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Simple Summary: South Sudan's recent recovery from armed conflict presents an opportunity to address critical conservation issues affecting the country's biodiversity. The protection of the vast Sudd wetlands is vital for the conservation of many different species and habitats and to ensure the continuity and improvement of the lives of human communities living in it. Animal–human conflict, particularly from crocodiles, poses a significant threat to the adequate protection of the Sudd wetlands. Crocodile attacks have resulted in mortality rates ranging from 50% to 100%. To mitigate these conflicts, changing human behaviour through environmental education is key. This can also improve attitudes towards biodiversity conservation, aligning future development with conservation needs. We conducted interviews with fishers to understand resident people's perception of crocodiles. Crocodiles are seen as a threat because they restrict movement along water bodies, attack livestock and humans, and damage fishing equipment. Attitudes are complex, nuanced, and sometimes polarised within communities. They are feared and hated but also valued for their meat and skin. Some interviewees believe that consuming crocodile meat can improve longevity, sexual potency, and protect against witchcraft. While there is a consensus on the need to destroy crocodile breeding habitats, there is also support for establishing protected areas in the Sudd wetlands. Crocodile sanctuaries would help reduce illegal hunting and protect the species, especially with the growing human population and economic development after the civil war. The nuanced attitudes revealed in certain questions provide a valuable foundation for raising awareness and designing more targeted promotional campaigns. Conflicts between human populations and Nile crocodiles are widespread with crocodiles posing significant threats to fisherfolk and riverine communities across r-Saharan Africa. Hundreds of deadly attacks take place annually, and mortality rates may range from 50% to 100%. Attitudes and perceptions towards crocodiles were studied using structured questionnaires among fisherfolk along the River Nile and the Sudd wetlands in South Sudan. Local communities used crocodiles for their meat and skin/leather trades. The meat is regarded to enhance longevity, sexual potency, and protection against witchcraft. Crocodiles are perceived as a main threat to lives and livelihoods as they restrict people's freedom of movement along water bodies, attack livestock and humans, and devastate fishing equipment. To assess whether responses were influenced by the intensity of crocodile threats, published data on fatal crocodile attacks on humans and livestock were analysed using Generalised Linear Models (GLMs). This analysis indicated a direct link between the number of crocodile attacks and human attitudes. Crocodiles were generally feared and hated, and there was the agreement of the need to destroy breeding habitats. However, some attitudes were complex and nuanced as highlighted by the agreement of local communities on the need to destroy Nile Crocodile breeding habitats on the one hand and the need to establish crocodile sanctuaries as the the preferred strategy to mitigate risks and conflict on the other hand. There is a need for the creation of a crocodile sanctuary in the Sudd wetlands to minimise the risks of illegal hunting and to buffer the increasing pressure on crocodiles due to human population growth and economic upturn after the civil war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The sexually dimorphic dynastine centaurus beetle, genus Augosoma (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae), is endemic to tropical Africa where two species are found (A. centaurus and A. hippocrates). These beetles are consumed by rural populations, cause damage in plantations and are targets of insect collectors and traders. We present information on size differences and analyzed intersexual niche divergence and seasonality of A. centaurus in seven study sites in three West African countries (Ivory Coast, Togo and Nigeria). We recorded 711 light‐attracted and/or opportunistically encountered individuals, as well as another 97 beetles in standardized transect surveys. In the latter, we found the adult sex ratio was equal, but was significantly skewed towards females in light‐attracted and/or opportunistically encountered individuals. In a sample of 298 adult beetles, males were significantly larger than females, with almost no size overlap between sexes. Beetle activity was highly seasonal with most animals observed in November, active from 19:00 h to 24:00 h. Differences in habitat use were not significant between sexes, with most individuals observed in secondary forest. Males were found higher on vegetation than females and beetles of both sexes were found on Pandanus and raffia palms. Beetles were larger in sites with more vegetation cover, and there was a significant effect of tree species on body size of both sexes. Study area or country had no effect on any of the studied parameters. Our study confirms that transect surveys without light trapping can be an effective tool for understanding large‐sized tropical beetles of similar ecological characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term ecological studies are important for understanding wild populations' dynamics and processes and the actual factors that can determine their decline. Here, we report the results of a 28-years-long (1992–2019) monitoring of three distinct populations of a tortoise, Testudo hermanni , in Central Italy, with an emphasis on their population abundance trends and on the eventual variation in their habitat use across years and among the study areas. Samplings were conducted by Visual Encounter Survey (VES) methodology, and using a suite of statistical analyses including correlations and Generalized Linear Models analyses. Our data showed a statistically significant decline in tortoise sightings through time, and concurrently also a variation in habitat use by tortoises. In all the three study areas, we observed a significant increase of tortoise sighting frequency in the habitat type characterized by high (>taller than 200 cm) shrubby and wooded vegetation. Since our analyses revealed no significant change in the habitat type availability by year in each study area, we suggest that T. hermanni was increasingly selecting closed vegetation spots throughout the years. We hypothesize that this observed trend of shift in habitat selection could be due to lowering their body temperatures to prevent overheating. So, the selection of more covered spots would be a thermal ecology adaptive consequence of the ongoing global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports of global declines in animal populations are now numerous and also include snakes, a group of animals now widely regarded as bio-indicators. A prerequisite for any conservation management plan to protect or restore snake populations requires a data base that provides insight into population composition and changes. However, snakes are well known to be particularly difficult to quantitatively sample due to their secretive and elusive nature, and hence accumulating an adequate database for analysis requires long-term field studies that involve intensive searches. Populations of four snake species, Zamensis longissimus, Natrix helvetica, Vipera aspis and Hierophis viridiflavus living in two suburban areas of Rome with different extents of habitat alteration (deforestation), Vejo, a less altered site, and Tor Bella Monaca, a high altered site, have been monitored, but with interruptions since 1995. The results indicated that H. viridiflavus was the commonest species at both sites. Male bias was found in all four species but especially in Z. longissimus and V. aspis with detection of juveniles greatest in H. viridiflavus and N. helvetica. Snout to vent lengths (SVL) of H. viridiflavus and Z. longissimus, which were present at both sites, were greater at the less degraded habitat of the two study localities. Community metrics indicated that the degraded habitat had lower species richness, evenness, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices, but a higher dominance index. Recapture frequencies of snakes recaptured either once or multiple times were in general greater at Vejo. The highest population densities were found in H. viridiflavus, followed by V. aspis and N. helvetica, which were similar. However, long term trends in densities show declines in V. aspis and N. helvetica between 1995 and 2019. Population densities were in good agreement with density estimates found in previous studies of snakes in more natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecology and activity patterns of many tropical vertebrate species are heavily influenced by the seasonal alternance of dry and wet periods. However, the effects of the dry–wet seasonal alternance on feeding habits of tropical vertebrates are poorly known. In this paper, the monthly variations in the diet of the scincid lizard Trachylepis quinquetaeniata were studied, by faecal pellet analysis, in a sandy beach area of southern Togo (West Africa) in relation to both rainfall and temperature‐related variables. The diet was basically insectivorous, with five prey types (Coleoptera adults and larvae, Lepidoptera adults and larvae and Formicidae) being dominant in the pellets. Prey composition was similar between sexes, but varied considerably across months. There was a positive correlation between mean monthly rainfall and number of prey categories eaten in each month. General linear models (GLM) showed that both Simpson and Shannon indices increased with the monthly number of rainy days. GLM also showed that rainfall regime influenced the frequency of eaten Coleoptera adults and larvae and of Lepidoptera adults and larvae, with no effect on Formicoidea. Our study confirms that dietary patterns of tropical lizards are influenced by the wet‐dry‐seasonal alternance, and that both the taxonomic composition of the diet and the dietary diversity metrics are significantly affected. We also demonstrated that rainfall is more important than temperature in determining the dietary variations, and that, among the rainfall‐linked variables, it is the monthly number of rainy days that represents the most important variable. In this paper, the monthly variations in the diet of the scincid lizard Trachylepis quinquetaeniata were studied, by faecal pellet analysis, in a sandy beach area of southern Togo (West Africa) in relation to both rainfall and temperature‐related variables. The diet was basically insectivorous, with five prey types (Coleoptera adults and larvae, Lepidoptera adults and larvae and Formicidae) being dominant in the pellets. Our study confirms that dietary patterns of tropical lizards are influenced by the wet‐dry‐seasonal alternance, and that rainfall is more important than temperature in determining the dietary variations, with the monthly number of rainy days being the most important variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the patterns of bushmeat trade in the Sahel we carried out a multidisciplinary study, focusing on Burkina Faso. We conducted baseline interview surveys to examine the variation in people's perceptions of bushmeat in relation to their place of residence (urban vs rural), sex and age. We also analysed the long-term (1985–2010) population dynamics of two ungulate species, the oribi Ourebia ourebi and the common duiker Sylvicapra grimmia , known to be among the main targets of the bushmeat trade locally. For the antelopes we chose as our study area a protected area (Nazinga Game Ranch) where poaching activities occur and are likely to represent a threat to the local wildlife. The results of the interviews underlined significant differences in bushmeat consumption between rural and urban areas. In particular, the probability of finding people who did not consume bushmeat increased in the urban area, where bushmeat is less available than in the rural areas. Sex and age did not have any effect on people's perceptions of bushmeat. In Burkina Faso bushmeat is still widely consumed, and this could be because the bushmeat trade is poorly controlled, with a lack of enforcement of the legislation. Long-term field surveys revealed that the oribi and the common duiker have declined significantly in Nazinga Game Ranch, suggesting that the bushmeat trade in Burkina Faso may have negative consequences in terms of the conservation outlook for these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]