Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is an abundant and widely distributed ungulate in continental sub‐Saharan Africa. High hunting pressure throughout its range may be particularly threatening to the persistence of island populations of the species. In this study, we assessed offtake of blue dui...

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Main Authors: Grande Vega, M., Farfán, M.A., Ondo, A., Fa, J.E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/94806
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author Grande Vega, M.
Farfán, M.A.
Ondo, A.
Fa, J.E.
author_browse Fa, J.E.
Farfán, M.A.
Grande Vega, M.
Ondo, A.
author_facet Grande Vega, M.
Farfán, M.A.
Ondo, A.
Fa, J.E.
author_sort Grande Vega, M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is an abundant and widely distributed ungulate in continental sub‐Saharan Africa. High hunting pressure throughout its range may be particularly threatening to the persistence of island populations of the species. In this study, we assessed offtake of blue duikers in Pico Basilé, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. We recorded the number of animals shot or snared by 46 commercial hunters over a 33‐month period, and the location (elevation) of each animal hunted. From this, we estimated catch per hunter (CH), catch per hunting day (CD) and catch per unit effort (CPUE). The number of duikers shot or snared across the study period, significantly declined within the mid‐altitude range (901–1500 m). There were no significant drops in CH or CPUE at low or high altitudes for snared animals. The ratio of immature‐to‐adult animals hunted increased significantly over time within the mid‐altitude range. We suggest that these trends in offtake, especially in the more heavily hunted mid‐altitudes of the study area, indicate a decline in the population within this range. If this situation is widespread throughout the island, it is likely that unregulated bushmeat hunting will have devastating consequences to the biodiversity of Bioko Island, particularly for heavily hunted species that are naturally less abundant.
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spelling CGSpace948062025-06-17T08:23:54Z Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea Grande Vega, M. Farfán, M.A. Ondo, A. Fa, J.E. meat animals hunting food availability food preferences The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is an abundant and widely distributed ungulate in continental sub‐Saharan Africa. High hunting pressure throughout its range may be particularly threatening to the persistence of island populations of the species. In this study, we assessed offtake of blue duikers in Pico Basilé, Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. We recorded the number of animals shot or snared by 46 commercial hunters over a 33‐month period, and the location (elevation) of each animal hunted. From this, we estimated catch per hunter (CH), catch per hunting day (CD) and catch per unit effort (CPUE). The number of duikers shot or snared across the study period, significantly declined within the mid‐altitude range (901–1500 m). There were no significant drops in CH or CPUE at low or high altitudes for snared animals. The ratio of immature‐to‐adult animals hunted increased significantly over time within the mid‐altitude range. We suggest that these trends in offtake, especially in the more heavily hunted mid‐altitudes of the study area, indicate a decline in the population within this range. If this situation is widespread throughout the island, it is likely that unregulated bushmeat hunting will have devastating consequences to the biodiversity of Bioko Island, particularly for heavily hunted species that are naturally less abundant. 2016-03 2018-07-03T11:01:51Z 2018-07-03T11:01:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/94806 en Open Access Wiley Grande-Vega, M., Farfán, M.A., Ondo, A., Fa, J.E.. 2016. Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea African Journal of Ecology, 54 (1) : 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12260
spellingShingle meat animals
hunting
food availability
food preferences
Grande Vega, M.
Farfán, M.A.
Ondo, A.
Fa, J.E.
Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title_full Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title_fullStr Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title_full_unstemmed Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title_short Decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
title_sort decline in hunter offtake of blue duikers in bioko island equatorial guinea
topic meat animals
hunting
food availability
food preferences
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/94806
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