Guns, germs, and trees determine density and distribution of gorillas and chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa

We present a range-wide assessment of sympatric western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and central chimpanzees Pan troglodytes troglodytes using the largest survey data set ever assembled for these taxa: 59 sites in five countries surveyed between 2003 and 2013, totaling 61,000 person-days of fieldwork. We used spatial modeling to investigate major drivers of great ape distribution and population trends. We predicted density across each taxon’s geographic range, allowing us to estimate overall abundance: 361,900 gorillas and 128,700 chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa—substantially higher than previous estimates. These two subspecies represent close to 99% of all gorillas and one-third of all chimpanzees. Annual population decline of gorillas was estimated at 2.7%, maintaining them as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List. We quantified the threats to each taxon, of which the three greatest were poaching, disease, and habitat degradation. Gorillas and chimpanzees are found at higher densities where forest is intact, wildlife laws are enforced, human influence is low, and disease impacts have been low. Strategic use of the results of these analyses could conserve the majority of gorillas and chimpanzees. With around 80% of both subspecies occurring outside protected areas, their conservation requires reinforcement of anti-poaching efforts both inside and outside protected areas (particularly where habitat quality is high and human impact is low), diligent disease control measures (including training, advocacy, and research into Ebola virus disease), and the preservation of high-quality habitat through integrated land-use planning and implementation of best practices by the extractive and agricultural industries.Additional co-authors: Nicolas Bout, Thomas Breuer, Genevieve Campbell, Pauwel De Wachter, Marc Ella Akou, Fidel Esono Mba, Anna T. C. Feistner, Bernard Fosso, Roger Fotso, David Greer, Clement Inkamba-Nkulu, Calixte F. Iyenguet, Max Kokangoye, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Stephanie Latour, Bola Madzoke, Calixte Makoumbou, Guy-Aimé F. Malanda, Richard Malonga, Victor Mbolo, David B. Morgan, Prosper Motsaba, Gabin Moukala, Brice S. Mowawa, Mizuki Murai, Christian Ndzai, Tomoaki Nishihara, Zacharie Nzooh, Lilian Pintea, Amy Pokempner, Hugo J. Rainey, Tim Rayden, Heidi Ruffler, Crickette M. Sanz, Angelique Todd, Hilde Vanleeuwe, Ashley Vosper, Ymke Warren, and David S. Wilki

Forest Elephant Crisis in the Congo Basin

Debate over repealing the ivory trade ban dominates conferences of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Resolving this controversy requires accurate estimates of elephant population trends and rates of illegal killing. Most African savannah elephant populations are well known; however, the status of forest elephants, perhaps a distinct species, in the vast Congo Basin is unclear. We assessed population status and incidence of poaching from line-transect and reconnaissance surveys conducted on foot in sites throughout the Congo Basin. Results indicate that the abundance and range of forest elephants are threatened from poaching that is most intense close to roads. The probability of elephant presence increased with distance to roads, whereas that of human signs declined. At all distances from roads, the probability of elephant occurrence was always higher inside, compared to outside, protected areas, whereas that of humans was always lower. Inside protected areas, forest elephant density was correlated with the size of remote forest core, but not with size of protected area. Forest elephants must be prioritised in elephant management planning at the continental scale

Monitoring boreal forest biomass and carbon storage change by integrating airborne laser scanning, biometry and eddy covariance data

AbstractThis study presents a comparison and integration of three methods commonly used to estimate the amount of forest ecosystem carbon (C) available for storage. In particular, we examine the representation of living above- and below-ground biomass change (net accumulation) using plot-level biometry and repeat airborne laser scanning (ALS) of three dimensional forest plot structure. These are compared with cumulative net CO2 fluxes (net ecosystem production, NEP) from eddy covariance (EC) over a six-year period within a jack pine chronosequence of four stands (~94, 30, 14 and 3years since establishment from 2005) located in central Saskatchewan, Canada. Combining the results of the two methods yield valuable observations on the partitioning of C within ecosystems. Subtracting total living biomass C accumulation from NEP results in a residual that represents change in soil and litter C storage. When plotted against time for the stands investigated, the curve produced is analogous to the soil C dynamics described in Covington (1981). Here, ALS biomass accumulation exceeds EC-based NEP measured in young stands, with the residual declining with age as stands regenerate and litter decomposition stabilizes. During the 50–70year age-period, NEP and live biomass accumulation come into balance, with the soil and litter pools of stands 70–100years post-disturbance becoming a net store of C. Biomass accumulation was greater in 2008–2011 compared to 2005–2008, with the smallest increase in the 94-year-old “old jack pine” stand and greatest in the 14-year-old “harvested jack pine 1994” stand, with values of 1.4 (±3.2) tCha−1 and 12.0 (±1.6) tCha−1, respectively. The efficiency with which CO2 was stored in accumulated biomass was lowest in the youngest and oldest stands, but peaked during rapid regeneration following harvest (14-year-old stand). The analysis highlights that the primary source of uncertainty in the data integration workflow is in the calculation of biomass expansion factors, and this aspect of the workflow needs to be implemented with caution to avoid large error propagations. We suggest that the adoption of integrated ALS, in situ and atmospheric flux monitoring frameworks is needed to improve spatio-temporal partitioning of C balance components at sub-decadal scale within rapidly changing forest ecosystems and for use in national carbon accounting programs

Impacts of silvicultural treatments on the diversity and spatial and temporal dynamics of woody in semi-deciduous tropical forest : experimental study on Mbaïki station

La gestion durable des forêts tropicales et la conservation de la biodiversité sont des enjeux majeurs, qui ne peuvent être atteints que par une meilleure connaissance du fonctionnement et de la résilience de ces écosystèmes. L'objectif de cette étude, conduite sur le dispositif permanent de Mbaïki (RCA), est d'évaluer l'effet de deux traitements sylvicoles (coupe sélective; coupe sélective + délianage) sur la diversité et la dynamique des peuplements arborescents (dbh ≥ 9,55 cm) en forêt dense semi-caducifoliée. Après s'être assuré que les parcelles sans traitement pouvaient effectivement servir de témoin, nous avons entrepris des études démographiques (mortalité, recrutement, croissance et survie) et des analyses spatiales uni- (relations intraspécifiques) et bi-variées (relations interspécifiques) sur le peuplement global et 37 espèces abondantes. La diversité spécifique des arbres a également été quantifiée. Nos résultats montrent que les deux types de traitement n'influencent significativement ni la diversité spécifique, ni la mortalité au sein du peuplement. L'intensité du recrutement et lacroissance individuelle sont négativement et positivement corrélées, respectivement, à l'intensité de perturbations. L'hétérogénéité environnementale induite par les perturbations (trouées) impacte significativement les patrons de distribution spatiale des espèces arborescentes con- et hétérospécifique, avec des effets espèce- et site-dépendants, sans altérersignificativement la diversité spécifique aux différentes échelles spatiales testées. Globalement, nos résultats montrent la grande résilience des peuplements à l'exploitation extensiveTo achieve sustainable management and biodiversity conservation of tropical forests, a better understanding of the functioning and resilience of these ecosystems is still needed. This study aims to evaluate the impact of two silvicultural treatments (selective cutting; selective cutting + liana poisoning) on the diversity and dynamics of ≥ 9.55 cm dbh-tree communities in a semi-deciduous tropical forest. Once verified that unmanaged plots can be used as controls, we implemented demographic studies (mortality, recruitment, growth, survival) and uni- (intraspecific interactions) and bi-variate (interspecific interactions) spatial analyses on the entire tree community and 37 abundant species. We also measured tree species diversity. Our results show that both treatments altered neither species diversity, nor tree mortality. The recruitment rate and radial growth decreased and increased, respectively, with increaseddisturbance intensity. Disturbance-induced environmental heterogeneity (gaps) significantly altered tree spatial patterns, both within and between species, an effect which was often species- and site-dependent but without impacting tree species diversity at any of the spatial scale assessed. Overall, our results demonstrate the high resilience of tree communities to a moderate management intensit

Impacts de différents traitements sylvicoles sur la diversité et la dynamique spatiale et temporelle d’un peuplement ligneux en forêt dense semi-caducifoliée : étude expérimentale sur le dispositif de Mbaïki (République Centrafricaine)

To achieve sustainable management and biodiversity conservation of tropical forests, a better understanding of the functioning and resilience of these ecosystems is still needed. This study aims to evaluate the impact of two silvicultural treatments (selective cutting; selective cutting + liana poisoning) on the diversity and dynamics of ≥ 9.55 cm dbh-tree communities in a semi-deciduous tropical forest. Once verified that unmanaged plots can be used as controls, we implemented demographic studies (mortality, recruitment, growth, survival) and uni- (intraspecific interactions) and bi-variate (interspecific interactions) spatial analyses on the entire tree community and 37 abundant species. We also measured tree species diversity. Our results show that both treatments altered neither species diversity, nor tree mortality. The recruitment rate and radial growth decreased and increased, respectively, with increaseddisturbance intensity. Disturbance-induced environmental heterogeneity (gaps) significantly altered tree spatial patterns, both within and between species, an effect which was often species- and site-dependent but without impacting tree species diversity at any of the spatial scale assessed. Overall, our results demonstrate the high resilience of tree communities to a moderate management intensityLa gestion durable des forêts tropicales et la conservation de la biodiversité sont des enjeux majeurs, qui ne peuvent être atteints que par une meilleure connaissance du fonctionnement et de la résilience de ces écosystèmes. L'objectif de cette étude, conduite sur le dispositif permanent de Mbaïki (RCA), est d'évaluer l'effet de deux traitements sylvicoles (coupe sélective; coupe sélective + délianage) sur la diversité et la dynamique des peuplements arborescents (dbh ≥ 9,55 cm) en forêt dense semi-caducifoliée. Après s'être assuré que les parcelles sans traitement pouvaient effectivement servir de témoin, nous avons entrepris des études démographiques (mortalité, recrutement, croissance et survie) et des analyses spatiales uni- (relations intraspécifiques) et bi-variées (relations interspécifiques) sur le peuplement global et 37 espèces abondantes. La diversité spécifique des arbres a également été quantifiée. Nos résultats montrent que les deux types de traitement n'influencent significativement ni la diversité spécifique, ni la mortalité au sein du peuplement. L'intensité du recrutement et lacroissance individuelle sont négativement et positivement corrélées, respectivement, à l'intensité de perturbations. L'hétérogénéité environnementale induite par les perturbations (trouées) impacte significativement les patrons de distribution spatiale des espèces arborescentes con- et hétérospécifique, avec des effets espèce- et site-dépendants, sans altérersignificativement la diversité spécifique aux différentes échelles spatiales testées. Globalement, nos résultats montrent la grande résilience des peuplements à l'exploitation extensiv

Afrique centrale : les effets du changement climatique dans le Bassin du Congo; la nécessité de soutenir les capacités adaptatives locales

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI : Central Africa : the effects of climate change in the Congo Basin; the need to support local adaptive capacit

Logging or conservation concession: exploring conservation and development outcomes in Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic

The Dzanga-Sangha landscape consists of a national park surrounded by production forest. It is subject to an integrated conservation and development project (ICDP). In collaboration with the ICDP personnel, a participatory model was constructed to explore wildlife conservation and industrial logging scenarios for the landscape. Three management options for the landscape's production forest were modelled: (I) 'predatory logging', exploitation by a logging company characterised by a lack of long-term plans for staying in the landscape, (II) sustainable exploitation by a certified logging company, and (III) conservation concession with no commercial timber harvesting. The simulation outcomes indicate the extreme difficulties to achieve progress on either conservation or development scenarios. Both logging scenarios give best outcomes for development of the local population. However, the depletion of bushmeat under the predatory logging scenario negatively impacts the population, especially the BaAka pygmy minority who most strongly depend on hunting for their income. The model suggests that conservation and development outcomes are largely determined by the level of economic activity, both inside and outside the landscape. Large investments in the formal sector in the landscape without any measures for protecting wildlife (Scenario I) leads to some species going nearly extinct, while investments in the formal sector including conservation measures (Scenario II) gives best outcomes for maintaining wildlife populations. The conservation concession at simulated investment levels does not reduce poverty, defined here in terms of monetary income. Neither does it seem capable of maintaining wildlife populations since the landscape is already filled with settlers lacking economic opportunities as alternatives to poachingWe would like to thank the Livelihoods and Landscapes initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) for financing part of this researc