scholarly journals Decline of the Commercially Attractive White Morph in Goliath Beetle Polymorphic Populations

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Daniele Dendi ◽  
Stephanie N. Ajong ◽  
Giovanni Amori ◽  
Luca Luiselli
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Red List ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
International Union ◽  
Threatened Taxa ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
White Form ◽  
Substantial Decline ◽  
Colour Morphs

The Goliath beetle (Goliathus goliatus) is one of the largest and most commercially valuable (for collection exports) beetle species worldwide, and occurs in West and Central Africa, with polymorphic populations being found in Benin, Eastern Nigeria, and Western Cameroun. The white morph is the most commercially valuable, and therefore is actively searched for by hunters and dealers. In a long-term, opportunistically conducted study in south-eastern Nigeria, we documented a substantial decline of the white morph compared to the normally coloured brown morph, although an overall decline in the number of observed beetles was evident for both colour morphs. Although a combination of reasons may have caused the white form decline, it is likely that overcollecting was the primary threat behind the observed pattern. Therefore, we urge the competent authorities to better protect the polymorphic populations of these giant beetles and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to make a quick assessment for eventual inclusion of the species among the threatened taxa Red List.

WHITE FULANI CATTLE OF WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

1996 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 127-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Tawah ◽  
J. E. O. Rege
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Performance Characteristics ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
White Fulani ◽  
And Performance

SUMMARYThe paper reviews information on the White Fulani cattle under the headings: origin, classification, distribution, population statistics, ecological settings, utility, husbandry practices, physical characteristics, special genetic characteristics, adaptive attributes and performance characteristics. It was concluded that the breed is economically important for several local communities in many West and Central African countries. The population of the breed is substantial. However, introgression from exotic cattle breeds as well as interbreeding with local breeds represent the major threat to the breed. The review identified a lack of programmes to develop the breed as being inimical to its long-term existence.

Niger migration corridor to Europe will persist

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Political Challenge ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Migration Corridor ◽  
Northern City

Subject Migration flows through Niger. Significance Over the past three years, informal migration from West and Central Africa across the Mediterranean to Europe has attracted massive public attention in Europe and become a major practical and political challenge for EU governments. Niger, and in particular its northern city of Agadez, has become a key transit hub for migrants. Impacts France and the United States will remain partners in helping Niger counter the threat of Saharan jihadist terrorism. Despite occasional jihadist attacks from Malian territory and instability in Libya, Issoufou will maintain his authority over the north. However, instability may rise in the long term; politics is highly polarised and trust in democracy has declined sharply.

scholarly journals Long term measurements of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, nitric acid and ozone in Africa using passive samplers

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 7467-7487 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Adon ◽  
C. Galy-Lacaux ◽  
V. Yoboué ◽  
C. Delon ◽  
J. P. Lacaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Remote Sites ◽  
High Concentrations

Abstract. In this paper we present the long term monitoring of ambient gaseous concentrations within the framework of the IDAF (IGAC-DEBITS-AFRICA) program. This study proposes for the first time an analysis of long-term inorganic gas concentrations (1998 to 2007) of SO2, NO2, HNO3, NH3 and O3, determined using passive samplers at seven remote sites in West and Central Africa. Sites are representative of several African ecosystems and are located along a transect from dry savannas-wet savannas-forests with sites at Banizoumbou (Niger), Katibougou and Agoufou (Mali), Djougou (Benin), Lamto (Cote d'Ivoire), Zoetele (Cameroon) and Bomassa (Congo). The strict control of measurement techniques as well as the validation and inter-comparison studies conducted with the IDAF passive samplers assure the quality and accuracy of the measurements. For each type of African ecosystem, the long term data series have been studied to document the levels of surface gaseous concentrations. The seasonal and interannual variability have also been analyzed as a function of emission source variations. We compared the measured West and Central African gas concentrations to results obtained in other parts of the world. Results show that the annual mean concentrations of NO2, NH3, HNO3 measured in dry savannas are higher than those measured in wet savannas and forests that have quite similar concentrations. Annual mean NO2 concentrations vary from 0.9±0.2 in forests to 2.4±0.4 ppb in the dry savannas, NH3 from 3.9±1.4 to 7.4±0.8 ppb and HNO3 from 0.2±0.1 to 0.5±0.2 ppb. Annual mean O3 and SO2 concentrations are lower for all ecosystems and range from 4.0±0.4 to 14.0±2.8 and from 0.3±0.1 to 1.0±0.2 ppb, respectively. A focus on the processes involved in gas emissions from dry savannas is presented in this work, providing explanations for the high concentrations of all gases measured at the three dry savannas sites. At these sites, seasonal concentrations of all gases are higher in the wet season. Conversely, concentrations are higher in the dry season in the wet savannas. In forested regions, we measure no significant difference between wet and dry seasons. This unique database of long term gases concentrations monitoring is available at: http://medias.obs-mip.fr/idaf/.

scholarly journals First records of 31 species of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) in Cameroon, with remarks on their elevational ranges

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Delabye ◽  
Vincent Maicher ◽  
Szabolcs Sáfián ◽  
Pavel Potocký ◽  
Jan Mertens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Mount Cameroon ◽  
Biodiversity Knowledge ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Biogeographic Region ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Biogeographic Regions ◽  
Important Extension ◽  
Rich Material

The biodiversity of West and Central Africa is understudied, including butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Cameroon, through its position in between few biogeographic regions and diversity of habitats, is an important hotspot of lepidopteran diversity. However, the country also ranks low when it comes to local biodiversity knowledge. During our long-term ecological projects in the Cameroonian part of the Gulf of Guinea Highlands, we collected rich material of butterflies and moths, including a number of interesting faunistic records. In this study, we report 31 species of butterflies and moths which have not yet been recorded in Cameroon. These species comprised eight new genera records for the country. In many cases, our records represented an important extension of the species’ known distribution, including ten species whose distribution ranges extended into the Guinean biogeographic region. We also comment on the species’ elevational distribution ranges on Mount Cameroon where most of our records originated. Additionally, we confirm the presence of a butterfly Telchinia encedena, after more than a century since its first and so far its only record in Cameroon.

scholarly journals Long term measurements of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, nitric acid and ozone in Africa using passive samplers

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 4407-4461 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Adon ◽  
C. Galy-Lacaux ◽  
V. Yoboué ◽  
C. Delon ◽  
J. P. Lacaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Remote Sites ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
First Time

Abstract. In this paper, we present the long term monitoring of ambient gaseous concentrations within the framework of the IDAF (IGAC-DEBITS-AFRICA) program. This study proposes for the first time to study long term gases concentrations (1998–2007) by determining the ambient concentration of the inorganic gases, i.e., SO2, NO2, HNO3, NH3 and O3 using passive samplers at seven remote sites in West and Central Africa. Sites are representative of a great African ecosystem and are located according a transect: dry savannas-wet savannas-forests with Banizoumbou (Niger), Katibougou and Agoufou (Mali), Djougou (Benin), Lamto (Cote d'Ivoire), Zoetele (Cameroon) and Bomassa (Congo). The validation and inter-comparison studies conducted with the IDAF passive samplers assure the quality and the control of the measurement technique to show the accuracy of the measurements. For each type of African ecosystems, we have studied the long term data series to document the levels of gaseous surface concentrations and the seasonal and interannual variations analyzed as a function of emission sources variations. We have tried to compare West and Central African gases concentrations to the results obtained in other parts of the world. Results show that the annual mean concentrations of NO2, NH3, HNO3 measured in dry savannas are higher than those measured in wet savannas and forests that have quite similar concentrations. Annual mean NO2 concentrations vary from 0.9±0.2 in forests to 2.4±0.4 ppb in the dry savannas, NH3 from 3.9±1.4 to 7.4±0.8 ppb, HNO3 from 0.2±0.1 to 0.5±0.2 ppb. Annual mean O3 and SO2 concentrations are lower for all the ecosystems and range from 4.0±0.4 to 14.0±2.8 and from 0.3±0.1 to 1.0±0.2 ppb, respectively. A focus on dry savannas processes involved in gases emission is presented in this work, explaining the high concentrations of all gases measured on the three dry savannas sites. For all gases, seasonal concentrations are higher in the wet season of dry savannas. Conversely, concentrations are higher in the dry season of wet savannas. In forest, we measure no significant difference between wet and dry seasons. This unique database of long term gases concentrations monitoring is available at: http://www.obs-mip.fr/idaf/.

Real-Time Network of Weather and Ocean Stations: Public-Private Partnership on In-Situ Measurements in the Gulf of Guinea

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Quiniou-Ramus ◽  
Rémi Estival ◽  
Pascal Venzac ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Cohuet
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Telecommunication System ◽  
It Architecture ◽  
Global Telecommunication System ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Total Oil ◽  
Technical Solutions

Monitoring of meteorological or/and oceanographic conditions is done on many Oil & Gas platforms offshore West and Central Africa (from Nigeria to Angola), but it is often only used in real-time and not necessarily archived on a hard-drive, or it is protected by each company’s IT firewalls thus making it difficult to send the information to the “outer world”. In 2010, TOTAL Oil & Gas Operator launched a project to give remote and public access to this real-time wind, current and also wave or other meteorological / oceanographic (“metocean”) data. The objectives of this initiative were multiple: • Improve weather and ocean hindcasts and forecasts, which will be beneficial to all Oil & Gas operations in Africa, • Help feed a database for future O&G developments; • Enable design checks after ∼1 year of operation; • Serve as a “black box” in case of an incident which could be due to environment; • Help feed or validate ocean and oil spill drift forecast in case of emergency; • Contribute to the international effort of monitoring the oceans in the long term (operational oceanography, climate change, etc.); • Encourage capacity building in Africa by supporting development and maintenance of technical solutions to reach objectives In 2013, with the support of the French Meteorological Office Météo-France, the data from half a dozen platforms offshore Nigeria, Congo and Angola will be available on the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Global Telecommunication System (GTS). This paper will present the type of metocean stations that are part of this network “MODANET”, the IT architecture that was selected to send it out of the Company’s network, the quality control undertaken by Meteo France before sending it to the GTS, and future possible use of the data that are envisaged.

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