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Abstract: Primary forest extent, loss and degradation within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were quantified from 2000 to 2010 by combining directly mapped forest cover extent and loss data (CARPE) with indirectly mapped forest degradation data (intact forest landscapes, IFL). Landsat data were used to derive both map inputs, and data from the GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimetry System) sensor were employed to validate the discrimination of primary intact and primary degraded forests. In the year 2000, primary humid tropical forests occupied 104 455 kha of the country, with 61% of these forests classified as intact. From 2000 to 2010, 1.02% of primary forest cover was lost due to clearing, and almost 2% of intact primary forests were degraded due to alteration and fragmentation. While primary forest clearing increased by a factor of two between 2000-2005 and 2005-2010, the degradation of intact forests slightly decreased. Fragmentation and selective logging were the leading causes of intact forest degradation, accounting for 91% of IFL area change. The 10 year forest degradation rate within designated logging permit areas was 3.8 times higher compared to other primary forest areas. Within protected areas the forest degradation rate was 3.7 times lower than in other primary forest areas. Forest degradation rates were high in the vicinity of major urban areas. Given the observed forest degradation rates, we infer that the degradation of intact forests could increase up to two-fold over the next decade. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Source title: Environmental Research Letters
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/024034
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84880856144&doi=10.1088%2f1748-9326%2f8%2f2%2f024034&partnerID=40&md5=e74b7049e3433ed19fb1bb6f8056ef7b
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Environment
Subtopic: Land use / cover ; Forests ; Deforestation

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Abstract: Seed dispersal mode of plants and primary interactions with animals are studied in the evergreen Afrotropical forest of LuiKotale, at the south-western part of Salonga National Park (DR Congo). We first analysed seed dispersal strategies for (a) the plant species inventoried over a decade at the study site and (b) the tree community in 12 × 1 ha census plots. Our analyses of dispersal syndromes for 735 identified plant species show that 85 % produce fleshy fruits and rely on animals for primary seed dispersal. Trees depending on animals for primary dispersal dominate the tree community (95 %), while wind-dispersed and autochorous trees are rare in mixed tropical forests. A list of frugivorous vertebrate species of the ecosystem was established. Among the fruit-eating vertebrate species identified in the ecosystem, forest elephants and bonobos are threatened with extinction (IUCN, The IUCN red list of threatened species, 2012). Although most of the species listed previously are internationally and regionally protected, all the species we observed dispersing seeds are hunted, fished or trapped by humans in the area. With the exception of bush pigs, seed predators, mainly small-sized animals, are generally not targeted by hunters. As a consequence, we expect human pressure on key animal species to impact the plant community. We suggest defaunation to be considered as major conservation problem. Thus, not only for the sake of animal species but also for that of plant species conservation, anti-poaching measures should have priority in both "protected" and unprotected areas. Defaunation could bring a new impoverished era for plants in tropical forests. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Source title: Biodiversity and Conservation
DOI: 10.1007/s10531-012-0416-x
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871500928&doi=10.1007%2fs10531-012-0416-x&partnerID=40&md5=561ab47066dd530282c10df34f4f097e
Correspondence Address: Beaune, D.; Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany; email: david.beaune@gmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Salonga
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Plants ; Biology / Ecology ; Survey / Monitoring ; Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Ungulates ; Elephants ; Hunting / Poaching ; Conservation initiatives

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Abstract: Terrestrial small mammal community composition was examined in the Volcanoes National Park (VNP), Rwanda with respect to variation in habitat type and altitude. Trapping resulted in the capture of 220 individuals including eight species of rodents, three species of shrews and one mongoose. Of the species captured, Praomys degraaffi is vulnerable and Sylvisorex vulcanorum is near threatened (IUCN 2012). Six species (Hylomyscus vulcanorum, Mus bufo, Praomys degraaffi, Sylvisorex vulcanorum, Lophuromys woosnami and Tachyoryctes ruandae) are endemic to the Albertine Rift. Species richness and diversity varied significantly among the different habitat types as they increased with elevation up to the middle altitudes (2860-3255m) and then declined with increasing elevation. Altitude accounted for 20 % of the variation in species diversity. Species variation in habitats and altitude was related to environmental factors. Endemic species were found mainly in low and middle attitude habitats; thus these habitat types are important for conservation of small mammals at Volcanoes National Park. © ZFMK.
Source title: Bonn Zoological Bulletin
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84892160949&partnerID=40&md5=abf6977a37f0abf3ea08cc9b8c83b105
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Volcans
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Rodents ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) groom in gatherings in which many individuals may be connected via multiple chains of grooming and they often exchange partners with each other. They sometimes groom another while receiving grooming; that is, one animal can play two roles (i.e., groomer and groomee) simultaneously. Although this feature of chimpanzees is notable from the viewpoint of the evolution of human sociality, information on our other closest living relative, the bonobo (Pan paniscus), is still lacking. In this study, I describe grooming interactions of bonobos at Wamba in the Luo Scientific Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), with a particular focus on the formation of grooming gatherings. Like chimpanzees, the bonobos also performed mutual grooming (two individuals grooming each other simultaneously) and polyadic grooming (three or more individuals). However, unlike chimpanzees, these sessions lasted for only a short time. Bonobos rarely groomed another while receiving grooming. Because social grooming occurred not only in trees but also in open spaces, including treefall gaps, the conditions did not necessarily limit the opportunity to make multiple chains of grooming. However, bonobos also engaged in social grooming in different ways from chimpanzees; That is, many individuals were involved simultaneously at a site, in which they separated for dyadic grooming. Some cases clearly showed that bonobos preferred a third party not to join while grooming in a dyad, suggesting that bonobos have a preference for grooming in dyads and that immature individuals formed the preference that was shared among adults while growing up. Most members of the study group ranged together during the majority of the study period. Although bonobos show a fission-fusion grouping pattern, when group members frequently encounter one another on a daily basis, they may not be motivated to form multiple grooming chains at this site, as do chimpanzees. © 2013 Japan Monkey Centre and Springer Japan.
Source title: Primates
DOI: 10.1007/s10329-013-0354-6
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84884986206&doi=10.1007%2fs10329-013-0354-6&partnerID=40&md5=45d1af407f3e7977cb84c9e3a1870dff
Correspondence Address: Sakamaki, T.; Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan; email: sakamaki.tetsuya.8v@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

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Abstract: Background and aims - The Lopé National Park in Gabon, recently added to the UNESCO world heritage list, presents a mosaic of forest and savanna that dynamically changes. Conserving this landscape requires an understanding of the forest dynamics. This study aims at defining a forest typology at Lopé in relation with its dynamics. Methods - Floristic and structural characteristics for 265 tree species belonging to 55 families were measured in 258 sampling plots in the Lopé National Park. Multivariate analysis of these data was used to partition the.sampling plots into groups on the basis of their floristic or structural characteristics. Key results - Five structural forest types and six floristic forest types were identified. This typology showed that the forests in the forest-savanna mosaic of Lopé organize themselves along a gradient of forest recovery, from young forests to mature forests. Typical pioneer species are associated with the youngest forest stages. The gradient on the species also corresponds to a geographical gradient on the sampling plots, associated with features like altitude, rocks, or hydrography. Conclusions - Five forest types were defined on the basis of species abundances. The snapshot of forest types characterizes a dynamic process of forest regeneration. ©2013 National Botanic Garden of Belgium.
Source title: Scripta Botanica Belgica
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84906686972&partnerID=40&md5=1c5bb835a5a61840658180864795c75e
Correspondence Address: Palla, F.; UPMC, Paris VI, BP 14 533, Libreville, Gabon; email: pallaflorence@hotmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Lopé
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Structure / Biomass

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Abstract: Aims - It is important to know the contribution of a protected area to global conservation. A new method called (Relative Floristic Resemblance' that uses databased and georeferenced herbarium specimens, is introduced. Its usefulness and applicability to assess the conservation value of protected areas is addressed. Method - This is tested using the collection database of the National Herbarium of The Netherlands (NHN) and species checklists of Gabon and of five national parks in Gabon and the Central African Republic. Results - The method proved to be a valuable instrument for revealing this conservation value, and can even, though with caution, be used for areas where a species list is still incomplete. We conclude that the four Gabonese parks are well chosen and each clearly conserve a different and comparatively unique flora. The Dzanga-Sangha Reserve captures a flora that ranges across a considerable part of the Congo Basin. © 2013 National Botanic Garden of Belgium.
Source title: Scripta Botanica Belgica
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84906718077&partnerID=40&md5=37fcc2a615b3ce95c5683388d836144a
Correspondence Address: Wieringa, J.J.; Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (Section NHN), Herbarium Vadense (WAG), Wageningen University, Generaal Foulkesweg 37, NL-6703 BL Wageningen, Netherlands; email: Jan.Wieringa@wur.nl
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ; Central African Republic ;
Protected area: Minkebe ; Monts de Cristal ; Loango ; Plateaux Batéké ; Dzanga-Sangha
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity

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Abstract: A positive interaction is any interaction between individuals of the same or different species (mutualism) that provides a benefit to both partners such as increased fitness. Here we focus on seed dispersal mutualism between an animal (bonobo, Pan paniscus) and a plant (velvet tamarind trees, Dialium spp.). In the LuiKotale rainforest southwest of Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, seven species of the genus Dialium account for 29.3% of all trees. Dialium is thus the dominant genus in this forest. Dialium fruits make up a large proportion of the diet of a habituated bonobo community in this forest. During the 6 months of the fruiting season, more than half of the bonobos' feeding time is devoted to Dialium fruits. Furthermore, Dialium fruits contribute a considerable proportion of sugar and protein to bonobos' dietary intake, being among the richest fruits for these nutrients. Bonobos in turn ingest fruits with seeds that are disseminated in their feces (endozoochory) at considerable distances (average: 1.25 km after 24 hr of average transit time). Endozoochory through the gut causes loss of the cuticle protection and tegumentary dormancy, as well as an increase in size by water uptake. Thus, after gut passage, seeds are better able to germinate. We consider other primate species as a potential seed disperser and conclude that Dialium germination is dependent on passage through bonobo guts. This plant-animal interaction highlights positive effects between two major organisms of the Congo basin rainforest, and establishes the role of the bonobo as an efficient disperser of Dialium seeds. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Source title: American Journal of Primatology
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22121
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84874193195&doi=10.1002%2fajp.22121&partnerID=40&md5=1f2f71565ee18427c008b8b7d357e301
Correspondence Address: Beaune, D.; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany; email: david.beaune@gmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Salonga
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Biology / Ecology ; Plants

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Abstract: The populations of many endangered species are becoming increasingly fragmented, and accurate, current information on the status of these subpopulations is essential for the design of effective conservation strategies within a human-dominated landscape. The drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) is one of the most spectacular and endangered primates in Africa, yet up-to-date information on its distribution, population status, and conservation outlook is lacking. Cameroon has been estimated to encompass 80 % of the species' range. We examined the distribution, population status, and conservation outlook for the drill throughout its historic range in Cameroon. To do this, we divided the historic range of the drill in Cameroon (46,000 km2) into 52 survey units along natural and manmade boundary features. Based on a series of field surveys in 2002-2009, village interviews, analysis of geospatial data, and bibliographical research, we assigned each survey unit a rank of 0-4 for 15 parameters indicative of current situation for drills, habitat suitability, and conservation outlook. We obtained direct evidence for the presence of drills in 16 of the 52 survey units, with those of Ejagham, Korup, Ebo, and Nta Ali receiving the highest index scores. We warn of local extirpations and increased isolation among drill populations due to loss of dispersal corridors, e. g., Douala Edea survey unit. In some cases drills persist in forest fragments within human-dominated landscapes, e. g., Kupe-Manenguba, but the species' future is probably dependent on effective wildlife management in a handful of isolated strongholds where probability of long-term protection is higher, particularly in Korup National Park, Takamanda National Park, and the proposed Ebo National Park. Pressure from current and proposed large-scale commercial plantations, oil prospecting, logging, and the continual human population growth in this region means that a concerted conservation effort will be needed to safeguard the remaining drill habitat if the species is to survive in Cameroon. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Source title: International Journal of Primatology
DOI: 10.1007/s10764-013-9661-4
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84875392281&doi=10.1007%2fs10764-013-9661-4&partnerID=40&md5=1a4fc2a93597e2b9fe8e49ef9bf456e1
Correspondence Address: Morgan, B. J.; Institute for Conservation Research, Zoological Society of San Diego, Escondido, CA, 92025, United States; email: bmorgan@sandiegozoo.org
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Korup ; Takamanda ; Bayang-Mbo ; Bakossi ; Mont Cameroun ; Ebo ; Douala Edéa
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance

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Abstract: A preliminary inventory of the species belonging to macrofungal genera Lentinus and Panus within the Dja Biosphere Reserve and its periphery brings to light the identification of nine species; Lentinus cladopus, L. retinervis, L. sajor-caju, L. squarrosulus, Panus courtetianus, P. fasciatus, P. similis, P. fulvus and Panus cf. ciliatus. L. retinervis is recorded for the first time in Africa, and P. courtetianus is a new combination. An identification key and the main characteristics of Lentinus and Panus species of the Dja Biosphere Reserve are presented. © 2013 The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Source title: Kew Bulletin
DOI: 10.1007/s12225-013-9461-1
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84884126087&doi=10.1007%2fs12225-013-9461-1&partnerID=40&md5=2959abdf68d2dd4e154680934556b507
Correspondence Address: Njouonkou, A.; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bamenda, P.O. Box 39, Bamenda, Cameroon; email: alnjouonkou@yahoo.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Dja
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Fungi ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Taxonomy

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Abstract: The Pygmies are among the remaining 'savages' in West and Central Africa. This paper demonstrates how the governance of nature through sedentarization, the creation of national parks as a mechanism of forestry conservation and the failure to endorse standard environmental safeguards in the creation of the Tchad-Cameroon pipeline project have led to the devastation of the livelihood of the indigenous pygmies. Simultaneously, by categorizing the Pygmies as a 'primitive other' despite the very dynamism of the concept of culture, the state of Cameroon has excluded them from the benefits of postmodernist development. I demonstrate that projects aimed at modernizing them, and achieving sustainability have instead accentuated their exclusion because of their presumed cultural isolation, led to their deep entrenchment in poverty and resulted in complete erasure. The failure of these projects is due to the clash between global and local perspectives and interests over the Western protectionism and nature aesthetics that underpin conservation and development schemes, and the government's failure to ensure that developers fulfill their obligations to affected communities, as well as the non-recognition of the multiplex relationships between hunter-gatherers and farmers that is based on cultural, historical and political ecology. Against this backdrop, development has thus, become a process of erasure in which the livelihood of the Pygmies has been balkanized and their cultural existence and identity, negated. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Source title: GeoJournal
DOI: 10.1007/s10708-011-9441-7
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84876062061&doi=10.1007%2fs10708-011-9441-7&partnerID=40&md5=8db97ffa12d85dcb1781fe98adc8e1a6
Correspondence Address: Pemunta, N. V.; Central European University, Budapest, Hungary; email: vitalispemunta@gmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Governance / Policy ; Conservation initiatives ; Anthropology / Ethnoscience ; Periphery / Management ; Income-generating activities ; Hunting / Poaching ; Non-timber forest products ; Agriculture

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Abstract: To provide insight into raptor declines in western Africa, we investigated associations between land-use and raptor distribution patterns in Cameroon. We examined the role of breeding distribution, species' migratory mobility, diet, body size, and thus area requirements, on 5-km scale patterns of raptor richness and abundance. We recorded 15,661 individuals, comprising 55 species during road surveys, spanning four annual cycles. Results revealed evidence for the importance of National Parks (N.P.'s), natural vegetation, humans, and cotton in shaping raptor assemblages, but responses differed between functional groups and biogeographical zones. Human populations and natural habitat, interacting with zone, were important predictors of Afrotropical raptor richness, and N.P.'s of Palearctic raptor richness. Areas cleared of natural habitat in the Guinea zone had comparatively rich and abundant large, small sedentary and migratory Afrotropical raptor assemblages, but humans limited positive effects. Palearctic raptor abundance peaked at higher levels of human land-use than Afrotropical raptors. Vertebrate-hunting Palearctic raptor richness was positively associated with cropland, while cotton and human land-use in the Inundation zone had a stronger negative impact on insectivorous Palearctic raptors. Richness of large sedentary raptors declined with increasing distance to N.P.'s, contrary to communal scavenger richness, which increased with human populations. Humans, habitat loss and cotton in the Inundation and Sudan zones had similar, negative effects on small sedentary and small migratory Afrotropical raptor assemblages. We conclude that increasing human populations, natural vegetation loss, and expanding cotton will negatively affect the majority of Afrotropical and insectivorous Palearctic raptors, while vertebrate-hunting Palearctic raptors may benefit from cropland expansion. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Source title: Biological Conservation
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2013.06.028
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84881346753&doi=10.1016%2fj.biocon.2013.06.028&partnerID=40&md5=09fcf3e7ce2ad60ab39821ba68141cc8
Correspondence Address: Buij, R.; Behavioural Ecology and Self-organization, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands; email: ralph.buij@gmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Birds ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Abundance ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: This article analyses the application of the 1972 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention (the WHC) in the context of the armed conflicts that have taken place in the Virunga National Park (the Park), a natural world heritage site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC). Instead of addressing wartime environmental damage under the law of armed conflict, this article seeks to establish how such damage can be addressed using multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). MEAs often consist of general principles and vague obligations and their relevance or applicability during situations of armed conflict may be questioned. However, a number of MEAs, including the WHC, authorise their convention bodies to develop detailed and substantive obligations applicable to their parties. Thus, the decisions and recommendations adopted by the World Heritage Committee, a body established under the WHC, provide substantive content to the provisions of the WHC. These decisions and recommendations may, however, run counter to the requirements of military necessity thereby affecting the application of the law of armed conflict. While the position adopted by the World Heritage Committee does not inevitably imply a clash between the obligations in the WHC and the law of armed conflict, it does raise the question of whether the outstanding values of world heritage should trump the rules of military necessity and other pressing concerns during armed conflict. On an informal basis, the World Heritage Committee and the UN peacekeeping forces deployed in the DRC have agreed to perform operations that jointly address the interconnected concerns of security and conservation of natural resources in the region of the Park. This cooperative 'green-keeping' operation represents a useful approach to regime interaction and the harmonisation of obligations set out in different legal regimes that are applicable to the same subject matter. © 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.
Source title: Nordic Journal of International Law
DOI: 10.1163/15718107-08201007
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84893417445&doi=10.1163%2f15718107-08201007&partnerID=40&md5=0238d101dc84cd86005ff9e47dddd169
Correspondence Address: Sjöstedt, B.; Faculty of Law, Lund UniversitySweden
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Virunga
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Armed conflicts ; Conservation initiatives ; Perceptions / Behaviors ; Periphery / Management ; Governance / Policy

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Abstract: We define African savannahs as being those areas that receive between 300 and 1,500 mm of rain annually. This broad definition encompasses a variety of habitats. Thus defined, savannahs comprise 13.5 million km2 and encompass most of the present range of the African lion (Panthera leo). Dense human populations and extensive conversion of land to human use preclude use by lions. Using high-resolution satellite imagery and human population density data we define lion areas, places that likely have resident lion populations. In 1960, 11.9 million km2 of these savannahs had fewer than 25 people per km2. The comparable area shrank to 9.7 million km2 by 2000. Areas of savannah Africa with few people have shrunk considerably in the last 50 years and human population projections suggest they will likely shrink significantly in the next 40. The current extent of free-ranging lion populations is 3.4 million km2 or about 25 % of savannah area. Habitats across this area are fragmented; all available data indicate that between 32,000 and 35,000 free-ranging lions live in 67 lion areas. Although these numbers are similar to previous estimates, they are geographically more comprehensive. There is abundant evidence of widespread declines and local extinctions. Under the criteria we outline, ten lion areas qualify as lion strongholds: four in East Africa and six in Southern Africa. Approximately 24,000 lions are in strongholds, with an additional 4,000 in potential ones. However, over 6,000 lions are in populations of doubtful long-term viability. Lion populations in West and Central Africa are acutely threatened with many recent, local extinctions even in nominally protected areas. © 2012 The Author(s).
Source title: Biodiversity and Conservation
DOI: 10.1007/s10531-012-0381-4
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871498448&doi=10.1007%2fs10531-012-0381-4&partnerID=40&md5=d96a995e4a2d8d575f07c4609ae4af7a
Correspondence Address: Pimm, S.; Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, United States; email: stuartpimm@me.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ; Chad ; Central African Republic ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Carnivores ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance

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Abstract: The large-crowned emergent tree Microberlinia bisulcata dominates rain forest groves at Korup National Park, Cameroon, along with two codominants, Tetraberlinia bifoliolata and T. korupensis. M. bisulcata has a pronounced modal size frequency distribution around ;110 cm stem diameter: its recruitment potential is very poor. It is a long-lived lightdemanding species, one of many found in African forests. Tetraberlinia species lack modality, are more shade tolerant, and recruit better. All three species are ectomycorrhizal. M. bisulcata dominates grove basal area, even though it has similar numbers of trees (?50 cm stem diameter) as each of the other two species. This situation presented a conundrum that prompted a long-term study of grove dynamics. Enumerations of two plots (82.5 and 56.25 ha) between 1990 and 2010 showed mortality and recruitment of M. bisulcata to be very low (both rates ;0.2% per year) compared with Tetraberlinia (2.4% and 0.8% per year), and M. bisulcata grows twice as fast as the Tetraberlinia. Ordinations indicated that these three species determined community structure by their strong negative associations while other species showed almost none. Ranked species abundance curves fitted the Zipf-Mandelbrot model well and allowed "overdominance" of M. bisulcata to be estimated. Spatial analysis indicated strong repulsion by clusters of large (50 to >100 cm) and very large (?100 cm) M. bisulcata of their own medium-sized (10 to >50 cm) trees and all sizes of Tetraberlinia. This was interpreted as competition by M. bisulcata increasing its dominance, but also inhibition of its own replacement potential. Stem coring showed a modal age of ?200 years for M. bisulcata, but with large size variation (50-150 cm). Fifty-year model projections suggested little change in medium, decreases in large, and increases in very large trees of M. bisulcata, accompanied by overall decreases in medium and large trees of Tetraberlinia species. Realistically increasing very-large-tree mortality led to grove collapse without short-term replacement. M. bisulcata most likely depends on climatic events to rebuild its stands: the ratio of disturbance interval to median species' longevity is important. A new theory of transient dominance explains how M. bisulcata may be cycling in abundance over time and displaying nonequilibrium dynamics. © 2013 by the Ecological Society of America.
Source title: Ecological Monographs
DOI: 10.1890/12-1699.1
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84882268541&doi=10.1890%2f12-1699.1&partnerID=40&md5=b4c52c4391d4b10bcc410699d589fbe0
Correspondence Address: Section for Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Korup
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Structure / Biomass ; Biology / Ecology ; Diversity ; Survey / Monitoring

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Abstract: This study defned ecological groups of tree species based on species life-history traits within the savannah-forest mosaic of the Lopé National Park, Gabon in order to understand the connection between different types of forest within this study area. Three life-history traits were the most effcient at discriminating species groups within the foristic assemblage, namely, functional guild, dispersal type and phytogeographic type. The combination of dispersal potential and functional guild enabled us to rank the 169 studied species on gradient of forest types. A species classifcation into functional groups based on similar biological traits was proposed for the purpose of conservation management and development of new conservation areas. This frst classifcation distinguished between canopy species and understorey species, thus suggesting the existence of two separate dynamics for tree species and three functional groups. These results are useful to set conservation priorities to achieve management plans.
Source title: Journal of Tropical Forest Science
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84887113000&partnerID=40&md5=d83dae1ef63087314886cac08e39ea20
Correspondence Address: Palla, F.; UMR 7179, CNRS, MNHN, 4 Av du Petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, Paris, France; email: pallaforence@hotmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Lopé
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: The vertical distribution of Stomoxys spp. was studied in a rainforest area, Ipassa-Makokou biosphere reserve located in the Ivindo National Park of Gabon. From April to June 2006, Vavoua traps were set out during 15 consecutive days per month at different heights above ground level corresponding to vertical layers of rainforest: 50cm, 10, 20 and 30m. Stomoxys calcitrans, S.transvittatus, S.omega, S.niger niger and S.niger bilineatus were more abundant at near ground level (50cm), whereas abundance of S.xanthomelas was greatest in traps higher (20 and 30m) in the canopy. Fly abundance was significantly different among vertical layers of the forest (H=36.91; P<0.001, ddl=3), and among species to another (H=41.11, P<0.001). Vertical distribution of fly species corroborates feeding behaviour as the identification of blood meal origins showed heterogeneity of feeding hosts. High densities of flies were also observed at 10m, and most S.inornatus were captured at that level. These results show that Stomoxyine flies in this rainforest are present in all vertical layers, from the ground level to the canopy. Their ubiquity, regarding both their habitats and their hosts, should be taken into account if a vector control strategy is planned in this touristic area. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Source title: African Journal of Ecology
DOI: 10.1111/aje.12018
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84873272449&doi=10.1111%2faje.12018&partnerID=40&md5=53c1efb7b78ff0ba6984ad03a39468bb
Correspondence Address: Kohagne, T.L.; University of Yaoundé I, Faculté des Sciences, BP: 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon; email: lisetteappmv@yahoo.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Ivindo
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Invertebrates ; Abundance ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: The region of Garoua in northern Cameroon enjoys a Sudanian climate. Due to populations migrating there from the more arid sahelian areas, the tree savannahs have been cultivated for some thirty years. Continuous farming and overgrazing rapidly lead to loss of soil fertility and the land reclamation front is advancing southwards, threatening the protected areas. During the 1990s, various development programmes encouraged the establishment of 2,800 small farmer plantations of Acacia senegal covering a quarter of a hectare each. They were promoted on the basis that they could restore soil fertility and would produce arabic gum. In 2011, the gum industry was doing poorly, to the extent that farmers and development agencies began to lose interest in these plantations. For the purpose, together with the farmers, of evaluating the profitability of these acacia stands, on the assumption that they would be used as an enhanced fallow system, a study was conducted to assess a small farmer plantation aged 15 years. This stand was logged and its wood production evaluated. The production of freshly felled wood was estimated to be 39.6 m3/ha, sold as fuel for a price of 1,090 €/ha. Over the plantation's life cycle, this income turned out to be higher than income from gum, estimated to be 760 €/ha for an eight-year harvesting period (between the ages of eight and 15 years). The farmers expressed their desire to extend the plantations, particularly after realising the significance of wood production. This opens up prospects for reviving Acacia senegal plantations which gum production and soil fertility restoration would not have created, possibly with financial support for carbon storage. © AgroParisTech, 2013.
Source title: Revue Forestiere Francaise
DOI: 10.4267/2042/51853
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84901430866&doi=10.4267%2f2042%2f51853&partnerID=40&md5=ea670b0475c7c11ed38b83258bcc2188
Correspondence Address:
Language of Original Document: English; French
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Faro ; Bénoué ; Bouba Ndjida
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Plants ; Structure / Biomass ; Income-generating activities ; Agriculture ; Non-timber forest products ; Timber

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Abstract: The Travel Guide to Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi, of which five editions were released during the last ten years of Belgian Congo, is an archetypal colonial guide. The paper first highlights the emergence and the features of tourism in Central Africa. Congolese tourism, long fascinated with the myths of the Mountains of the Moon and the Source of the Nile, is essentially elitist and mainly centred on sport-hunting. Mountain gorillas, Ruwenzori climb, Tutsi dancers, Albert National Park, and Wagenia fishermen are considered the icons of this tourism first attracted by the Kivu and the Great Lakes and later the Katanga. The very first edition of the guide by Vicicongo in the 1930s is precisely entitled Congo-Nile. All these myths and settings are shown in some famous American adventure movies of the early 1950s. In the second part, the paper describes the genesis of the Guide, its main features, its plan and contents. Produced by the Colony's official information services, the Guide describes the persistence and the results of Belgium's civilizing role. Claiming that Congo is no country of art and history, it gives natural environment a preponderant place and provides a truncated picture of Congo's history, reflecting the biases of that time concerning the people. This makes it a highly significant document. The paper ends with some reflections and attempts by a reporter from Canvas TV channel and a photographer from Magnum to use the 1958 Guide to roam across the country a half-century later.
Source title: BELGEO
DOI: 10.4000/belgeo.7161
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85006272388&doi=10.4000%2fbelgeo.7161&partnerID=40&md5=5b815660ba5311ba6049c7dcbc74f0dc
Correspondence Address: Nicolaï, H.; Université Libre de BruxellesBelgium; email: henri.nicolai@skynet.be
Language of Original Document: French
Access Type: Review
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Tourism

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Abstract: We describe a new small Phrynobatrachus species from southern Cameroon. The new species exhibits a combination of unique morphological characters and a distinctive colour pattern consisting of a black lateral face mask, a black throat in males, a white throat with uniform black lower mandibles in females and a white belly in both sexes. Morphologically it is characterized by small size, absence of an eyelid cornicle, presence of black spines on anterior part of vocal sac in males, spines on flanks, presence of discs on toe and finger tips, distinct webbing, absence of nuptial pads on male thumbs and scapular ridges converging in a straight line. Analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA revealed that the new species differs from 34 other West and Central African species of the genus by a minimum distance of 4.5% and is most similar to several Phrynobatrachus species which are almost all endemic to the Cameroon volcanic line or parts of it, i.e. P. chukuchuku (4.9%), P. werneri (5.1%), P. steindachneri (5.2%), P. schioetzi (5.6%), P. batesii (5.9%), P. cricogaster (5.5%), P. danko (6.1%), and P. manengoubensis (6.1%), respectively. The new species is most similar to P. batesii, which was described from forests close to the type locality of the new species. Morphologically the new species differs from P. batesii by much smaller size (< 20 mm vs. 25-31 mm), shape of scapular ridges, belly colour, shorter shanks, absence of nuptial pads and presence of gular spines in breeding males. Copyright © 2012 · Magnolia Press.
Source title: Zootaxa
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3431.1.4
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84865239508&doi=10.11646%2fzootaxa.3431.1.4&partnerID=40&md5=b4d01e2de3e274d179fb662d89c404c0
Correspondence Address: Rödel, M.-O.; Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany; email: mo.roedel@mfn-berlin.de
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Dja
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Amphibians ; Taxonomy ; Genetics ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: Abundance and species diversity of tabanids (Diptera) in the biosphere reserve Ipassa-Makokou (Gabon) during the rainy season The abundance and species diversity of tabanids were evaluated by trapping of insects using Vavoua traps, during the rainy season, from October 4 to November 30, 2009, in three different habitats: primary forest, secondary forest and village, in the biosphere reserve Ipassa-IRET Makokou in Gabon. Eight species belonging to three genera of tabanids have been identified for a total of 402 specimens caught. The tabanid species numerically the most abundant were: Tabanus secedens Walker, 1854 (55.2 %), Tabanus obscurehirtus Ricardo, 1908 (13.9 %), Chrysops dimidiatus Wulp, 1885 (11.2 %) and Chrysops silaceus Austen, 1907 (10,7 %). The less abundant species were Tabanus par Walker, 1854 (3.2 %), Tabanus besti arbucklei Austen, 1912 (3 %), Tabanus marmorosus congoicola Bequaert, 1930 (1 %) and Ancala fasciata fasciata (Fabricius, 1775) (0.5 %). Specimens of the genera Tabanus and Chrysops could not be identified, these insects represented respectively 0.7 % and 0.5 % of the insects trapped. The highest proportion of tabanids was trapped in secondary forest (75.1 %) and the lower in primary forest (4.5 %).
Source title: Parasite
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2012192165
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84862140587&doi=10.1051%2fparasite%2f2012192165&partnerID=40&md5=1fb88c0aa29803ce9d2bbc4abde148a6
Correspondence Address: Acapovi-Yao, G.; Université d'Abidjan, Cocody, UFR Biosciences 22, BP 582, Abidjan 22, Cote d'Ivoire; email: acapovi_yao@yahoo.fr
Language of Original Document: French
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Réserve naturelle intégrale d'Ipassa-Makokou
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Invertebrates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance ; Diversity ; Biology / Ecology