| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
ASSESSING MAMMAL STATUS IN TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS USING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
By Christiaan A. van der Hoeven
International donor organisations and major nature conservation organisations recognise that the rapidly worsening bushmeat crisis in Central Africa is turning from a biodiversity conservation problem into a livelihood and food security problem for the human population. Since it is the major protein source of the local populations, bushmeat is being exploited at unsustainable levels and this poses a threat to future food supplies. Other protein sources are too scarce or expensive to be considered as alternatives. Only NGOs or governmental organisations have the funds, and can apply these, to initiate and develop alternative protein production projects. However, production is no way near enough to be relevant as a major protein source.
Project aim
Efforts should be directed at regulating current bushmeat exploitation and making
it sustainable, without jeopardising the regular protein supply for the population.
This requires understanding of the actual status of wildlife in the forest and
how this can or will change under different management strategies. The goal
of our study is to provide biodiversity conservation and management projects
with a cheap, time-effective and easily applicable tool to assess mammal status.
Based on local knowledge, the method (called Pooled Local Expert Opinion or
PLEO) is designed in such a way that local wildlife specialists can easily adopt
it, thereby assuring local ownership of the results. This contrasts with present
wildlife density assessments which are mostly carried out by western scientists,
involve complex methods that are difficult to learn, are costly and involve
the deployment of a team of observers and assistants over a longer period of
time. The new methodology provides similar results as current methods, which
makes it promising for use in sustainable wildlife use programmes.
Project set-up
The methodology is based on the fact that hunters are local experts with extensive
knowledge of the wildlife status in their area. By asking the hunter to estimate
animal abundance in a specified area, researchers can calculate the animal density
with the help of GIS and maps. If enough hunters are interviewed, a good overall
image of the wildlife status can be obtained. This method can be applied by
people with basic training in biology and statistics. We tested this method
in the Campo-Ma'an area in South Cameroon, where the GEF Campo-Ma'an Biodiversity
Conservation and Management Project needed information on the wildlife status
in order to develop a management plan for its multiple-use zone. The method
was tested simultaneously with line transect surveys, which represent the currently
accepted methodology for wildlife density estimation. In addition, a risk analysis
was performed on the species that were commonly hunted in order to rank the
species according to sensitivity to over-hunting. Finally, a market survey was
carried out to provide data on bushmeat availability and to test whether this
survey could function as an early warning signal for the monitoring of frequently
hunted species.
Results
The results of the wildlife density assessment for 33 species were compared
with data obtained by different methods in the same area in the same period
and were also compared with densities found in literature. The results were
similar, further supporting the idea of implementing this method more widely.
What also emerged from this study is that several species are threatened with
local extinction. This is because they cannot maintain a healthy population
since the area where they are protected is too small and not connected to other
areas rich in biodiversity, thereby preventing exchange and replenishment. This
implies a need for corridors , if the project management wishes to conserve
current species richness.
Implications and further
study
The results of this study indicate that adequate biodiversity protection requires
specific criteria to be applied in the design of protected rain forest areas.
These criteria refer to the size, location and form of the protection area.
Little is known about these criteria as yet, so we will initiate a study on
the criteria currently used for the selection and development of protected areas.
The results of that study will be integrated with those of the wildlife assessment
and will be used to issue advice on Protected Area Design and Management in
West and Central Africa.
Further information:
Christiaan van der Hoeven
Tropical Nature Conservation and Vertebrate Ecology, WUR
Bornsesteeg 69
6708 PD Wageningen
The Netherlands
E-mail: christiaan.vanderhoeven@wur.nl
and cavanderhoeven@hotmail.com