LOCAL PERCEPTIONS OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ELEPHANTS AND BORASSUS AETHIOPUM MART. (ARECACEAE) IN THE PENDJARI NATIONAL PARK IN BENIN

Juliano S H Houndonougbo,Rodrigue Idohou,Fortuné A Azihou,Achille E Assogbadjo,Valère K Salako,Romain Glèlè Kakaï

doi:10.19182/bft2017.331.a31324

Abstract

Elephants are reported to have a dramatic impact on woodyvegetation in protected areas. Careful control of elephant and wood species populations is therefore crucial to successful biodiversity management in such ecosystems. The perceptions of local people and protected areas managers could very usefully supple- ment classic ecological surveys and monito- ring to achieve this goal. This study assessed the perceptions of managers and local people regarding the causes, damage, consequences and management options of elephant pres- sure on the declining dioecious palm Boras- sus aethiopum. The study was conducted in the Pendjari National Park, which is part of the W-Arly-Pendjari transboundary complex of reserves in West Africa. Semi-structured inter- views were conducted with 53 respondents belonging to three socio-professional cate- gories: administrators, ecoguards and local professional hunters. Relative frequency of citation and the Pearson correlation were used to assess the consensus and concordance of their perceptions, respectively. The respon- dents reported a steep increase in the number of elephants in the Pendjari National Park, which they attributed to significant elephant migration from transboundary parks where poaching pressure was perceived as high. This has resulted in high pressure on tree species including B. aethiopum. Despite differences in professional outlook, consensual and concor- dant opinions were noted among administra- tors, ecoguards and local professional hunters on the relationship between B. aethiopum and elephants. A regional approach aiming to pro- tect the elephant population (low poaching) in the W-Arly-Pendjari complex and other neighbouring reserves was suggested in order to limit elephant migration.

Highlights

Elephants can have a dramatic impact on their habitat
Despite differences in professional outlook, consensual and concordant opinions were noted among administrators, ecoguards and local professional hunters on the relationship between B. aethiopum and elephants
The three categories of actors globally agreed on the causes inducing the elephant dynamics, the damages caused by elephants on B. aethiopum populations, the individuals most affected by those damages, the seasons of the damages, the trend of the elephant pressures on B. aethiopum and the suggestions for the reduction of these pressures

Summary

Introduction

Elephants can have a dramatic impact on their habitat. The “elephant problem” in which high densities of elephant (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach) in African savannas have severe impacts on woody vegetation, has been a concern for several decades (Barnes, 1983). Elephant abundance has conservation implications because of their impact on other species, especially when confined and/or occurring at relatively high densities (Western and Maitumo, 2004). Under such conditions, their foraging and feeding habits may reduce tree densities and transform forests and intact woodlands into mixed woodlands and even grasslands (Mosugelo et al, 2002). Their foraging and feeding habits may reduce tree densities and transform forests and intact woodlands into mixed woodlands and even grasslands (Mosugelo et al, 2002) These changes in vegetation caused by elephants, often in combination with other factors such as fire, incur elevated mortality of mature trees and suppress recruitment and regeneration. Their concomitant implications for biodiversity loss (Fritz et al, 2002), managers of reserves seek to make informed decisions regarding possible control of elephant populations (Whyte et al, 1999)

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion