The conservation status of West African vultures: an updated review and a strategy for conservation

The vulture populations in West Africa are undergoing dramatic decline over the last 30 years. Their particular ecology and sociality makes them vulnerable to various risks, including environmental changes, poisoning and bioaccumulation of toxic substances from agricultural products, pesticides, and veterinary drugs used in cattle livestock. In addition, these birds are subject to direct persecution for the trade of products used in traditional medicine. This manuscript analyzes the conservation status of eight vulture species in West Africa and the threats affecting their survival. In order to assess the conservation status of vultures in West Africa, this paper analyzes all the available literature that has been published in scientific peerreviewed journals, including also technical reports and unpublished reports related to the whole West African region. Overall, and despite the high risk of extinction facing several vulture species all throughout the world, our literature surveys revealed that the scientific papers on the conservation of West African vultures are relatively few. Therefore, due to limited available literature, the main causes of vulture declines in West Africa remain relatively unclear. Apparently, all African vultures suffer from similar threats, especially poisoning, habitat alteration and conversion to agro-pastoral systems, loss of wild ungulates leading to a reduced availability of carrion, hunting for trade, for use in traditional medicine and bushmeat, persecution and human disturbance. Our review also addresses future steps that are needed for reversing the negative population trend of their free-ranging populations, including some specific conservation measures that are proposed to mitigate their decline

Turtles and tortoises of Togo : historical data, distribution, ecology, and conservation

The chelonian fauna of Togo (West Africa) has been scarcely studied to date. In this article, we review and summarize all available data on the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of the chelonian species of Togo and present a short historical perspective on the development of studies on these reptiles. Overall, 13 chelonian species are found in Togo, 4 being marine, 3 terrestrial, and 6 freshwater. Among the marine species, only 2 of them nest on Togolese beaches (Lepidochelys olivacea and Dermochelys coriacea). Two species (Chelonia mydas and L. olivacea) are still locally common. Concerning the terrestrial and freshwater species, they differed remarkably in terms of their distribution by ecological zone. Cluster analyses revealed the existence of 3 clusters of species, 1 that contains the "forest" species, 1 accommodating the Sudanese savannah species, and a third cluster for the generalist savannah species. The conservation status of the various species and their dissimilarities in terms of threat score categories were assessed through a multivariate model following published work on African chelonian species in general. The results of this model indicate that the potentially most threatened species in Togo are Kinixys erosa, Kinixys homeana, and the 2 Cyclanorbis species (C. senegalensis and C. elegans), with Trionyx triunguis also being possibly seriously threatened. Overall, using the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List criteria, the concurrent presence of 2 Critically Endangered (K. homeana, C. elegans), 1 Endangered (K. erosa), and several Vulnerable species shows that the chelonian fauna of Togo should be of priority relevance for the competent international agencies

FIGURE 6 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 6. Four individuals of Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. from the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, southern Ghana (a: photo by Piotr Naskrecki); specimens not collected.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 83, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 9 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 9. Habitat from Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve (a–b), southern Ghana (photos: courtesy of Piotr Naskrecki); and type locality of Conraua derooi, Misahöhe, Togo (c–d).Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 87, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 3. a in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 3. a) Spectrogram and oscillogram of advertisement call of male Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. from Atewa Range Forest, individual not collected (call 1); b) Spectrogram and oscillogram of advertisement call of male Conraua derooi from Biakpa, Ghana, individual not collected. FFT = 256 points.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 78, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 10 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 10. Habitat from Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, southern Ghana.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 88, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 2 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 2. Principal component analyses based on 15 size-corrected morphometric variables; red = Conraua derooi, violet = Conraua sagyimase sp. nov., triangle = females, circle = males.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 77, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 1 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 1. Conraua derooi from the type locality Misahöhe, Togo (a – c) and Biakpa in the Volta area (d), Ghana; a: adult male, note bulging neck and posterior part of head, b & c: adult females; d: half-grown specimen. Specimens not collected.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 77, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 8. Inset shows a in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 8. Inset shows a map of West Africa showing the location of the Atewa Range in Ghana (upper left), known localities of Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. are shown in red and know localities of Conraua derooi in yellow. Stars indicate type localities. Altitudinal range is indicated with shading from lowlands (light) to high elevation (dark). Sources: OpenStreetMap (2020), U.S. Geological Survey (2020).Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 86, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt

FIGURE 7 in A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana

FIGURE 7. Conraua sagyimase sp. nov. from the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, southern Ghana (photos by Alan Channing); specimen not collected.Published as part of <i>NEIRA-SALAMEA, KARLA, OFORI-BOATENG, CALEB, KOUAMÉ, N'GORAN G., BLACKBURN, DAVID C., SEGNIAGBETO, GABRIEL H., HILLERS, ANNIKA, BAREJ, MICHAEL F., LEACHÉ, ADAM D. & RÖDEL, MARK-OLIVER, 2021, A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana, pp. 71-95 in Zootaxa 4995 (1)</i> on page 85, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4995.1.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10086923">http://zenodo.org/record/10086923</a&gt