Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon

Research programmes have been shown to exert a positive impact on faunal communities, but few studies provide empirical evidence. In this study, we surveyed three neighbouring sites, differing in terms of official protection status and level of active management, in the Dja Conservation Complex, sou...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Tagg, N., Willie, J., Duarte, J., Petre, C.-A., Fa, J.E.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95711
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author Tagg, N.
Willie, J.
Duarte, J.
Petre, C.-A.
Fa, J.E.
author_browse Duarte, J.
Fa, J.E.
Petre, C.-A.
Tagg, N.
Willie, J.
author_facet Tagg, N.
Willie, J.
Duarte, J.
Petre, C.-A.
Fa, J.E.
author_sort Tagg, N.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Research programmes have been shown to exert a positive impact on faunal communities, but few studies provide empirical evidence. In this study, we surveyed three neighbouring sites, differing in terms of official protection status and level of active management, in the Dja Conservation Complex, southeast Cameroon. We recorded signs of human activity and anthropogenic pressures and found that they significantly differed by site. We assessed chimpanzee and gorilla relative abundance using nest count surveys. We found that chimpanzee nest abundance was related to the presence of active management, but both active management and availability of suitable habitat affected gorilla nest abundance. Our results suggest that gorillas are more tolerant of human activity. We also provide evidence that the presence and activities of the conservation research project Projet Grands Singes served to actively deter poachers and limit hunting of great apes as a result of researcher presence, community sensitization and of valuing living apes and intact forests by local people. Such empirical evidence for the positive effect of research activity on biodiversity preservation should encourage continued investment in such programmes as part of a landscape‐wide, multi‐stakeholder conservation management of great ape habitats.
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spelling CGSpace957112025-06-17T08:23:54Z Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon Tagg, N. Willie, J. Duarte, J. Petre, C.-A. Fa, J.E. chimpanzees gorrilas evaluation management conservation research projects community involvement Research programmes have been shown to exert a positive impact on faunal communities, but few studies provide empirical evidence. In this study, we surveyed three neighbouring sites, differing in terms of official protection status and level of active management, in the Dja Conservation Complex, southeast Cameroon. We recorded signs of human activity and anthropogenic pressures and found that they significantly differed by site. We assessed chimpanzee and gorilla relative abundance using nest count surveys. We found that chimpanzee nest abundance was related to the presence of active management, but both active management and availability of suitable habitat affected gorilla nest abundance. Our results suggest that gorillas are more tolerant of human activity. We also provide evidence that the presence and activities of the conservation research project Projet Grands Singes served to actively deter poachers and limit hunting of great apes as a result of researcher presence, community sensitization and of valuing living apes and intact forests by local people. Such empirical evidence for the positive effect of research activity on biodiversity preservation should encourage continued investment in such programmes as part of a landscape‐wide, multi‐stakeholder conservation management of great ape habitats. 2015-12 2018-07-03T11:03:28Z 2018-07-03T11:03:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95711 en Limited Access Wiley Tagg, N., Willie, J., Duarte, J., Petre, C.-A., Fa, J.E.. 2015. Conservation research presence protects : a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon. Animal Conservation, 18 (6) : 489-498. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12212
spellingShingle chimpanzees
gorrilas
evaluation
management
conservation
research projects
community involvement
Tagg, N.
Willie, J.
Duarte, J.
Petre, C.-A.
Fa, J.E.
Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title_full Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title_fullStr Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title_full_unstemmed Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title_short Conservation research presence protects: a case study of great ape abundance in the Dja region, Cameroon
title_sort conservation research presence protects a case study of great ape abundance in the dja region cameroon
topic chimpanzees
gorrilas
evaluation
management
conservation
research projects
community involvement
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95711
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