Long-term trends in a forest ungulate community: park establishment increases numbers, but poaching is a constant threat

Rong Hou; Rafael Reyna-Hurtado; Patrick Omeja; Charles Tumwesigye; Dipto Sarkar; Jan F. Gogarten; Colin A. Chapman

doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.325

Volume 42 Issue 2

Mar. 2021

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > Zoological Research > 2021 > 42(2): 207-211

Rong Hou, Rafael Reyna-Hurtado, Patrick Omeja, Charles Tumwesigye, Dipto Sarkar, Jan F. Gogarten, Colin A. Chapman. Long-term trends in a forest ungulate community: park establishment increases numbers, but poaching is a constant threat. Zoological Research, 2021, 42(2): 207-211. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.325

Citation:

Rong Hou, Rafael Reyna-Hurtado, Patrick Omeja, Charles Tumwesigye, Dipto Sarkar, Jan F. Gogarten, Colin A. Chapman. Long-term trends in a forest ungulate community: park establishment increases numbers, but poaching is a constant threat. Zoological Research, 2021, 42(2): 207-211. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.325

Citation:

Rong Hou, Rafael Reyna-Hurtado, Patrick Omeja, Charles Tumwesigye, Dipto Sarkar, Jan F. Gogarten, Colin A. Chapman. Long-term trends in a forest ungulate community: park establishment increases numbers, but poaching is a constant threat. Zoological Research, 2021, 42(2): 207-211. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.325

PDF( 3368 KB)

Long-term trends in a forest ungulate community: park establishment increases numbers, but poaching is a constant threat

doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.325

1.
Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2A7, Canada
2.
Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069, China
3.
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, ECOSUR, Campeche, México
4.
Makerere University Biological Field Station, Fort Portal, Uganda
5.
Uganda Wildlife Authority, PO Box 3530, Kampala 24500, Uganda
6.
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa M5B 2K3, Canada
7.
Viral Evolution and Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany
8.
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
9.
Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA

Funds: This research was supported by the National Key Programme of Research and Development, Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2016YFC0503202), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870396) and an IDRC grant “Climate Change and Increasing Human-Wildlife Conflict”

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: houronghr@163.com; colin.chapman.research@gmail.com
Received Date: 2020-12-05
Accepted Date: 2021-01-20

Available Online: 2020-02-01

Publish Date: 2021-03-18

Abstract

Abstract

Deforestation represents one of the greatest threats to tropical forest mammals, and the situation is greatly exacerbated by bushmeat hunting. To construct informed conservation plans, information must be gathered about responses to habitat degradation, regeneration, and hunting over a sufficiently long period to allow demographic responses. We quantified changes in the abundance of three commonly occurring ungulate species (i.e., bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus; red duiker, Cephalophus sp.; blue duiker, Cephalophus monticola) at eight sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda (old growth=3; logged=3; regenerating=2) for 23 years. Changes in abundance (363 surveys totaling 1 450 km) were considered in regard to the park’s management strategy, regional economic indicators, and estimates of illegal hunting. Bushbuck abundance increased in old-growth and logged forests from 1996 to 2009, and then oscillated around this level or declined. Duiker abundance demonstrated a similar pattern, but abundance in the old-growth forests showed a general increase from 1996 to present day. Duiker abundance in the logged forests exhibited an early increase, but subsequent oscillation. Poaching signs per patrol have remained stable over the last decade, despite increases in the size of the surrounding population, cost of living, and cost of schooling, thus reflecting successful efforts in conservation education and enforcement. Our study highlights the positive impact of park establishment, patrol, and conservation efforts on ungulate populations and shows the adaptability of forest mammal populations to different management schemes.
- Bushmeat,
- Ungulate,
- Logging,
- Restoration,
- Kibale National Park

FullText(HTML)

References(29)

References

[1]	Anyanzwa J. 2019. Uganda, Kenya Hit by Rising Cost of Living. Kampala, Uganda.
[2]	Bennett EL, Rao M. 2002. Wild meat consumption in Asian tropical forest countries: is this a glimpse of the future for Africa. In: Mainka S, Trivedi M. Links between Biodiversity, Conservation, Livelihoods and Food Security: the Sustainable Use of Wild Species for Meat. Cambridge: IUCN, 39–44.
[3]	Chapman CA, Bortolamiol S, Matsuda I, Omeja PA, Paim FP, Reyna-Hurtado R, et al. 2018. Primate population dynamics: variation in abundance over space and time. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27(5): 1221−1238. doi: 10.1007/s10531-017-1489-3
[4]	Chapman CA, Corriveau A, Schoof VAM, Twinomugisha D, Valenta K. 2017. Long-term simian research sites: significance for theory and conservation. Journal of Mammalogy, 98(3): 652−660. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw157
[5]	Chapman CA, Struhsaker TT, Skorupa JP, Snaith TV, Rothman JM. 2010. Understanding long-term primate community dynamics: implications of forest change. Ecological Applications, 20(1): 179−191. doi: 10.1890/09-0128.1
[6]	Chapman CA, van Bavel B, Boodman C, Ghai RR, Gogarten JF, Hartter J, et al. 2015. Providing health care to improve community perceptions of protected areas. Oryx, 49(4): 636−642. doi: 10.1017/S0030605313001592
[7]	Fa JE, Peres CA, Meeuwig J. 2002. Bushmeat exploitation in tropical forests: an intercontinental comparison. Conservation Biology, 16(1): 232−237. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00275.x
[8]	Fretwell SD, Lucas Jr HL. 1969. On territorial behavior and other factors influencing habitat distribution in birds. I. Theoretical development. Acta Biotheoretica, 19(1): 16−36. doi: 10.1007/BF01601953
[9]	Hoppe-Dominik B, Kühl HS, Radl G, Fischer F. 2011. Long-term monitoring of large rainforest mammals in the Biosphere Reserve of Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. African Journal of Ecology, 49(4): 450−458. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2011.01277.x
[10]	Infield M. 1988. Hunting, Trapping and Fishing in Villages within and on the Periphery of the Korup National Park. Gland, Switzerland: WWF.
[11]	Infield M. 1989. Hunters claim a stake in the forest. New Scientist: 52−55
[12]	Kablan YA, Diarrassouba A, Mundry R, Campbell G, Normand E, Kühl HS, et al. 2019. Effects of anti-poaching patrols on the distribution of large mammals in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Oryx, 53(3): 469−478. doi: 10.1017/S0030605317001272
[13]	Kasenene J, Ross EA. 2008. Community Benefits from Long-term Research Programs: A Case Study from Kibale National Park, Uganda. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 99–114.
[14]	Kirumira D, Baranga D, Hartter J, Valenta K, Tumwesigye C, Kagoro W, et al. 2019. Evaluating a union between health care and conservation: a mobile clinic improves park-people relations, yet poaching increases. Conservation and Society, 17(1): 51−62. doi: 10.4103/cs.cs_17_72
[15]	Koster SH, Hart JA. 1988. Methods of estimating ungulate populations in tropical forests. African Journal of Ecology, 26(2): 117−126. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.1988.tb00962.x
[16]	Krief S, Berny P, Gumisiriza F, Gross R, Demeneix B, Baptiste Fini J, et al. 2017. Agricultural expansion as risk to endangered wildlife: pesticide exposure in wild chimpanzees and baboons displaying facial dysplasia. Science of the Total Environment, 598: 647−656. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.113
[17]	Lwanga JS. 2006. The influence of forest variation and possible effects of poaching on duiker abundance at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. African Journal of Ecology, 44(2): 209−218. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00629.x
[18]	MacKenzie CA, Salerno J, Hartter J, Chapman CA, Reyna R, Tumusiime DM, et al. 2017. Changing perceptions of protected area benefits and problems around Kibale National Park, Uganda. Journal of Environmental Management, 200: 217−228.
[19]	MacLeod SB, Kerley GIH, Gaylard A. 1996. Habitat and diet of bush buck Tragelaphus scriptus in the Woody Cape Nature Reserve: observations from faecal analysis. South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 26(1): 19−25.
[20]	McCoy J. 1995. Responses of Blue and Red Duikers to Logging in the Kibale Forest of Western Uganda. Master thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
[21]	Ministry of Education and Sports. 2016. National Education Accounts Report Uganda. Kampala, Uganda, 248.
[22]	Mugume S, Isabirye-Basuta G, Otali E, Reyna-Hurtado R, Chapman CA. 2015. How do human activities influence the status and distribution of terrestrial mammals in forest reserves?. Journal of Mammalogy, 96(5): 998−1004. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv104
[23]	Nummelin M. 1990. Relative habitat use of duikers, bush pigs, and elephants in virgin and selectively logged areas of the Kibale Forest, Uganda. Tropical Zoology, 3(2): 111−120. doi: 10.1080/03946975.1990.10539455
[24]	Pulliam HR. 1988. Sources, sinks, and population regulation. The American Naturalist, 132(5): 652−661. doi: 10.1086/284880
[25]	Sarkar D, Chapman CA, Valenta K, Angom SC, Kagoro W, Sengupta R. 2019. A tiered analysis of community benefits and conservation engagement from the Makerere University Biological Field Station, Uganda. The Professional Geographer, 71(3): 422−436. doi: 10.1080/00330124.2018.1547976
[26]	Struhsaker TT. 1997. Ecology of an African Rain Forest: Logging in Kibale and the Conflict Between Conservation and Exploitation. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
[27]	Uganda Bureau of Statistics. 2017. The National Population and Housing Census 2014 – Area Specific Profile Series. Kampala, Uganda: Government of Uganda.
[28]	Walsh PD, Abernethy KA, Bermejo M, Beyers R, De Wachter P, Akou ME, et al. 2003. Catastrophic ape decline in western equatorial Africa. Nature, 422(6932): 611−614. doi: 10.1038/nature01566
[29]	Wilkie DS, Carpenter JF. 1999. Bushmeat hunting in the Congo Basin: an assessment of impacts and options for mitigation. Biodiversity & Conservation, 8(7): 927−955.