Rainforest biodiversity is particularly vulnerable to loss, since the distribution of forests is
limited and the vertebrate species that live within these forests have a limited potential to
re-colonize deforested areas, especially when their abundance declines to critical levels.
Guinea-Bissau (West Africa) is experiencing significant loss of habitats and species
diversity; as such, the establishment of an effective conservation programme is urgent in
its remaining forested areas. Despite six legislated protected areas, Guinean forests and
their wildlife are not safe in reality. This lack of on-the-ground protection is the case for
Cantanhez National Park (Tombali region), where this research took place. The park was
established in 2007 to protect remnant forests containing unique and endemic Guinean
biodiversity, such as the endangered West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus).
Local inhabitant’s attitudes towards protected areas and associated externallydriven
conservation programmes are seldom examined in depth in relation to
understanding the drivers (livelihood, socio-cultural, and local) of perceptions, which
makes conservation problematic. Understanding attitudes to animals, habitats and
livelihood risks were the focus of this project, specifically in order to assess perceptions of
chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are currently suffering catastrophic declines due to human
actions across Africa. Thus a focus on understanding, managing and enhancing people’s
perceptions and attitudes towards this species could be vital to its long-term survival.
The theoretical approach is based upon (i) examining the construct of
sociozoologic scales in this specific socio-cultural context, (ii) elucidating issues in humanwildlife
interaction (e.g. conflict such as crop-raiding and positive such as ecotourism
potential), (iii) local economies (i.e. level of dependency on forest resources), and (iv)
understanding people’s expectations about the future of the National Park as a potential
constraint or opportunity for their welfare and livelihoods. Quantitative and qualitative
methods were combined to approach these questions.
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The Guinean sociozoologic scale of Cantanhez clearly divides vertebrate species
into (i) “tame”, considered good (e.g. gazelles) and (ii) “hazardous”, considered bad (e.g.
hyaenas). Chimpanzees lay exactly in the midpoint. They are considered humans’ close
relatives; however, they “misbehave” as astute crop thieves sufficiently to be perceived as
a competitor for resources. Since chimpanzees are also seen as very similar to humans,
their meat consumption is taboo, which adds the potential for protection. Gender and
religion both influence the way locals perceive of and relate to chimpanzees. Women and
Muslims tend to be more negative towards this species and the protected area than are
men and non-Muslims. Women never exhibited positive attitudes in relation to the
protected area, while men appeared to be more engaged with “capitalized” principles, with
some awareness about the importance chimpanzees might have in catalyzing the
National Park and local economy.
This study highlights the need for a management plan to mitigate crop-raiding and
the development of sustainable strategies that provide livelihood benefits for both men
and women, addressing their distinct needs, outside the protected area