Preliminary data on density and habitat of carnivores in two protected areas of Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Abstract Apparent density [determined as kilometric index of abundance (KIA), by direct sightings and by droppings along line transects] and habitat use of some species of carnivore mammals were studied in two protected areas of Burkina Faso (Comoé-Leraba and Nazinga). Despite the fact that the dataset was collected throughout several years and with a very high field effort, the amount of data collected was relatively small, and confined just to a few species. There was no effect of the year on the average KIA estimates of the carnivores at this study area, and data from direct sightings along transects estimated lower densities than those coming from droppings collected along the same transects. In terms of habitat type, shrub savannah represented the best habitat type for carnivores, despite being relatively scarcely available along the line transects when compared with woody savannah (especially for Canis adustus and Civettictis civetta).

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Woody species composition, diversity and vegetation structure of two protected areas along a climatic gradient in Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Folia Geobotanica ◽

10.1007/s12224-019-09340-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (3-4) ◽

pp. 163-175

Author(s):

Moussa Ganamé ◽

Philippe Bayen ◽

Issaka Ouédraogo ◽

Kangbéni Dimobe ◽

Adjima Thiombiano

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Species Composition ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Woody Species ◽

Climatic Gradient

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Magnoliophyta, Arly National Park, Tapoa, Burkina Faso [with erratum]

Check List ◽

10.15560/7.1.85 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 085 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Oumarou Ouédraogo ◽

Marco Schmidt ◽

Adjima Thiombiano ◽

Karen Hahn ◽

Sita Guinko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Species Composition ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Continuous System ◽

Life Forms ◽

Plant Species Composition ◽

Large Mammal ◽

High Share

The Arly National Park of southeastern Burkina Faso is in the center of the WAP complex, the largest continuous system of protected areas in West Africa. Although well known for its large mammal populations, its flora has largely been unexplored until recently. The plant species composition is typical for sudanian savanna areas with a high share of grasses and legumes and similar to other protected areas of the complex, the neighbouring Pama reserve and W National Park. It has more species in common with the classified forest of Kou in SW Burkina Faso than with the geographically closer Sahel reserve. The 490 species belong to 280 genera and 83 families. The most important life forms are phanerophytes and therophytes.

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Vegetation Structure and Carbon Stocks of Two Protected Areas Within the South-Sudanian Savannas of Burkina Faso, West Africa

10.20944/preprints201608.0154.v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohammad Qasim ◽

Stefan Porembski ◽

Dietmar Sattler ◽

Katharina Stein ◽

Adjima Thiombiano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

The South ◽

Importance Value ◽

Gallery Forests

Savannas and adjacent vegetation types like gallery forests are highly valuable ecosystems contributing to several ecosystem services including carbon budgeting. Financial mechanisms such as REDD+ have provided an opportunity for developing countries to alleviate poverty through conservation of its forestry resources. For availing this opportunity carbon stock assessments are essential. Therefore, a research study at two protected areas i.e. Nazinga Game Ranch and Bontioli Nature Reserve, in Burkina Faso was conducted with the objective of assessing carbon Mg C ha-1 in aboveground biomass (AGB)dry of trees in different formations of the south-sudanian savanna in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Similarly analysis of various vegetation parameters was also conducted to understand the overall vegetation structure of these two protected areas. For estimating AGBdry, existing allometric equation for dry tropical woody vegetation types was used. The Importance Value Index (IVI) and Family Importance Value (FIV) were estimated through standard procedures. Various linear and non-linear regression analyses were conducted to test the relationships between carbon and other parameters such as DBH, height and basal area (BA). The results showed that both sites collectively contain mean carbon of 3.41 ± 4.98 Mg C ha-1. Amongst different vegetation types, gallery forests recorded the highest mean carbon of 9.38 ± 6.90 Mg C ha-1. The highest IVI of 115.56 at Nazinga Game Ranch was recorded for Anogeissus leiocarpa. Similarly, highest IVI of 98.59 was recorded for Mitragyna inermis at Bontioli Nature Reserve. The highest FIV was recorded for Combretaceae for both of the sites. To our knowledge, this was the first study conducted to assess the carbon stocks at the two protected areas in southern Burkina Faso. The study therefore was an attempt for addressing the knowledge gap particularly on carbon stocks of protected savannas. It could serve as a baseline for carbon stocks for future initiatives such as payment for environmental services and REDD+ at these areas.

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Modeling cetacean habitat use in an urban coastal area in southeastern Brazil

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13313 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 642 ◽

pp. 227-240

Author(s):

L Lodi ◽

R Tardin ◽

G Maricato

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Linear Models ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Major Influence ◽

Cetacean Species ◽

Few Data

Most studies of cetacean habitat use do not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. We investigated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on habitat use by humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera brydei off the coast of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Although there are 2 marine protected areas (MPAs) in this area, few data are available on cetacean habitat use or on the overlap of different cetacean species within these MPAs. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPAs and propose a buffer zone to better protect the biodiversity of the study area. We conducted systematic surveys and developed spatial eigenvector generalized linear models to characterize habitat use by the species in the study area. Habitat use by humpback whales was influenced only by depth, whereas for Bryde’s whales there was the additional influence of anthropogenic variables. For Bryde’s whales, which use the area for feeding, sea surface temperature and the distance to anchorages had a major influence on habitat use. We also showed that neither of the MPAs in the study area adequately protects the hotspots of either whale species. Most of the humpback whale grid cells with high sighting predictions were located within 2 km of the MPAs, while areas of high sighting prediction of Bryde’s whales were located up to 5 km from the MPAs, closer to beaches. Our findings provide important insights for the delimitation of protected areas and zoning of the MPAs.

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Effectiveness of Protected Areas in Conserving the Highly Hunted Mammal Species as Bushmeat in Southern Benin

The Open Ecology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874213001811010014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 14-24

Author(s):

Chabi A.M.S. Djagoun ◽

Etotépé A. Sogbohossou ◽

Barthélémy Kassa ◽

Christian B. Ahouandjinou ◽

Hugues A. Akpona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Cell System ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Occupancy Model ◽

Habitat Occupancy ◽

Anthropogenic Habitat ◽

Lama Forest

Background: The habitat degradation together with fragmentation and illegal hunting represent a major threat for biodiversity conservation in Lama protected areas. Method: We used a combination of questionnaire survey with local communities for ranking the hunted mammal species as bushmeat and track surveys in gridded-cell system of 500x500 m2 (n=268) to assess at what extend the management design, the anthropogenic factors and habitat type affect the occupancy model of those mammal species. Results: Twenty mammal species have been predominantly reported by the local inhabitants to consume bushmeat species and 5 of them have been identified as the most preferable as hunted game mammals. The selection of the preferred habitat among the swampy forest, the dense forest, the tree plantations and cropland for the prioritized game species varies between species but looks similar when grouping in different orders. Some bushmeat species were found to select the more secure habitat (natural forest); suggesting the zoning system in the Lama forest can passively protect those species. However, some species such as T. swinderianus although highly hunted showed preference to anthropogenic habitat, avoiding the well secured core zone in Lama Forest. Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the importance of the zoning system with different management objectives in the habitat occupancy model of the highly hunted wildlife species.

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Petrology, geochemistry, and source of the emplacement model of the Paleoproterozoic Tiébélé Granite Pluton, Burkina Faso (West-Africa): contribution to mineral exploration

International Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s00531-021-02039-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hermann Ilboudo ◽

Sâga Sawadogo ◽

Nicolas Kagambega ◽

Toufik Remmal

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Mineral Exploration ◽

Granite Pluton

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Assessing fruit production and harvesting effects on Carapa procera DC. population, a threatened oil tree in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Environmental Challenges ◽

10.1016/j.envc.2021.100196 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100196

Author(s):

Benjamin Lankoandé ◽

Bassiaka Ouattara ◽

Philippe Bayen ◽

Amadé Ouédraogo

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Carapa Procera

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Protected areas and unpaved roads mediate habitat use of the giant anteater in anthropogenic landscapes

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.1093/jmammal/gyab004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Natalia F Versiani ◽

Larissa L Bailey ◽

Nielson Pasqualotto ◽

Thiago F Rodrigues ◽

Roberta M Paolino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Native Species ◽

Population Decline ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Brazilian Cerrado ◽

Anthropogenic Landscapes ◽

Unpaved Roads ◽

Relative Paucity ◽

Model Average

Abstract The drastic reduction of the Brazilian Cerrado has transformed this savanna hotspot into vast swaths of commodity-based agriculture fields, mainly soybean, sugarcane, and beef-production pasturelands. The resulting habitat loss and fragmentation are the principal factors underlying population decline of native species inhabiting the Cerrado, particularly those with a high demand for space, low population density, and specialized diet, such as the endangered giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Although the species has been studied in protected areas, we know much less about its ability to endure in disturbed landscapes. Here, we analyzed camera-trapping data to estimate a proxy of habitat use (ψ^; occupancy) and detection probabilities of the giant anteater, identifying environmental covariates influencing these parameters in landscapes with intensive agriculture and commercial forestry. We found this species using about half of the study area (model average ψ^ = 0.51, CI = 0.40–0.62), with two predictors strongly influencing habitat use: protected areas and unpaved roads. In turn, detection probability correlates positively with area of open Cerrado and negatively with area of settlements. The species is more likely to use unpaved roads inside protected areas (ψ^ = 0.90, CI = 0.47–0.75), compared to off road sites in the surrounding areas (ψ^ = 0.19, CI = 0.10–0.34). Our findings indicate that giant anteaters are dependent on nature reserves and native vegetation areas existing on private properties, whose protection is regulated by the Brazilian Native Vegetation Protection Law. Given the relative paucity of state-owned protected areas in the Brazilian Cerrado, increasing the adherence of rural owners to this law is, therefore, key for the conservation of the giant anteater. The intense use of unpaved roads might reflect travelling and/or foraging optimization, a behavioral response that, nevertheless, may compound this species’ susceptibility to suffer mortality from roadkill.

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