Interactions hommes-chimpanzés-forêt. Approche spatiale et territoriale de la répartition des chimpanzés, des perceptions locales et de la gestion de la biodiversité (Sebitoli, parc national de Kibale, Ouganda)

In a context of hyper-proximity between chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and human population, human and non-human territories and their interactions are studied at the extreme north of Kibale National Park (Uganda). Sebitoli area, cul de sac of the protected forest, is crossed by a highly frequented tarmac road and surrounded by densely populated villages and cash crops. Limits of humans, chimpanzees (classified "endangered"; Appendix I, CITES) and protected areas are historically and spatially interlocked, forbidding humans to enter the forest while wild animals go and crop-raid peoples' gardens at its edges. Compared to two chimpanzee communities within Kibale National Park, located less than 17 kilometers away, Sebitoli - former logged area - hosts an important density of this species that is explained by spatial and temporal variation of chimpanzee feeding resources within the forest. At Sebitoli site’s scale (25 km2), Maxent species distribution model shows that crops located at park's edges and the maintenance work on the road crossing the area can actually favour chimpanzee distribution, adding complementary food resources to wild species of the forest. While territories seem legally disjointed, believes and spirits trespass them and the contact with nature is maintained though imagination, culture and some practices. A mitigated adequation between institutional actions toward crop protection and villagers needs leads to a feeling of detachment toward wild fauna and flora conducting to silent (crop raiding compensations are not continuous) and selective (elephants and baboons concentrate villagers' attention compared to chimpanzees) opposition. Positive (species and spaces conservation) and negative (crop-raiding, poaching) retroactions coexist within local biodiversity management. These results provide useful inputs to adapt political measures of endangered-species conservation within increasing anthropogenic contexts.Les territoires humains et ceux des chimpanzés (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), ainsi que leurs interactions, sont étudiés à l'extrémité nord du parc national de Kibale (Ouganda), dans un contexte d'hyper-proximité entre la faune sauvage et les populations humaines. Le site de Sebitoli - cul de sac de forêt protégée - est traversé par une route goudronnée très fréquentée et entouré de villages densément peuplés et de cultures de rente. Les limites du territoire des hommes, des chimpanzés (espèce classée « en danger »; annexe I, CITES) et de la forêt protégée s'y superposent historiquement et spatialement, interdisant aux hommes de fréquenter la forêt alors que les animaux sauvages en sortent pour piller les cultures vivrières en lisière. Comparée à deux autres communautés de chimpanzés du parc national de Kibale situées à moins de 17 kilomètres, la densité importante de chimpanzés à Sebitoli - poche de forêt anciennement exploitée - s'explique par la variation spatiale et temporelle de leurs ressources alimentaires en forêt. A l’échelle du site de Sebitoli (25 km2), le modèle Maxent de distribution des espèces montre que la présence de cultures en lisière du parc et l’entretien de la route qui le traverse peuvent favoriser la présence des chimpanzés, en prodiguant des ressources alimentaires complémentaires de celles de la forêt. Alors que les territoires se veulent disjoints légalement, les croyances et les esprits les transcendent et le contact avec la nature est entretenu dans l'imaginaire, dans la culture et dans certaines pratiques. Une adéquation mitigée entre les actions institutionnelles de protection des cultures et les besoins des villageois produit parmi eux un sentiment de désappropriation vis- à-vis de la faune et de la flore sauvage voire d’opposition feutrée (les actions de compensation des incursions de la faune sauvage dans les jardins vivriers sont discontinues) et sélective (les éléphants et les babouins concentrent le mécontentement des villageois par rapport aux chimpanzés). Coexistent ainsi des rétroactions positives (conservation des espèces et des espaces) et négatives (pillage des cultures, braconnage) dans la gestion locale de la biodiversité. Ces résultats apportent des enseignements pour adapter les politiques de conservation des espèces menacées à des espaces de plus en plus anthropisés

How variable is a primate`s world : spatial and temporal variation in potential ecological drivers of behaviour?

Long-term phenological data from the same area over two decades shows that fruit availability can vary as much as eight-fold. Environments have often been characterized by single studies of two years or less, which does not sufficiently account for environmental variation. This book chapter presents examples of behavioural and ecological variation, and considers ways to advance behavioural studies of primates by considering these variations. Perhaps one area of such research is the development of the "Primate Socioecological Model." For instance, in Madagascar where female dominance is common, climate and fruiting patterns are more unpredictable than in other tropical regions where male dominance is the norm.Canada Research Chairs ProgramNatural Science and Engineering Research Council of CanadaFonds Québécois de la Recherché sur la Nature et les TechnologiesNational Geographic Societ

Exploring multiple dimensions of conservation success : long-term wildlife trends, anti-poaching efforts and revenue sharing in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Parks are essential for protecting biodiversity and finding ways to improve park effectiveness is an important topic. We contributed to this debate by examining spatial and temporal changes in illegal activities in Kibale National Park, Uganda between 2006 and 2016 and used existing data to evaluate how the changes were correlated with the living conditions of people in neighboring communities, as well as patrolling effort. We explore the effectiveness of conservation strategies implemented in Kibale, by quantifying changes in the abundance of nine animal species over two to five decades. While uncertainty in such animal survey data are inherently large and it is hard to generalize across a 795-km2 area that encompasses diverse habitat types, data suggest an increase in animal abundance in the National Park. An increase in patrolling effort by park guards over the decade was correlated with a decline in the number of traps and snares found, which suggests patrolling helped limit resource extraction from the park. The park’s edge was extensively used for illegal forest product extraction, while the setting of snares occurred more often deeper in the forest. Perhaps counter-intuitively, increased community wealth or park-related employment in a village next to the park were positively correlated with increased illegal forest product extraction. Overall, our results suggest that the portfolio of conservation strategies used over the last two to five decades were effective for protecting the park and its animals, although understanding the impact of these efforts on local human populations and how to mitigate any losses and suffering they sustain remains an important area of research and action. It is evident that complex social, political and economic drivers impact conservation success and more interdisciplinary studies are required to quantify and qualify these dimensions

Does the presence of elephant dung create hotspots of growth for existing seedlings?

In general, the addition of elephant dung did not increase seedling growth, and only increased the number of leaves in shade-tolerant plants with a large initial number of leaves. Researchers have speculated that the loss of elephants would shift the composition of African forests to slow-growing tree species. However, findings in this study show some slow-growing shade-tolerant plants grew more new leaves with additional nutrient input from elephant dung, a condition that would occur if elephant numbers increase. Forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) populations declined by 62% between 2002 and 2011. The population is now only 10% of what it was historically, and occupies less than 25% of its original range

Spatial and phylogenetical closeness between chimpanzees and humans and health consequences. Study case of Kibale national park, Uganda

Chimpanzee, our closest relative, is today severely threatened by habitat fragmentation. As a consequence, people and chimpanzees live in increasing proximity. In order to estimate the risks for both species due to such changes, we aim at understanding if chimpanzees avoid the interface and limit occasions of contact with human beings. Fifteen years of research on two chimpanzee communities at Kibale National Park (Uganda) demonstrate that chimpanzees do not avoid forest boundaries, cross tarmac road and that human activities are frequent in the protected area. Direct consequences on chimpanzee health include severe mutilations due to poaching. The diagnosis of similar parasites in both species underlines the potential risk of interspecific transmission and the necessity to expand such study for public health and conservation issuesLe Chimpanzé, espèce vivante la plus proche phylogénétiquement de l’homme, est aujourd’hui menacée de disparition en particulier par la fragmentation des forêts tropicales. Afin d’évaluer les risques pour les deux espèces de cette proximité spatiale en potentielle augmentation, notre objectif est d’étudier si les chimpanzés évitent les interfaces et si leur santé témoignent de ces éventuels contacts. Quinze années de recherche sur deux communautés de chimpanzés sauvages du parc national de Kibale (Ouganda) montrent que les chimpanzés n’évitent pas les lisières, traversent une route à fort trafic et que les activités humaines en forêt sont fréquentes. Nos observations révèlent des conséquences sévères sur leur santé: mutilations dues au braconnage et détection d’agents pathogènes similaires, impliquant probablement des transmissions interspécifiques. Dans un contexte où les maladies émergentes peuvent entraîner des conséquences fatales sur la santé des hommes et des chimpanzés, il est primordial d’approfondir ces travaux pour la santé publique et la conservatio

Primate population dynamics : variation in abundance over space and time

The paper presents longitudinal data documenting changes in primate abundance over 45 years at eight sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Findings present a positive conservation message and indicate that the Uganda Wildlife Authority is being effective in managing its biodiversity. However, monitoring of deforestation and continued monitoring and modification of conservation plans are essential. The rapid disappearance of tropical forests, potential impacts of climate change, and increasing threats to wildlife such as bushmeat hunting, make it imperative to understand wildlife population dynamics. With long-lived animals this requires extensive, long-term data, but such data is often lacking.Canada Research Chairs ProgramNatural Science and Engineering Research Council of CanadaFonds Québécois de la Recherché sur la Nature et les TechnologiesNational Geographic Societ

Refugios climáticos escolares basados en la naturaleza : evaluación desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria

Este trabajo se basa en el proyecto Coolschools (coolschools.eu) y ha recibido financiación del programa de investigación e innovación Horizon 2020 de la Unión Europea bajo el acuerdo de subvención núm. 101003758, así como de la Agencia Española de Investigación (AEI), Innoviris (Región de Bruselas Capital), Dutch Research Council (NWO), The Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) y Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR).Las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza (SbN) se definen como acciones que se apoyan en lanaturaleza para proporcionar simultáneamente beneficios ambientales y socioeconómicos de forma sostenible y resiliente. Cuando se incorporan en entornos escolares, tanto dentro de los recintos escolares como en sus alrededores, las SbN pueden contribuir a la adaptación al cambio climático a la vez que proporcionar múltiples cobeneficios a la comunidad educativa. Este artículo aporta evidencias científicas y herramientas metodológicas para una evaluación holística de los cobeneficios de las SbN en entornos escolares en términos de equidad, biodiversidad, salud, seguridad, gobernanza y educación, con una mirada hacia la población infantil como beneficiaria principal. Para ello, propone y desarrolla el concepto de refugios climáticos escolares basados en la naturaleza como una estrategia innovadora para la transición hacia ciudades más sostenibles y resilientes

Vous avez dit animal nuisible ? (Table ronde)

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Utilisation de l’imagerie satellitaire et des données géoréférencées dans la lutte contre les trafics transfrontaliers dans la région du Liptako-Gourma (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali)

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