Ecological, Historical, Economic, and Political Factors Shaping the Human–Gorilla Interface in the Mone-Oku Forest, Cameroon

Alison H Wade,Nicholas Malone

doi:10.3390/d13040175

Abstract

Cross River gorillas are the least numerous of the African ape taxa. Since their rediscovery, several organisations have sought to conserve these critically endangered apes, resulting in a “crisis conservation narrative” focused on the threats posed by local human activities. However, landscapes are not just ecological, they are also social, shaped by political and economic processes. This study examines the interconnections between humans and gorillas by approaching the Mone-Oku forest as a combination of ecological, social, and political systems. Through a combined use of botanical surveys, analyses of nesting sites, participant observation, and semistructured interviews, we obtained nuanced ecological and ethnographic insights into the human–gorilla interface. The results illustrate a history of alterations within the Mone-Oku forest, some of which are human-induced. These alterations have had both positive and negative outcomes for the gorillas and continue to the present day, where political history has shaped limited livelihood alternatives, increasing the reliance on a forest that has remained a constant in the more recent history of “developmental” neglect and isolation. However, this situation is not static, with future alterations to the forest also subject to regional and international political and economic influences, such as the increased worldwide demand for cacao.

Highlights

Humans have a long history of sympatry with nonhuman primates in Africa, with evidence suggesting that Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and humans have coexisted for at least 40,000 to 50,000 years in the Nigeria–Cameroon borderlands [1]
Cross River gorillas occupy a habitat that is somewhat intermediate between the high altitude, predominantly folivorous mountain gorillas and the frugivorous western lowland gorillas
This research illustrates the ways in which an ethnoprimatological approach in a defined place can enhance our understanding of the interactions that exist between primates and people

Summary

Introduction

27) since their rediscovery and subspecies designation resulted in a critically endangered classification based on the low population estimates of 250–300 mature individuals combined with the ongoing threat of habitat loss [3,4]. This classification has contributed to a “crisis narrative”, whereby there is an urgent need to conserve these elusive apes, focusing research programs on the threats posed by local human communities who share the wider landscape [5]. While the anthropogenic nature of threats to the survival of the Cross River gorilla is not debated, the situation is complex, inherently challenging, and requires the integration of multiple approaches to understand the potential causes and consequences of anthropogenic actions over an extended period [6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion