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SummaryThe little studied Mount Cameroon Francolin Pternistis camerunensis is endangered and strictly endemic to the undergrowth of Mount Cameroon’s primary forest. We surveyed the species in the Mount Cameroon National Park in July–August 2016 using call playback at 86 plots systematically placed along 17 transects in an attempt to assess the occupancy and conservation threats to the species. The study’s three main results are as follows. Firstly, Mount Cameroon Francolin occurred in the stratified vegetation types across the altitudinal range of 1,023–2,186 m. Secondly, the response rates of francolin were 15% in submontane forest (800–1,600 m altitude range); 80.8% in montane forest (1,600–1,800 m); 3.9% in montane scrub (1,800–2,400 m); and nil in the lowland forest (0–800 m). Thirdly, bird abundance significantly increased with latitude, ground vegetation height, presence of Prunus africana and tall grass cover but decreased with the density of small trees and disturbance caused by heavy Prunus exploitation, and also, based on indirect evidence, hunting. We recommend: (1) systematic use of call playback in monitoring the population status of francolins; (2) an increase in patrolling and law enforcement to control illegal hunting, land clearance and burning of the upper slopes; (3) promotion of sustainable harvesting of Prunus and agroforestry practices aimed at curbing land clearance in the park surroundings. Further research priorities and conservation strategies have been suggested based on this study’s emerging results.

Previous studies have reported interactions between Salmonella spp. and some helminth coinfections. In this study, S. typhimurium and Ascaridia galli coinfections were analyzed, and the consequences on therapy were proposed. In a first experiment where the effect of the bacteria on the nematode was evaluated, thirty 42-day-old broiler chickens were divided into 3 groups and coinfected with both parasites. The rate of A. galli egg inoculum was kept constant at 500/ml while that of S. typhimurium varied as follows: T0 (500 A. galli eggs/ml), T104 (500 A. galli eggs/ml+104 S. typhimurium CFUs), and T106 (500 A. galli eggs/ml +106S. typhymurium CFUs). EPG and parasitic load were measured using the McMaster technic, and number of worms and their length were also measured. We observed that T106 containing 106 CFUs of Salmonella significantly reduced the EPG values, and this group recorded the lowest worm load ranging from 18 to 21 worms. Likewise, the length of the worms obtained with T104 and T106 appeared to be shorter than those of the control (T0). In a second experiment to assess the effects of the nematode on the bacteria, thirty 42-day-old broiler chickens were divided into 3 groups and coinfected with both parasites. The rate of S. typhimurium inoculum was kept constant at 106 CFUs while that of A. galli varied as follows: T0 (106CFUs), T500 (500 A. galli eggs/ml +106S. typhymurium CFUs), and T750 (750 A. galli eggs/ml +106S. typhymurium CFUs). Bacterial load was measured using Voogt technique. We observed that T500 increased the colonization time and prolonged the duration of S. typhimurium secretion. Salmonella appears to be a hyperparasite considering the deleterious effect on A. galli. Due to this, it may be prudent to combine anti-Salmonella treatment with anthelmintic so as to effectively treat pathologies caused by these two pathogens.

Background and research aims Cameroon hosts three species of pangolins and has recently been identified as a hub of pangolin trafficking. However, information on threats to pangolins needed to guide conservation efforts remains scarce, notably on consumption and trade patterns, and the prevalence of individuals trading pangolins. Local communities sharing the same habitats with pangolins can provide such information, which is useful to better target interventions. Methods Based on a snowball sampling approach and using interview surveys in 20 villages surrounding Mbam et Djerem National Park, we investigated the consumption of pangolins and its drivers, parts sold, selling prices, places sold and buyers, and employed the nominative technique to estimate the percentage of people within the surveyed population engaged in selling pangolins. Results Our results showed that both giant and white-bellied pangolins are locally consumed, mainly for their taste, and traded for meat and scales. Distance to the capital city Yaoundé, ethnolinguistic group, and education significantly affected the likelihood of consuming or trading white-bellied and giant pangolins. Selling and prices of giant pangolin meat and scales were significantly affected by distance to Yaoundé. The prevalence of people selling white-bellied and giant pangolins were higher in Tibati and Yoko compared to other municipalities. Implications for conservation Overall, our study provided information necessary for effective law enforcement and research-oriented decision-making for pangolin conservation. We recommend the establishment of consumption reduction campaigns focusing on taste preference, investigation of the impacts of the newly constructed national road on pangolin supply chains and trafficking, and increasing the involvement of local communities in the management process of Mbam et Djerem National Park.

Information about the presence and population status of pangolins, and the threats they face, remains limited in many parts of Cameroon, a country that is home to three species of pangolin and considered to be a global hub of pangolin trafficking. Local communities living in rural areas can provide valuable information on species presence, local uses of wildlife, and possible threats, that is useful for prioritising conservation actions. Using interview surveys in 20 villages surrounding Mbam and Djerem National Park, we investigated local peoples’ knowledge of pangolin presence, perceptions of population trends, cultural importance, consumptive and non-consumptive uses, and hunting of pangolins. Our results showed that most people recognised the white-bellied and giant pangolins, but only 10% recognised the black-bellied pangolin. Ethnolinguistic group significantly affected the likelihood of respondents recognising and having seen a pangolin before. Giant pangolin populations were perceived to be declining, particularly by older respondents. We found evidence of local use of pangolins for meat, but few respondents reported uses of scales. Cultural significance was reported by few respondents, but when it was reported it mostly referred to giant pangolin. White-bellied pangolins are reportedly hunted using bare hands for local consumption most frequently, whilst giant pangolins were mainly hunted for local consumption and income generation using wire snares. Overall, our study shows the possible value of local knowledge for planning and prioritising conservation actions for pangolins. We highlight the urgent need to monitor pangolin populations, and assess the possible impacts to pangolins from threats such as hunting.

We introduce a volume recovery index (VRI), the fraction of inventoried (alternatively felled) tree volume that can be recovered and commercialized. The new index improves on the traditional marketing coefficient used in the Congo Basin, through a systematic assessment of wastage at logging and preprocessing stages. Statistically, the new index is more reliable: its two proposed versions are both accurate (absence of bias) and precise (small mean square error). Practically, VRI gauges the ATO/ITTO indicator 2.3.4 stating that “[wastage should be] minimized at all stages of production and processing”. VRI actually encapsulates three sub-indicators of that indicator and complements a fourth sub-indicator on using “felling methods [that] optimize the volume of usable timber”. Thus, VRI is useful in assessing the ecological and socioeconomic sustainability of timber production of all forest types, with particular relevance for reduced-impact logging (RIL) and carbon (or biomass) storage. We examine the qualities of VRI as sustainability indicator, set forth a principle for sustainable logging, and discuss the limitation effects of (i) ecology (species growth conditions, spatial distribution, and stand structure), (ii) management (polycyclic logging, species selection and diversification, logging operations, logging intensity, and conservation constraints) and (iii) policy (legislation on timber processing and export products, incentive allocation, property rights definition and enforcement) on volume recovery, together with possible remedies. We recommend: (i) using the spatialized VRI jointly with other pressure indicators in discriminating between genuine environmental limitations and mining exploitation; (ii) adopting RIL techniques to their fullest potential, given current low logging intensities in Congo Basin; (iii) allowing transfer of user rights in salving damaged trees and low quality timber; (iv) promoting recovery and utilization of residue to increase timber transformation rate, curb resource dissipation, reduce the rate of desertification, improve distribution of forest benefits, and contribute to poverty alleviation.

An ethnobiological survey of 174 local resource users was conducted in the Lower Sanaga Basin to assess the current conservation status of West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis, Link 1795) ...

The banded wattle-eye bird species, BWE ( Platysteira laticincta) is rare, endangered, and endemic to the Bamenda Highlands, Western Cameroon. Kilum–Ijim Community Forest is its last stronghold. Little is known about BWE’s distribution and habitat requirements—the present baseline study aimed at reducing this knowledge gap. Bird occurrence—using call playback technique—and vegetation variables were recorded in 50-m radius sampling plots placed in the altitude range 2,100 to 2,800 m. The BWE occurred at 43 (35%) of 123 plots mostly within Kilum sector of the Community Forest, at altitude range 2,168 to 2,707 m. The log-odds of BWE occurrence significantly (a) increased with canopy height, herb relative abundance, bare soil relative abundance, and shrub relative abundance and (b) decreased with altitude and understory height. These results suggest that the BWE may prefer forest areas at lower altitude with more bare ground and denser undergrowth cover. The implications for BWE conservation are discussed.

We aimed at unveiling patterns in live and dead manatee sightings in the Lower Sanaga Basin, Cameroon. For this purpose, the expert opinions of 133 local fishers were collected during in-person interviews, distilled using categorical data analysis, and checked against scientific literature. The five main results are as follows: manatees were sighted averagely once a week in lakes, rivers, and the coast & estuaries, mostly in group sizes of 2-3; the odds of sighting live manatees (respectively dead manatees) decreased (respectively increased) from inland lakes to estuaries and the coast, via rivers; manatee carcasses were reported in all habitats, albeit more frequently in rivers; a distribution map based on fishers' reports show two manatee concentration areas: Lake Ossa and the Malimba-Mbiako section of River Sanaga; the number of manatees was perceived as increasing despite incidental and directed catches. Thus, our findings corroborate earlier assessments of the Lower Sanaga Basin as being a major manatee conservation area. Additionally, from these results and the literature, we identified three hypotheses about local manatee persistence: deep pools such as lakes offer year round sanctuaries, not just dry-season refugia; seasonality of specific habitat variables determine manatee occurrence patterns; and local variability in habitat encroachment mediate the meta-population dynamics of manatee in the Lower Sanaga Basin. Finally, we examine the implications for data requirements in light of the small ecological scale at which the surveyed fishers ply their trade. Thus, consonant with the Malawi principles for the ecosystem approach to management (www.cbd.int/ecosystem), we recommend collecting data preferably at landscape scale, through a participatory monitoring program that fully integrates scientific and traditional knowledge systems. This program should include, amongst others, a standardised necropsy protocol for collecting mortality and biological data together with sonar and radio-telemetry technology to discern manatee use and movements between critical habitat components.

The ongoing efforts to set up wildlife co-management in Northern Cameroon are investigated. To this end, a situation analysis of legal, social, economic, and organizational factors was performed. It thus appeared that participatory management has been slow to institutionalize due to inadequate legislation, poor planning, and insufficient policy formulation. Building on the results, suggestions are made with reference to the ecosystem approach. It is argued that wildlife collaborative management should be a triadic convention involving state agencies, the private enterprise (professional hunters), and the civil society (community of local users and facilitating nongovernmental organizations) in the sharing of roles and benefits.

This paper introduces a family of four segmented (or grafted) polynomial functions for modelling the decrease in the diameter of Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon K. Schum) with distance from the border of the plantation. The functions, each comprising two segments of second degree or less, were fitted to data collected in the Cameroon rain forest. A comparative assessment of the fit was carried out using criteria such as mean deviation, root mean squared deviation, and fit index. The border effect extended to 10 m inside the plantation where a 50% decrease in diameter occurred. Beyond that distance, the diameter appeared to be stable except for random variation. The estimated functions performed equally well as they all provided a good fit to the data, with a small bias. Most importantly, they proved to be flexible and thus adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Recommendations are made concerning setting up a guard area and ways of improving the silviculture of Ayous. Also, the possibilities for an agrisilvipastoral system are explored.

We examined ways of improving the incentive structure of a safari company, the state, and the local communities within a wildlife co-management framework in Northern Cameroon. To this end, we built an integer linear programming model with state-allocated quotas and a profit maximisation objective function for a typical hunting concession. The model was evaluated under three scenarios representing varying taxation schemes and apportionment of trophy fees and company's profits. Further, we set forth three principles that should underlie a good incentive structure, namely (i) a close link to the resource base, (ii) economic sustainability, and (iii) a transfer of land property rights from the state to the communities neighbouring the hunting areas. Our results indicate that the safari company would improve its profits if the concession term is extended to 15 years and a single business tax is substituted to the current myriad of levies. The local communities should be apportioned 25% of the trophy fees and a negotiated percentage of the company's profit, in return for resource custodianship. Finally, the state could expect an increased efficiency of its conservation policy through an improved regulatory framework and a more equitable distribution of wildlife revenues.

A computer simulation model was developed to compare six alternative management strategies with respect to their economic performance and impact on population size and structure of Buffon’s kob (Kobus kob kob). The model allows for both controlled and illegal harvesting depending on the level of protection enforcement. Additional features include age–sex structure, density dependence, and environmental stochasticity. The compared strategies combine two enforcement levels and three harvest rates in both sexes. Under low enforcement regime, the population size either remained stable or decreased with legal harvesting. By contrast, an increased protection resulted in a population growth that was either logistic or dampened by legal off-take. Within the tested range of parameters, it appeared that a sustainable harvest could be achieved by taking up to 7% of the kob population. The sex ratio was slightly biased towards females under illegal but random shooting or when male harvesting was high. Both recruitment and yearling-to-cow ratios tend to be low in undisturbed, lightly hunted populations and relatively higher in depressed populations. A substantial reduction in the percentage of illegal harvest was achieved by raising the minimum anti-poaching effort from 0.15 to 0.3 (in arbitrary monetary units). Allowing a simultaneous controlled harvesting increased the amount of captured benefits (meat, trophies and their total value) and hence the household shares in the neighbouring community. At lower discount rates (10% or less), ecological and economic goals are better balanced by combining an increased protection with a high harvest rate. A sensitivity analysis revealed that small increments of the harvest quota return larger increase in revenues, especially for quota levels below 5%. Further, the rate of illegal harvest showed low sensitivity (i.e., hardly changed) when the model assumed that illegal off-take was a quadratic rather than a linear function of anti-poaching effort. In practical terms, the reduction in illegal off-take can be expected to decline linearly with the enforcement budget. Based on the obtained results, a number of suggestions are made with respect to the interpretation of survey results and the harvesting of kob populations.