwide. In West and Central Africa, bushmeat extraction has increased substantially during recent decades. Currently, such levels of hunting pose a major threat to native wildlife. In this paper, we compiled published data on hunting offtake of mammals, from a number of studies conducted between 1990 and 2007 in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. From these data sources, we estimated annual extraction rates of all hunted species and analyzed the relationship between environmental and anthropogenic variables surrounding each hunting rate and levels of bushmeat extraction. We defined hunting pressure as a function of bushmeat offtake and number of hunted species and confirm that hunting pressure is significantly correlated with road density, distance to protected areas and population density. These correlations are then used to map hunting pressure across the Congo Basin. We show that predicted risk areas show a patchy distribution throughout the study region and that many protected areas are located in high-risk areas. We suggest that such a map can be used to identify areas of greatest impact of hunting to guide large-scale conservation planning initiatives for central Africa. © 2016 The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
Source title: Biotropica
DOI: 10.1111/btp.12286
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84964461233&doi=10.1111%2fbtp.12286&partnerID=40&md5=539fd4a5f11b330c784d08a9089c7582
Correspondence Address: Fa, J.E.; Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityUnited Kingdom; email: jfa949@gmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Central Africa ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Hunting / Poaching

---

Abstract: Adenoviruses are widespread in human population as well as in great apes, although the data about the naturally occurring adenovirus infections remain rare. We conducted the surveillance of adenovirus infection in wild western lowland gorillas in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (Gabon), in order to investigate naturally occurring adenovirus in target gorillas and tested specifically a possible zoonotic transmission with local people inhabiting the vicinity of the park. Fecal samples were collected from western lowland gorillas and humans, and analyzed by PCR. We detected adenoviral genes in samples from both gorillas and the local people living around the national park, respectively: the overall prevalence rates of adenovirus were 24.1 and 35.0 % in gorillas and humans, respectively. Sequencing revealed that the adenoviruses detected in the gorillas were members of Human mastadenovirus B (HAdV-B), HAdV-C, or HAdV-E, and those in the humans belonged to HAdV-C or HAdV-D. Although HAdV-C members were detected in both gorillas and humans, phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus detected in gorillas are genetically distinct from those detected in humans. The HAdV-C constitutes a single host lineage which is compatible with the host-pathogen divergence. However, HAdV-B and HAdV-E are constituted by multiple host lineages. Moreover, there is no evidence of zoonotic transmission thus far. Since the gorilla-to-human transmission of adenovirus has been shown before, the current monitoring should be continued in a broader scale for getting more insights in the natural history of naturally occurring adenoviruses and for the safe management of gorillas’ populations. © 2016, The Author(s).
Source title: Virus Genes
DOI: 10.1007/s11262-016-1360-8
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84984621895&doi=10.1007%2fs11262-016-1360-8&partnerID=40&md5=c1591dfdb496a2a8348e330a670705c2
Correspondence Address: Tsukiyama-Kohara, K.; Transboundary Animal Diseases Research Centre, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityJapan; email: kkohara@vet.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Moukalaba-Doudou
Main topic: Health
Subtopic: Human & animal health

---

Abstract: Twelve mosses within nine genera of Pottiaceae, including Anoectangium aestivum (Hedw.) Mitt., A. stracheyanum Mitt., Barbula cf. seramensis H.Akiyama, Chionoloma bombayense (Müll.Hal.) P.Sollman, Gymnostomiella erosula (Müll.Hal. ex Dusén) Arts, G. vernicosa (Harv.) M.Fleisch., Hydrogonium consanguineum (Thwaites & Mitt.) Hilp., H. orientale (F.Weber) Ku?era, Hymenostylium recurvirostrum (Hedw.) Dixon, Hyophila involuta (Hook.) A.Jaeger, Leptodontium viticulosoides (P.Beauv.) Wijk & Margad. and Splachnobryum obtusum (Brid.) Müll.Hal., are newly reported for São Tomé and Príncipe and eight of these species represent the first report for the Gulf of Guinea islands. Notes on habitat and distribution are provided. © 2016 Adac. Tous droits réservés.
Source title: Cryptogamie, Bryologie
DOI: 10.7872/cryb/v37.iss4.2016.455
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84995475793&doi=10.7872%2fcryb%2fv37.iss4.2016.455&partnerID=40&md5=f7df564d06361c03509bf6ee0d8af157
Correspondence Address: Sollman, P.Notarisappel 2, Netherlands; email: a.sollman@hetnet.nl
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; São Tomé and Príncipe ;
Protected area: Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Taxonomy

---

Abstract: Cantharellus miniatescens is lectotypified. An epitype sequenced for four gene regions (LSU, mitSSU, RPB2 and Tef1-alpha) is selected among recent collections from Cameroon and Central African Republic and fully described and illustrated. Complete ITS sequences have been deposited as barcodes. The systematic position is determined using a multigene phylogenetic analysis which places this species in Cantharellus subg. Pseudocantharellus in agreement with its morphological features. © 2016 Adac. Tous droits réservés.
Source title: Cryptogamie, Mycologie
DOI: 10.7872/crym/v37.iss3.2016.269
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84994013373&doi=10.7872%2fcrym%2fv37.iss3.2016.269&partnerID=40&md5=1cfb082ae3d85f03b4eb72c0086f9619
Correspondence Address: Buyck, B.; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique et Évolution, CP 39, ISYEB, UMR 7205 CNRS MNHN UPMC EPHE, 12 rue Buffon, France; email: buyck@mnhn.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ; Central African Republic ;
Protected area: Dja ; Dzanga-Sangha
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Fungi ; Taxonomy

---

Abstract: Historically, national parks were developed along protectionist principles to stave off illegal extraction of plants and wildlife. However, there have been calls to involve local communities in sustainable management of natural resources in recent years. The main objective of this study was to examine the economic activities carried out by rural women located near the Virunga National Park (VNP) in Northern Rwanda. The research also determined the role of such activities in enhancing their financial condition. A total of 118 respondents were selected from Musanze District using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was mainly collected through a structured questionnaire transcribed in Kinyarwanda. Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares (IRLS) robust regression and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that basket weaving and agriculture (crop and livestock) were important activities in the lives of rural women. However, most women earned less than 44,190.71Rwf ($73USD) per year and lived in extreme poverty. IRLS robust regression results suggested that location, self-confidence and the type of economic activity were statistically associated with annual household income (p<0.05). These results revealed the importance of building self-confidence and exploring location-specific business opportunities for enhanced incomes among rural women. © 2016 Journal of International Women's Studies.
Source title: Journal of International Women's Studies
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84980030800&partnerID=40&md5=06f3e2503c78e595693256e8f543d8e5
Correspondence Address: Mutandwa, E.; Department of Rural Development and Agribusiness, Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, University of Rwanda, P.B. 210, Rwanda; email: edwardmutandwa@yahoo.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Volcans
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Income-generating activities ; Periphery / Management ; Anthropology / Ethnoscience ; Perceptions / Behaviors

---

Abstract: The sequestrate false truffles Elaphomyces favosus, E. iuppitercellus, and E. labyrinthinus spp. nov. are described as new to science from the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. Elaphomyces adamizans sp. nov. is described as new from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. The Cameroonian species are the first Elaphomyces taxa to be formally described from Africa, occurring in lowland Guineo-Congolian tropical rainforests dominated by the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) canopy tree Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae). The Guyanese species is the third to be discovered in lowland tropical South America, occurring in forests dominated by the ECM trees Pakaraimaea dipterocarpacea (Dipterocarpaceae) and Dicymbe jenmanii (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae). Macromorphological, micromorphological, habitat, and DNA sequence data are provided for each new species. Molecular and morphological data place these fungi in Elaphomycetaceae (Eurotiales, Ascomycota). Unique morphological features are congruent with molecular delimitation of each of the new species based on a phylogenetic analysis of the rDNA ITS and 28S loci across the Elaphomycetaceae. The phylogenetic analysis also suggests that a common ancestor is shared between some Elaphomyces species from Africa and South America, and that species of the stalked, volvate genus Pseudotulostoma may be nested in Elaphomyces. © 2016 International Mycological Association.
Source title: IMA Fungus
DOI: 10.5598/imafungus.2016.07.01.05
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84982832784&doi=10.5598%2fimafungus.2016.07.01.05&partnerID=40&md5=fd7b17a104e10ff5fbf90aa548120a60
Correspondence Address: Henkel, T.W.; Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State UniversityUnited States; email: Terry.Henkel@humboldt.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Dja
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Fungi ; Taxonomy

---

Abstract: Monts de Cristal National Park in northwest Gabon is one of the most species rich places in Central Africa. Here, we describe two new species, one in Annonaceae and one in palms. Uvariopsis citrata Couvreur & Niangadouma, sp. nov. is unique in the genus by emitting a strong lemon scent from the crushed leaves and young branches. Laccosperma cristalensis Couvreur & Niangadouma, sp. nov. is a rattan that lacks acanthophylls on the cirrus and has few pinnae. Complete descriptions, photographic illustrations, ecological information and preliminary IUCN conservation status are provided. For both species a data deficient (DD) status is proposed. These new species underline once again that the Monts de Cristal National Park is yet incompletely known botanically. © Thomas L.P. Couvreur, Raoul Niangadouma.
Source title: PhytoKeys
DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.68.9576
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84983372009&doi=10.3897%2fphytokeys.68.9576&partnerID=40&md5=9c46cf2752421066daf3241169e45af5
Correspondence Address: Couvreur, T.L.P.; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR-DIADE, BP 64501, France; email: thomas.couvreur@ird.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Monts de Cristal
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Taxonomy

---

Abstract: The okapi Okapia johnstoni, a rainforest giraffid endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, was recategorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2013. Historical records and anecdotal reports suggest that a disjunct population of okapi may have occurred south-west of the Congo River but the current distribution and status of the okapi in this region are not well known. Here we describe the use of non-invasive genetic identification for this species and assess the success of species identification from dung in the wild, which varied throughout the range. This variation is probably attributable to varying okapi population densities and/or different sample collection strategies across the okapi's distribution. Okapi were confirmed to occur south-west of the Congo River, in scattered localities west of the Lomami River. We demonstrated that non-invasive genetic methods can provide information on the distribution of cryptic, uncommon species that is difficult to obtain by other methods. Further investigation is required to genetically characterize the okapi across its range and to investigate the biogeographical processes that have led to the observed distribution of okapi and other fauna in the region. Copyright © Fauna & Flora International 2014.
Source title: ORYX
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605314000593
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84951729076&doi=10.1017%2fS0030605314000593&partnerID=40&md5=1ede59e32ed3c2a3ee637713d0d3b7da
Correspondence Address: Stanton, D.W.G.; School of Biosciences, Cardiff UniversityUnited Kingdom; email: stantondw@cardiff.ac.uk
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Lomami National Park ; Okapis
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Ungulates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Genetics

---

Abstract: In this article I read Véronique Tadjo's The Shadow of Imana through its embedded account of ecotourism and the environmental space of Rwanda's Parc National des Volcans. In the context of Rwandan genocide, I make a case for re-grounding mourning through environmental co-ordinates. Considering what I term an "agriculturalisation" of genocide, present both in the implementation of genocide in rural areas and in environmental hermeneutics for genocide, I connect the work of mourning to a de-naturalisation of received landscapes and land orthodoxies. I suggest that The Shadow of Imana presents us with a vernacular mourning ecology for post-genocide Rwanda, in which non-mourning enclaves - spaces where a human conception of mourning does not obtain - animate a mourning for everything else that remains. © SAGE Publications.
Source title: Journal of Commonwealth Literature
DOI: 10.1177/0021989415628029
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84976616049&doi=10.1177%2f0021989415628029&partnerID=40&md5=e0be1af8553f32006b7865c3a810fb48
Correspondence Address: Hemsley, F.; School of English, University of Leeds, Cavendish Road, United Kingdom; email: f.c.hemsley@leeds.ac.uk
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Conference Paper
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Volcans
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Ethnoscience ; Tourism ; Perceptions / Behaviors

---

Abstract: Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is an increasingly recognized threat to successful conservation and development efforts through reducing support for conservation effort or threatening the livelihoods of marginalized human populations residing adjacent to protected areas. Although much research is conducted on characterizing these conflicts, such as quantifying crop damage or identifying proximal causes and correlates, there is little effort in identifying the wider, distal drivers of potential conflict. These wider factors may often play as much a part in defining exposure to loss through HWC as local ecological or socioeconomic factors. Using a mixed methods approach, the current study assessed the role of distal factors in defining perceived exposure to crop raiding around a central African protected area; Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in northern Rwanda. Although harbouring critically endangered biodiversity, this transboundary protected area also lies in a region experiencing significant social pressures and struggles for natural resources. This study found that land tenure limitations and restrictions on agricultural autonomy, often driven by neoliberal trade, significantly impact on perceptions of conflict with VNP. Additionally, the lack of adequate revenue sharing with communities most exposed to conflict continues to foster ill feeling towards conservation efforts by failing to counterbalance losses through crop raiding. This study has shown the importance of considering national and regional policy revisions in addressing the drivers of conflict, while the value of a holistic approach to establish the relative importance of distal and proximal factors in HWC has been shown. © 2016 The Zoological Society of London
Source title: Animal Conservation
DOI: 10.1111/acv.12279
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84973174876&doi=10.1111%2facv.12279&partnerID=40&md5=f4e9055942dee76673c87489cd7adef4
Correspondence Address: Mc Guinness, S.K.; School of Natural Science & the Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College DublinIreland; email: mcguinsk@tcd.ie
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Volcans
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Human-wildlife conflicts

---

Abstract: Tourism revenue sharing (TRS) has become a popular strategy for integrated wildlife conservation and rural development in Africa. In Rwanda, 5% of tourism revenue is invested annually in communities adjacent to protected areas. However, the conservation impact of the TRS strategy has been challenged. Previous studies have revealed structural constraints of TRS, which partially explain TRS shortfalls. The TRS application is complex and needs deeper understanding of both conceptual and structural constraints. In this paper, we examine local perceptions of TRS, and use the Sustainable Livelihoods framework to conceptually understand the livelihood capability, equity and sustainability constraints of TRS at Volcanoes National Park (VNP). Results suggest that TRS has had minimal conservation impact due to acute food insecurity and limited livelihood capabilities among the poorest residents in proximity to VNP. This is exacerbated by several TRS structural constraints, such as the association membership fee requirement for TRS benefits, political influence, poor conservation linkages, and limited participation of the most socially and economically disadvantaged residents in proximity to VNP. This paper recommends restructuring of the TRS decision-making process to ensure consideration of both short-term and long-term conservation goals, wildlife conservation linkages and participation of the most economically disadvantaged residents in proximity to the park boundary. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Source title: Journal of Sustainable Tourism
DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2016.1145228
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84959213403&doi=10.1080%2f09669582.2016.1145228&partnerID=40&md5=2c4de5ca3c241068fc9f30d2f1f7c9b1
Correspondence Address: Munanura, I.E.; Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, College of Forestry, Oregon State UniversityUnited States; email: Ian.munanura@oregonstate.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Volcans
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Perceptions / Behaviors ; Income-generating activities ; Tourism ; Periphery / Management ; Governance / Policy ; Anthropology / Ethnoscience

---

Abstract: Urban development is an increasing threat to the integrity of formerly remote protected areas, in some cases resulting in their downgrading, downsizing or degazetting. One-quarter of previously remote protected areas are now within 17 km of a city and thus face the threat of urbanization. Here we describe a case of avoided downgrading, downsizing and degazetting of a protected area in the Mondah forest of Gabon, north of Libreville. Since its creation in 1934 the Forêt Classée de la Mondah has been downsized regularly, losing 40% of its area over 80 years. During this time the forest surrounding the Forêt Classée was subject to usage for urban and peri-urban needs, including agriculture, sand extraction, collection of medicinal plants, ceremonies, and housing construction. In 2010 the area was threatened with further downsizing. The presence of narrowly endemic plant species in the area was suspected, and mapping and evaluation of these species was proposed in an effort to maintain the protected area boundaries. Botanical field work, including ex situ conservation measures and participant observation in nearby forest communities, was conducted; 24 endemic species, all threatened by urbanization, were evaluated using the criteria for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The borders of the protected area were maintained because of its role in maintaining irreplaceable habitat for threatened species. The area was renamed Raponda Walker Arboretum in 2012. Copyright © Fauna & Flora International 2015.
Source title: ORYX
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605315000204
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84939153438&doi=10.1017%2fS0030605315000204&partnerID=40&md5=ccf7ade310c1c78b01d8ec45e6bb1847
Correspondence Address: Walters, G.; Global Forest and Climate Change Programme, IUCN, 28 rue Mauverney, Switzerland; email: g.walters@ucl.ac.uk
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Mondah
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity

---

Abstract: To understand the evolution of personality structure requires examining personality dimensions in multiple species using a common set of traits. Little research has been conducted on personality in wild populations of nonhuman primates. Using behavioral observations and questionnaire ratings, we examined factors influencing personality in 16 wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba, Luo Scientific Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We extracted five factors from 31 of the items from the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire (HPQ) and three factors from observed behaviors. The HPQ factors were labeled UnemotionalityQ, FriendlinessQ, AggressivenessQ, IrritabilityQ, and ActivityQ. The behavioral factors were labeled GroomingB, PlayfulnessB, and IntroversionB. We established the convergent and divergent validity of these factors by obtaining correlations between the HPQ and behavioral factors. We tested for sex differences and found that males were significantly higher on IntroversionB and significantly lower in IrritabilityQ. We then tested for age differences and found that FriendlinessQ was lower and AggressivenessQ was higher in older individuals. Finally, we found that, among males, hierarchical rank was associated with higher AggressivenessQ. These findings contrast with findings in chimpanzees in ways consistent with known species differences. For one, consistent with the more egalitarian structure of bonobo society, we did not identify a clear Dominance factor. Also, the results related to sex differences were consistent with previous findings that reveal closer bonds between female bonobos than female chimpanzees. These findings highlight the importance of studying personality in closely related species and the need to consider species’ socioecology when studying personality. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1178–1189, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Source title: American Journal of Primatology
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22573
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84978641624&doi=10.1002%2fajp.22573&partnerID=40&md5=14eb8082a4e96ab906abc6e19263d69f
Correspondence Address: Furuichi, T.; Primate Research Institute, Kyoto UniversityJapan; email: furuichi@pri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Luo Scientific Reserve
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Biology / Ecology

---

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance After almost 50 years of international trade in wild harvested medicinal bark from Africa and Madagascar, the example of Prunus africana holds several lessons for both policy and practice in the fields of forestry, conservation and rural development. Due to recent CITES restrictions on P. africana exports from Burundi, Kenya and Madagascar, coupled with the lifting of the 2007 European Union (EU) ban in 2011, Cameroon's share of the global P. africana bark trade has risen from an average of 38% between 1995 and 2004, to 72.6% (658.6 metric tons) in 2012. Cameroon is therefore at the center of this international policy arena. Methods and materials This paper draws upon several approaches, combining knowledge in working with P. africana over a 30-year period with a thorough literature review and updated trade data with "ground-truthing" in the field in 2013 and 2014. This enabled the construction of a good perspective on trade volumes (1991-2012), bark prices (and value-chain data) and the gaps between research reports and practice. Two approaches provided excellent lenses for a deeper understanding of policy failure and the "knowing-doing gap" in the P. africana case. A similar approach to Médard's (1992) analyses of power, politics and African development was taken and secondly, studies of commodity chains that assess the power relations that coalesce around different commodities (Ribot, 1998; Ribot and Peluso, 2003). Results Despite the need to conserve genetically and chemically diverse P. africana, wild populations are vulnerable, even in several "protected areas" in Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the forest reserves of Madagascar. Secondly, hopes of decentralized governance of this forest product are misplaced due to elite capture, market monopolies and subsidized management regimes. At the current European price, for P. africana bark (US$6 per kg) for example, the 2012 bark quota (658.675 t) from Cameroon alone was worth over US$3.9 million, with the majority of this accruing to a single company. In contrast to lucrative bark exports, the livelihood benefits and financial returns to local harvesters from wild harvest are extremely low. For example, in 2012, the 48 active harvesters working within Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) received less than 1US$ per day from bark harvests, due to a net bark price of 0.33 US$ per kg (or 43% of the farm gate price for wild harvested bark). In addition, the costs of inventory, monitoring and managing sustainable wild harvests are far greater than the benefits to harvesters. Conclusion Without the current substantial international donor subsidies, sustainable harvest cannot be sustained. What is required to supply the current and future market is to develop separate, traceable P. africana bark supply chains based on cultivated stocks. On-farm production would benefit thousands of small-scale farmers cultivating P. africana, including local women, for whom wild harvesting is too onerous. This change requires CITES and EU support and would catalyze P. africana cultivation in across several montane African countries and Madagascar, increasing farm-gate prices to harvesters compared to economic returns from wild harvest. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Source title: Journal of Ethnopharmacology
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.11.042
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84954058902&doi=10.1016%2fj.jep.2015.11.042&partnerID=40&md5=1907c0b06a10f0b57a4189dbed621e2c
Correspondence Address: Cunningham, A.; School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Australia; email: tonyc05@bigpond.net.au
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Mont Cameroun
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Income-generating activities ; Non-timber forest products ; Governance / Policy

---

Abstract: Environmental conservation is increasingly operated through partnerships among state, private, and civil society actors, yet little is known empirically about how such collectives function and with what livelihood and governance outcomes. The landscape approach to conservation (known also as the ecosystem approach) is one such hybrid governance platform. Implemented worldwide over the past decade by international NGOs, the landscape approach employs the ‘ecosystem principles’ of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In spite of its prominence as a conservation and development strategy, little political ecology scholarship has considered the landscape approach. This article offers a case study of a conservation landscape in the Congo Basin, the Tri-National de la Sangha (TNS), which connects tropical forests in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic. Led by NGOs, the TNS has since 2001 relied on partnerships among logging companies, safari hunters, the state, and local communities. Although the landscape approach purports to facilitate re-negotiations of user rights, resource access patterns in the TNS appear to have molded to pre-existing power relations. Rather than incorporating local concerns and capabilities into management, local knowledge is discredited and livelihoods are marginalized. As a result, management occurs through spatially-demarcated zones, contrasting the fluidity of interactions among diverse groups: both human (loggers, hunter-gatherers, safari guides, NGOs) and non-human (trees, elephants). These findings are situated within a burgeoning literature on neoliberal environmental governance, and suggest that ensuring ecologically and socially positive outcomes will require careful and iterative attention to linkages between ecological processes and evolving power dynamics. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd
Source title: Geoforum
DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.09.008
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84988980401&doi=10.1016%2fj.geoforum.2016.09.008&partnerID=40&md5=a4c6a916820f2c3e61239413e8ebbe05
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ; Republic of Congo ; Central African Republic ;
Protected area: Lobéké ; Nouabalé-Ndoki ; Dzanga-Ndoki
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Conservation initiatives ; Governance / Policy ; Periphery / Management ; Perceptions / Behaviors