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Abstract: Background: Relict populations of Crocodylus niloticus persist in Chad, Egypt and Mauritania. Although crocodiles were widespread throughout the Sahara until the early 20th century, increased aridity combined with human persecution led to local extinction. Knowledge on distribution, occupied habitats, population size and prey availability is scarce in most populations. This study evaluates the status of Saharan crocodiles and provides new data for Mauritania to assist conservation planning. Methodology/Principal Findings: A series of surveys in Mauritania detected crocodile presence in 78 localities dispersed across 10 river basins and most tended to be isolated within river basins. Permanent gueltas and seasonal tâmoûrts were the most common occupied habitats. Crocodile encounters ranged from one to more than 20 individuals, but in most localities less than five crocodiles were observed. Larger numbers were observed after the rainy season rts were the most common occupied habitats. Crocodile encounters ranged from one to more than 20 individuals, but in most localities less than five crocodiles were observed. Larger numbers were observed after the rainy season and during night sampling. Crocodiles were found dead in between water points along dry river-beds suggesting the occurrence of dispersal. Conclusion/Significance: Research priorities in Chad and Egypt should focus on quantifying population size and pressures exerted on habitats. The present study increased in by 35% the number of known crocodile localities in Mauritania. Gueltas are crucial for the persistence of mountain populations. Oscillations in water availability throughout the year and the small dimensions of gueltas affect biological traits, including activity and body size. Studies are needed to understand adaptation traits of desert populations. Molecular analyses are needed to quantify genetic variability, population sub-structuring and effective population size, and detect the occurrence of gene flow. Monitoring is needed to detect demographical and genetical trends in completely isolated populations. Crocodiles are apparently vulnerable during dispersal events. Awareness campaigns focusing on the vulnerability and relict value of crocodiles should be implemented. Classification of Mauritanian mountains as protected areas should be prioritised. © 2011 Brito et al.
Source title: PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014734
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79952227215&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0014734&partnerID=40&md5=65890764d9ab1c37c7344b39a33005c6
Correspondence Address: Brito, J. C.; CIBIO - Centro de Investigacao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Geneticos da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal; email: jcbrito@mail.icav.up.pt
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Chad ;
Protected area: Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve ; Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Reptiles ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: In tropical forests, hunting nearly always accompanies logging. The entangled nature of these disturbances complicates our ability to resolve applied questions, such as whether secondary and degraded forest can sustain populations of tropical animals. With the expansion of logging in central Africa, conservation depends on knowledge of the individual and combined impacts of logging and hunting on animal populations. Our goals were (1) to decouple the effects of selective logging and hunting on densities of animal guilds, including apes, duikers, monkeys, elephant, pigs, squirrels, and large frugivorous and insectivorous birds and (2) to compare the relative importance of these disturbances to the effects of local-scale variation in forest structure and fruit abundance. In northern Republic of Congo, we surveyed animals along 30 transects positioned in forest disturbed by logging and hunting, logging alone, and neither logging nor hunting. While sampling transects twice per month for two years, we observed 47 179 animals of 19 species and eight guilds in 1154 passages (2861 km). Species densities varied by as much as 480% among forest areas perturbed by logging and/or hunting, demonstrating the strong effects of these disturbances on populations of some species. Densities of animal guilds varied more strongly with disturbance type than with variation in forest structure, canopy cover, and fruit abundance. Independently, logging and hunting decreased density of some guilds and increased density of others: densities varied from 44% lower (pigs) to 90% higher (insectivorous birds) between logged and unlogged forest and from 61% lower (apes) to 77% higher (frugivorous birds) between hunted and unhunted forest. Their combined impacts exacerbated decreases in populations of some guilds (ape, duiker, monkey, and pig), but counteracted one another for others (squirrels, insectivorous and frugivorous birds). Together, logging and hunting shifted the relative abundance of the animal community away from large mammals toward squirrels and birds. Logged forest, even in the absence of hunting, does not maintain similar densities as unlogged forest for most animal guilds. To balance conservation with the need for economic development and wild meat in tropical countries, landscapes should be spatially managed to include protected areas, community hunting zones, and production forest. © 2011 by the Ecological Society of America.
Source title: Ecological Applications
DOI: 10.1890/10-1083.1
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79960375674&doi=10.1890%2f10-1083.1&partnerID=40&md5=d22b5bcea898cb2c53484051dfd2775c
Correspondence Address: Poulsen, J.R.; Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02540-1644, United States; email: jpoulsen@whrc.org
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Nouabalé-Ndoki
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Ungulates ; Elephants ; Rodents ; Birds ; Survey / Monitoring ; Plants ; Biology / Ecology ; Structure / Biomass ; Timber ; Hunting / Poaching

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Abstract: This paper examines the effects of deforestation and its associated consequences as a result of demographic pressure in Rwanda. It came out that demographic pressure led to forest clearance and biodiversity disturbances in general, thereby leading to climate change. Using over 30 and 80 years of climatic variables and demographic data respectively, the analysis of the output of ORIGIN PRO 8.0 showed that the population has increased 4 times in the period of 80 years and this in turn has affected the environment. The forest ecosystems, which occupied 30% of the total surface of the country in 1930 has been reduced to 8.9% as by the year 2000. This severe loss of forests has remarkably led to more than 90% decline of fauna species in Akagera National Park. The analysis of deforestation has revealed some associated consequences on regulating services where a monthly increase of 0.5°C and a monthly decrease of 10 mm in rainfall has been remarked in the study period of 1970 to 2010. Finally, this study suggests the State to put in place tight mechanisms to control the population growth for the attainment of sustainable environmental development and reinforce management of ecosystems so as to inherit an enjoyable and productive environment to the future generations. © 2011 Academic Journals.
Source title: African Journal of Agricultural Research
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80053057937&partnerID=40&md5=b18ef7d1fa5803f70798a848ed1820fe
Correspondence Address: Jiwen, G.; Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution and Ecological Restoration, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China; email: gejiwen2002@yahoo.com.cn
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Akagera ; Nyungwe ; Gishwati-Mukura ; Gishwati-Mukura ; Volcans
Main topic: Environment ; Humans ; Biodiversity
Subtopic: Land use / cover ; Deforestation ; Climate ; Demography ; Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance

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Abstract: Bushmeat hunting is one of the primary threats to many large-bodied vertebrate species in African forests. However, species vary in their degree of vulnerability to hunting. We investigated the impact of hunting on monkey species in Cameroon's Korup National Park (KNP) and examined how vulnerability to hunting varies among species. Data on primate abundance and hunting intensity were collected along 10 line transects, distributed across three survey areas in KNP. We assessed how the relative abundance of seven monkey species spatially varied between heavily and lightly hunted areas and evaluated temporal changes in the relative abundance and proportional representation of these species at a single hunted forest site and in bushmeat harvests. The putty-nosed and mona monkeys are most tolerant to heavy hunting pressure whereas the crowned monkey, drill, and red colobus are among the most vulnerable. At our heavily hunted survey site, the overall relative density of monkey groups increased through time but primate species richness declined. The proportional representation of Cercopithecus species, especially putty-nosed monkeys, increased through time, possibly due to competitive release. We also observed an increase in the proportional representation of the putty-nosed and mona monkeys and a reduced percent contribution of the red colobus and drill in hunter harvests. We conclude that hunting is driving some of Africa's most threatened primate species (e.g., Preuss's red colobus and the drill) to local extinction in KNP. We discuss intrinsic factors of species that might influence their degree of vulnerability and strategies to improve protection efforts in KNP. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Source title: Biological Conservation
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.10.023
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79551502533&doi=10.1016%2fj.biocon.2010.10.023&partnerID=40&md5=90fd456f9a9294da47f80e3373d7e034
Correspondence Address: Linder, J.M.; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, James Madison University, MSC 7501, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, United States; email: linderjm@jmu.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Korup
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance ; Hunting / Poaching

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Abstract: A new species, Epistemma neuerburgii is described. This species was discovered in the Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, Tropical Africa during a field investigation of epiphytes in montane rainforest. It was, however, also found in Uganda, in similar environment. E. neuerburgii is the fourth species described for Epistemma, but the other three species are found about 2000. km to the west in Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. E. neuerburgii is an epiphytic climber distinguished by fairly large lanceolate leaves and conspicuous reddish-purple flowers with corolline white, densely hairy corona lobes. © 2011 SAAB.
Source title: South African Journal of Botany
DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2011.02.007
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79957811986&doi=10.1016%2fj.sajb.2011.02.007&partnerID=40&md5=bdf350ae8ed449704901f5670a4c3e59
Correspondence Address: Venter, H.J.T.; Department of Plant Sciences, University of the Free State, PO Box339, Bloemfontein, South Africa; email: venterhj@ufs.ac.za
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Nyungwe
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Taxonomy ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: With increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, there is an urgent need of reliable estimates of biomass and carbon pools in tropical forests, most especially in Africa where there is a serious lack of data. Information on current annual increment (CAI) of carbon biomass resulting from direct field measurements is crucial in this context, to know how forest ecosystems will affect the carbon cycle and also to validate eddy covariance flux measurements. Biomass data were collected from 25 plots of 13ha spread over the different vegetation types and land uses of a moist evergreen forest of 772,066ha in Cameroon. With site-specific allometric equations, we estimated biomass and aboveground and belowground carbon pools. We used GIS technology to develop a carbon biomass map of our study area. The CAI was estimated using the growth rates obtained from tree rings analysis. The carbon biomass was on average 264±48Mgha-1. This estimate includes aboveground carbon, root carbon and soil organic carbon down to 30cm depth. This value varied from 231±45Mgha-1 of carbon in Agro-Forests to 283±51Mgha-1 of carbon in Managed Forests and to 278±56Mgha-1 of carbon in National Park. The carbon CAI varied from 2.54±0.65Mgha-1year-1 in Agro-Forests to 2.79±0.72Mgha-1year-1 in Managed Forests and to 2.85±0.72Mgha-1year-1 in National Park. This study provides estimates of biomass, carbon pools and CAI of carbon biomass from a forest landscape in Cameroon as well as an appropriate methodology to estimate these components and the related uncertainty. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Source title: Forest Ecology and Management
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.01.031
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79952037100&doi=10.1016%2fj.foreco.2011.01.031&partnerID=40&md5=f903e7d44ef5f36f6af55ea4210bdd5d
Correspondence Address: Djomo, A.N.; Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, Buesgen-Institute, Chair of Bioclimatology, Georg-August-Universität Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; email: adriendjomo@yahoo.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Campo-Ma'an
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Structure / Biomass

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Abstract: Seed dispersal by rodents has been understudied in Africa. Based on seed-removal experiments, the presence of seeds in burrows and caches, cotyledon burial of seedlings, and images from camera traps, we provide evidence that rodents (Cricetomys kivuensis) remove and hoard large seeds of Carapa grandiflora in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda. © 2011 by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
Source title: Biotropica
DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2011.00810.x
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80355144430&doi=10.1111%2fj.1744-7429.2011.00810.x&partnerID=40&md5=25b26fde05523f6eebda3ef0a55c2796
Correspondence Address: Mendoza, I.; Département d'Écologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, 1 avenue du Petit Château, F-91800 Brunoy, France; email: mendoza@mnhn.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Nyungwe
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Rodents ; Biology / Ecology ; Plants ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: We studied the diet of a population of Senegal running frogs Kassina senegalensis, a ground dwelling hyperoliid. Prey inventories were collected in May by stomach flushing 27 male and 28 female frogs from one population from Bénoué National Park, Cameroon. Sexes did not differ in body size, or size or number of prey items. The most frequently taken prey item was Orthoptera (36%) and Hymenoptera (24%) and Aranae (10%) followed it. The proportion of the 1087 prey samples in the litter did not differ significantly from 625 samples from the frog stomach, indicating a low degree of prey electivity. The data suggest Senegal running frog to be a wide foraging generalist. © 2011 by The Herpetological Society of Japan.
Source title: Current Herpetology
DOI: 10.5358/hsj.30.137
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84855781622&doi=10.5358%2fhsj.30.137&partnerID=40&md5=9b02ba725f902e257603ec3bfa69a6c3
Correspondence Address: Allingham, S.M.; Wharf Aquatics, Reptile and Amphibian Department, 65-67 Wharf Road, Pinxton Nottinghamshire, NG16 6LH, United Kingdom; email: natrix36@hotmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Bénoué
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Amphibians ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: Niche differentiation with respect to habitat has been hypothesized to shape patterns of diversity and species distributions in plant communities. African forests have been reported to be relatively less diverse compared to highly diversed regions of the Amazonian or Southeast Asian forests, and might be expected to have less niche differentiation. We examined patterns of structural and floristic differences among five topographically defined habitats for 494 species with stems ?1 cm dbh in a 50-ha plot in Korup National Park, Cameroon. In addition, we tested for species-habitat associations for 272 species (with more than 50 individuals in the plot) using Torus translation randomization tests. Tree density and basal area were lowest in areas with negative convexity, which contained streams or were inundated during rainy periods and highest in moist well-drained habitats. Species composition and diversity varied along the topographical gradient from low flat to ridge top habitats. The low depression and low flat habitats were characterized by high diversity and similar species composition, relative to slopes, high gullies and ridge tops. Sixty-three percent of the species evaluated showed significant positive associations with at least one of the five habitat types. The majority of associations were with low depressions (75 species) and the fewest with ridge tops (8 species). The large number of species-habitat associations and the pronounced contrast between low (valley) and elevated (ridgetop) habitats in the Korup plot shows that niche differentiation with respect to edaphic variables (e.g., soil moisture, nutrients) contributes to local scale tree species distributions and to the maintenance of diversity in African forests. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Source title: Plant Ecology
DOI: 10.1007/s11258-011-9912-4
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79960292971&doi=10.1007%2fs11258-011-9912-4&partnerID=40&md5=38fe4eda4934803edd0c8211087cfca5
Correspondence Address: Chuyong, G. B.; Department of Plant and Animal Sciences, University of Buea, PO Box 63, Buea, Cameroon; email: chuyong99@yahoo.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Korup
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Plants ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Structure / Biomass ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: The literature on manual laterality in nonhuman primates provides inconsistent and inconclusive findings and is plagued by methodological issues (e. g., small samples, inconsistency in methods, inappropriate measures) and gaps. Few data are available on bonobos and these are only from small samples and for relatively simple tasks. We examined laterality in a large sample of bonobos for a complex task. We tested 48 bonobos from Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary (DR Congo) in an extension of our previous study of 29 bonobos from 3 European zoos. We assessed hand preferences using the tube task, which involves bimanual coordination: one hand extracts food from a tube that is held by the other hand. This task is a good measure of laterality and it has been used in other studies. We recorded events (frequency) and independent bouts of food extraction. We found significant manual laterality, which was not influenced by the settings or rearing history. We observed little effect of sex and found an influence of age, with greater right hand use in adults. The laterality was marked, with strong preferences and most individuals being lateralized (when analyzing frequency). We found individual preferences, with no group-level bias, even when we combined the data from the sanctuary and the zoos to enlarge the sample to 77. These first data, for a complex task and based on a large sample, are consistent with previous findings in bonobos and in other nonhuman primate species for a variety of tasks. They suggest that, despite particular features in terms of proximity to humans, language and bipedalism, bonobos do not display a laterality that is more marked or more similar to human handedness compared to that of other nonhuman primate species. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Source title: International Journal of Primatology
DOI: 10.1007/s10764-010-9484-5
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79952232115&doi=10.1007%2fs10764-010-9484-5&partnerID=40&md5=a1e5dae2e07fa2bd6c739b957704d446
Correspondence Address: Chapelain, A. S.; Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom; email: chapelain_amandine@yahoo.fr
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Lola ya Bonobo
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Primates ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: Amphibian chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) that is implicated in the worldwide decline and extinction of amphibians. Africa has been proposed as a potential source for the global expansion of Bd, yet the distribution of Bd across the continent remains largely unexplored. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we screened for the presence of Bd in 166 adult anurans from two national parks in Gabon (Monts de Cristal and Ivindo). Bd was detected in 20 of the 42 species and was present at all three sites surveyed (two in Monts de Cristal, and one in Ivindo) with high prevalence (19.6%-36.0%). Both national parks were Bd-positive at all elevations and across habitat types, though no dead or dying frogs were encountered. To our knowledge, this study presents the first evidence of Bd in Gabon and the first record of infection for 19 of the 20 species that were Bd-positive. Documenting the distribution and virulence of Bd across Africa will be essential for understanding the dynamics of amphibian chytridiomycosis across the globe. © 2010 International Association for Ecology and Health.
Source title: EcoHealth
DOI: 10.1007/s10393-010-0364-4
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84856279771&doi=10.1007%2fs10393-010-0364-4&partnerID=40&md5=bb5ec22c94b43d2ce01f6f33faa8d92e
Correspondence Address: Bell, R.C.; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States; email: rcb269@cornell.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Monts de Cristal ; Ivindo
Main topic: Health
Subtopic: Animal health

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Abstract: Understanding the role that protected areas play in the livelihood security of local communities is essential to ensure that local people are not left shouldering the costs of what is a public good, and to help maintain robust local and national constituencies for biodiversity conservation. To provide baseline data for a longitudinal study on the effects of newly established national parks on human livelihoods in Gabon we conducted a cross-sectional study that compared livelihood indicators between communities that do, and do not, use natural resources within protected areas. We interviewed 2,035 households in 117 villages at four sites, recording income, consumption, education, health indicators and social capital, and village characteristics such as distance to markets, distance to park boundaries, and land cover within a 5-km radius. Our results indicated that closed rainforest coverage was greater around park than control villages and that this difference was associated with a greater reliance of park households on forest resources. However, we found no systematic differences in most livelihood measures between park and control households. Instead, the relationship between household livelihood measures and proximity to parks varied in idiosyncratic ways between sites, suggesting that determinants of human welfare are highly localized and cannot be generalized to larger spatial scales. © 2011 Fauna & Flora International.
Source title: ORYX
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605310001791
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80155193181&doi=10.1017%2fS0030605310001791&partnerID=40&md5=3a208ec8c8ce1ece96b3f26c3679274e
Correspondence Address: Foerster, S.; Boston College, Office of the Provost, Waul House, 270 Hammond Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States; email: sf2041@columbia.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Monts de Cristal ; Monts Birougou ; Ivindo ; Waka
Main topic: Humans ; Environment ; Health
Subtopic: Conservation initiatives ; Income-generating activities ; Periphery / Management ; Governance / Policy ; Perceptions / Behaviors ; Land use / cover ; Forests ; Human health

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Abstract: Limited resources are available to address the world's growing environmental problems, requiring conservationists to identify priority sites for action. Using new distribution maps for all of the world's forest-dependent birds (60.6% of all bird species), we quantify the contribution of remaining forest to conserving global avian biodiversity. For each of the world's partly or wholly forested 5-km cells, we estimated an impact score of its contribution to the distribution of all the forest bird species estimated to occur within it, and so is proportional to the impact on the conservation status of the world's forest-dependent birds were the forest it contains lost. The distribution of scores was highly skewed, a very small proportion of cells having scores several orders of magnitude above the global mean. Ecoregions containing the highest values of this score included relatively species-poor islands such as Hawaii and Palau, the relatively species-rich islands of Indonesia and the Philippines, and the megadiverse Atlantic Forests and northern Andes of South America. Ecoregions with high impact scores and high deforestation rates (2000-2005) included montane forests in Cameroon and the Eastern Arc of Tanzania, although deforestation data were not available for all ecoregions. Ecoregions with high impact scores, high rates of recent deforestation and low coverage by the protected area network included Indonesia's Seram rain forests and the moist forests of Trinidad and Tobago. Key sites in these ecoregions represent some of the most urgent priorities for expansion of the global protected areas network to meet Convention on Biological Diversity targets to increase the proportion of land formally protected to 17% by 2020. Areas with high impact scores, rapid deforestation, low protection and high carbon storage values may represent significant opportunities for both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, for example through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives. © 2011 Buchanan et al.
Source title: PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029080
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-83655181906&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0029080&partnerID=40&md5=5260abbc0750476cac21ab997523567e
Correspondence Address: Buchanan, G. M.; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; email: graeme.buchanan@rspb.org.uk
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Central Africa ;
Protected area: Many
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Birds ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity

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Abstract: We summarize present day knowladge on Cameroonian Ceratocanthinae and report new findings made during a month-long trip in 2006. Four forested localities were surveyed: Mt.Oku at 2200-2800 m, Korup National Park at 300 m, Mt. Kupé at 1550 m and Mt. Cameroon at Bakingili village at 250 m. In total we collected 242 specimens representing 14 species, among them nine species new to Cameroon and eight species likely new to science. Four flightless new species are described: Congomostes hintelmanni n. sp., Baloghianestes oribatidiformis n. sp., B. korupensis n. sp. and B. anceps n. sp. Other Ceratocanthinae species presently known from Cameroon are: Baloghianestes lissoubai Paulian, 1968, Callophilharmostes fleutiauxi (Paulian,1942), Carinophilharmostes vadoni (Paulian, 1937), Melanophilharmostes burgeoni (Paulian, 1946), M. demirei Paulian, 1977, M. zicsii (Paulian, 1968), Philharmostes (Holophilharmostes) badius (Petrovitz, 1967), Petrovitzostes guineensis (Petrovitz, 1968), P. elytratus (Paulian, 1946), P. endroedyi (Paulian, 1974), along with three unnamed species of Melanophilharmostes Paulian, 1968 and one unnamed species of Pseudopterorthochaetes Paulian, 1977. Twelve Cameroonian Ceratocanthinae species are keyed and all 14 recently collected species are illustrated with habitus images. © 2011. Magnolia Press.
Source title: Zootaxa
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2892.1.1
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79957562803&doi=10.11646%2fzootaxa.2892.1.1&partnerID=40&md5=58b14bde3de0c17ff5c034303b3ad63a
Correspondence Address: Ballerio, A.Viale Venezia 45, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; email: alberto.ballerio.bs@numerica.it
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Review
Country: ; Cameroon ;
Protected area: Kilum Ijim, Mont Oku ; Korup ; Mont Cameroun
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Invertebrates ; Survey / Monitoring ; Diversity ; Biology / Ecology ; Taxonomy

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Abstract: This contribution examines the multiple impacts of artisanal mining in the high-biodiversity forest of the Congo Basin's Sangha Tri-National Landscape (TNS), and proposes measures for improving livelihoods in the area. It was concluded from a literature review, interviews and site visits that: diamonds and gold are an important but highly variable income source for at least 5% of the area's population; environmental impacts are temporary and limited, mainly caused by mining inside the parks; overlaps between artisanal small-scale mining (ASM), large-scale mining (LSM), timber concessions, and national and trans-boundary protected areas have intensified competition for land resources; and despite the existence of legal frameworks, ASM is largely informal. Cross-boundary agreements concerning the TNS do not address mining, albeit a regional approach of mining policies is recommendable to reinforce beneficial outcomes for the landscape and the area's population. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, London.
Source title: Geological Resources and Good Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa - Holistic Approaches to Transparency and Sustainable Development in the Extractive Sector
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84861724325&partnerID=40&md5=64612c599e3dc5823f8d8aa7e385a274
Correspondence Address: Schure, J.; Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Central Africa Regional Office, Yaounde, Cameroon
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Conference Paper
Country: ; Cameroon ; Central African Republic ; Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Lobéké ; Nouabalé-Ndoki ; Dzanga-Ndoki ; Dzanga-Sangha
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Mining ; Income-generating activities ; Periphery / Management ; Perceptions / Behaviors ; Timber ; Conservation initiatives ; Governance / Policy

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Abstract: Analyses of leopard Panthera pardus prey choice reveal a strong preference for species weighing 10-40kg. In the Congo Basin rainforests, species within this weight range are also targeted by bushmeat hunters, potentially leading to exploitative competition between leopards and hunters. We investigated leopard prey choice along a gradient of human disturbance, hypothesizing that leopards will exploit smaller prey where competition is strong, possibly resulting in reduced leopard densities at highly hunted sites. We determined leopard diet by means of scat analysis at four rainforest sites in central Gabon, which varied according to their distance from human settlements. Camera trap data collected at each of the four study sites revealed that human hunting intensity increased with proximity to settlements, while the abundance of potential leopard prey species decreased. We found no evidence of leopards at the site nearest to settlements. At the remaining sites, the number of scats collected, mean leopard prey weight and the proportion of large prey (>20kg) in leopard diet increased with distance from settlements. Camera trap data demonstrated that leopard population density increased with distance from settlements, from 2.7 ± 0.94 leopards/100km2 to 12.1 ± 5.11 leopards/100km2. Our results document an increasing use of smaller prey species and a decrease in leopard density in proximity to settlements, supporting our hypothesis. Comparison of leopard diet with hunter return data revealed a high dietary niche overlap between leopards and hunters at sites situated at similar distances from settlements. Our results suggest that bushmeat hunting may precipitate the decline in leopard numbers through exploitative competition and that intensively hunted areas are unlikely to support resident leopard populations. Conserving the leopard in the Congo Basin will rely on effective protected areas and alternative land management strategies that promote regulated human hunting of leopard prey. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Zoology © 2011 The Zoological Society of London.
Source title: Journal of Zoology
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00826.x
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80051936411&doi=10.1111%2fj.1469-7998.2011.00826.x&partnerID=40&md5=167707b195dd3626425e9e3a94b42a5b
Correspondence Address: Henschel, P.; Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, United States; email: phenschel@panthera.org
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ;
Protected area: Ivindo ; Lopé
Main topic: Biodiversity ; Humans
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Carnivores ; Biology / Ecology ; Hunting / Poaching

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Abstract: There have been few recent estimates of abundance for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean. The first distance sampling survey of the coastal waters of Gabon was conducted in 2002. The difficult logistics of covering a large survey region with limited time, effort and refuelling opportunities required a line transect survey design that carefully balanced the theoretical demands of distance sampling with these constraints. Inshore/offshore zigzag transects were conducted to a distance of up to approximately 50 n.miles from the coast of Gabon corresponding to the 1,000m depth contour, from the border with Equatorial Guinea to a point south of Mayumba, near the Congo border representing 1,488 n.miles of survey effort. Seventy-nine different groups of humpback whales were observed throughout the survey area comprising a northern (Equatorial Guinea to Cap Lopez) and southern (Cap Lopez to Gamba) survey stratum. Relatively large numbers of whales were encountered throughout the southern stratum; encounter rates and densities were considerably lower in the northern stratum. The initial abundance estimate from a distance sampling analysis suggests that more than 1,200 humpback whales were present in Gabon's coastal waters during the survey period. This estimate does not account for either availability or perception bias. In addition, this instantaneous snapshot of the number of whales occupying Gabon's coastal waters is likely to correspond to only a portion of the population that uses these waters over time. However, the abundance estimate derived from the aerial survey are consistent with those based on photographic and genetic capture-recapture techniques. A continuing research programme in this area will help refine estimates of humpback whale abundance and using genetic and photographic data also establish the relationships between this and other populations. This is important given the potential overlap of humpback whales in large numbers throughout this region and the current extent and continued expansion of hydrocarbon exploration and extraction activities throughout the Gulf of Guinea.
Source title: Journal of Cetacean Research and Management
DOI:
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84865339055&partnerID=40&md5=dbbed0ff2b9456c68bf85b927e61e719
Correspondence Address: Strindberg, S.; Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation, 1, 85th Street and Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10460, United States; email: sstrindberg@wcs.org
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Gabon ; Republic of Congo ;
Protected area: Wonga-Wongué ; Loango ; Mayumba ; Conkouati-Douli
Main topic: Biodiversity
Subtopic: Animals ; Vertebrates ; Mammals ; Marine mammals ; Survey / Monitoring ; Abundance ; Biology / Ecology

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Abstract: The disappointing performance of integrated conservation and development projects has been partly blamed on the lack of linkage between the development intervention and the expected conservation outcome, resulting in projects that rarely achieve the sought-after "win-win" outcomes. While this study replicates findings about the difficulties of establishing successful linkages, it also seeks to go beyond problem identification, by evaluating responses initiated within a long-term conservation initiative, the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, that has since 1991 worked with communities as part of its efforts to protect mountain gorillas and their habitats. The principal lesson that emerges from interviews with IGCP partner organizations relates to the benefits of a "conservation logic" in which conservation and development outcomes are linked through mutual dependence but also contractual conditionality. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Source title: Society and Natural Resources
DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2010.521809
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79957848707&doi=10.1080%2f08941920.2010.521809&partnerID=40&md5=0263740f1d545df5916896f73f4d3248
Correspondence Address: Martin, A.; School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom; email: Adrian.martin@uea.ac.uk
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Democratic Republic of Congo ; Rwanda ;
Protected area: Virunga ; Volcans
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Conservation initiatives ; Income-generating activities ; Periphery / Management ; Governance / Policy ; Perceptions / Behaviors

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Abstract: The Dzanga-Sangha landscape consists of a national park surrounded by production forest. It is subject to an integrated conservation and development project (ICDP). In collaboration with the ICDP personnel, a participatory model was constructed to explore wildlife conservation and industrial logging scenarios for the landscape. Three management options for the landscape's production forest were modelled: (I) 'predatory logging', exploitation by a logging company characterised by a lack of long-term plans for staying in the landscape, (II) sustainable exploitation by a certified logging company, and (III) conservation concession with no commercial timber harvesting. The simulation outcomes indicate the extreme difficulties to achieve progress on either conservation or development scenarios. Both logging scenarios give best outcomes for development of the local population. However, the depletion of bushmeat under the predatory logging scenario negatively impacts the population, especially the BaAka pygmy minority who most strongly depend on hunting for their income. The model suggests that conservation and development outcomes are largely determined by the level of economic activity, both inside and outside the landscape. Large investments in the formal sector in the landscape without any measures for protecting wildlife (Scenario I) leads to some species going nearly extinct, while investments in the formal sector including conservation measures (Scenario II) gives best outcomes for maintaining wildlife populations. The conservation concession at simulated investment levels does not reduce poverty, defined here in terms of monetary income. Neither does it seem capable of maintaining wildlife populations since the landscape is already filled with settlers lacking economic opportunities as alternatives to poaching. Copyright: © Sullivan 2011.
Source title: Conservation and Society
DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.92141
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84856614176&doi=10.4103%2f0972-4923.92141&partnerID=40&md5=c9822b3853f2f292ab02a355897a9ee7
Correspondence Address: Sandker, M.; Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; email: MariekeSandker@hotmail.com
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Central African Republic ;
Protected area: Dzanga-Sangha
Main topic: Humans
Subtopic: Conservation initiatives ; Timber ; Perceptions / Behaviors ; Periphery / Management ; Governance / Policy ; Income-generating activities ; Hunting / Poaching ; Anthropology / Ethnoscience

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Abstract: Commercialized hunting and trade of wildlife are the largest threats to mammal populations and human livelihoods in the Congo Basin. It is widely recognized that the lives of humans and wildlife in this region are inextricably intertwined. However, few studies have attempted to integrate both human and wildlife dimensions using ethnographic data to better contextualize the trade and its ecological impacts. This paper outlines a methodological approach that combines ethnographic research, ecological line transects and market surveys in the Dzanga Sangha Reserve (Central African Republic). Results from each research component are reported separately in order to provide examples of how each would answer specific questions about the status of wildlife populations and the scale of hunting within a protected area. The integrated analysis of ethnographic, market and ecological datasets clarifies synergistic impacts operating in the region and provides a more nuanced understanding of changes in both the forest and the market based on information gleaned from hunting practices and hunter interviews. This research demonstrates the potential pitfalls of using a singular approach to make recommendations on complex human-environment issues. Such cross-disciplinary mixed-methods approaches will further understandings of dynamic wildlife populations and forge more informed environmental policy recommendations. © Copyright Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2011.
Source title: Environmental Conservation
DOI: 10.1017/S0376892910000949
Link: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79958854540&doi=10.1017%2fS0376892910000949&partnerID=40&md5=8afd1bf16ab9aed725cc724dea9f3d70
Correspondence Address: Jost Robinson, C. A.; Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, Stone Hall, 700 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; email: cjost@purdue.edu
Language of Original Document: English
Access Type: Article
Country: ; Central African Republic ;
Protected area: Dzanga-Sangha
Main topic: Humans ; Biodiversity
Subtopic: Hunting / Poaching ; Anthropology / Ethnoscience ; Perceptions / Behaviors ; Animals ; Vertebrates ; Survey / Monitoring