Previous primate studies have concentrated on the effects of forest disturbance on primate populations residing mainly in natural forest reserves. The present study was conducted in 20 non‐reserved forest patches in the ‘Kampala area’, a forest‐savanna‐agricultural mosaic, to investigate the effects of forest fragmentation on the distribution and survival status of arboreal primates in the patches. Mpanga Forest Reserve, as the nearest to the forest patches, was used as a control. Primate census data revealed that the black‐and‐white colobus (Colobus guereza) was restricted in its distribution while redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) were cosmopolitan. There was no significant relationship between forest patch size and red‐tail population size, number of groups and group density decreased. Of the trees sampled, 70% were food species while 30% were nonfood species. Basal area of food tree species significantly increased with forest patch size (R2 = 0.5885) but its relationship with red‐tail population size and group density (B = −0.42784, R2 = 0.18305, P > 0.05) was not significant.
The study was conducted in Mabira Forest Reserve, which is located between Kampala City and Jinja town (Uganda). The Reserve is predominantly occupied by tropical high forest communities of medium altitude moist semi‐deciduous and moist evergreen forest. The forest was greatly influenced by human activities but has been recovering since illegal settlement and encroachment were stopped between 1988 and 1989. An assessment of human activities within the forest was conducted (March–November 2004). Tree stumps were enumerated along transects established in different parts of the forest and the tree species cut identified from the stumps coppicing. Interviews were conducted around four village enclaves to establish forest product utilization. Timber extraction, tree harvesting for building poles, firewood and charcoal burning were common activities in addition to nontimber product utilization. Shoots and thin branches are cut daily for chicken and beef roasting. These activities degrade the forest, compromising its status as a reserve and destroy the habitat and its biodiversity. Drastic management measures are needed to check these activities so as to enhance its conservation status.
Private forests harbor considerable biodiversity, however, they are under greater threat than reserved areas, particularly from urbanization, agriculture, and intense exploitation for timber and fuel wood. The extent to which they may act as habitats for biodiversity and how level of protection impacts trends in biodiversity and forest structure over time remain underresearched. We contribute to filling this research gap by resampling a unique data set, a detailed survey from 1990 of 22 forests fragments of different ownership status and level of protection near Kampala, Uganda. Eleven of the 22 fragments were lost over 20 years, and six of the remnants reduced in size. Forest structure and composition also showed dramatic changes, with six of the remnant fragments showing high temporal species turnover. Species richness increased in four of the remaining forests over the resample period. Forest ownership affected the fate of the forests, with higher loss in privately owned forests. Our study demonstrates that ownership affects the fate of forest fragments, with private forests having both higher rates of area loss, and of structural and compositional change within the remaining fragments. Still, the private forests contribute to the total forest area, and they harbor biodiversity including IUCN “vulnerable” and “endangered” species. This indicates the conservation value of the fragments and suggests that they should be taken into account in forest conservation and restoration.
Foliage of Celtis durandii and Markhamia platycalyx are important foods of the red colobus (Colobus badius tephrosceles) and the black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza occiden-tal~s) at Kanyaw~ra, Kibale Forest, Uganda. Seasonal variations in the chemical composition of this fohage were attnbuted to phenological changes. Moisture, crude protein, energy value, potassium, and phosphorus decreased, while acid detergent fiber, lignin, calcium and sodium increased with ad':'ancing matur.ity. Intermonthly changes in plant c~emistry of.M. platy~alyx were not so pronounced as m C . . durand11; the latter also gave strong correlatiOn among Its chemical components, while similar correlattons for M. platycalyx were generally weak. The nutrient quality of leaves from C. durandii was highest during the brief period when buds (leaf and flower), flowers, and young leaves were most abundant. With increasing maturity, these leaves lost the characteristics that made them good forage. M: platycalyx, on the contrary, had foliage with varying nutrient quality. Intermonthly dietary vari-atiOn ?f the colob~s monkeys is governed by the interactions between food consumption rate and changmg food quahty, together with the availability of alternative food items.
This study was conducted in the ‘Kampala area’, a forest‐savanna‐agricultural mosaic, and was aimed at investigating the ecology and survival of the red‐tail monkey, Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti in fragmented forest patches outside the protected area system. The relationship between habitat variables and red‐tail monkeys' distribution and other demographic factors were investigated. The average group size for red‐tail monkeys in the forest patches was 11.9, while that in Mpanga Forest Reserve it was 23.2. Most of the red‐tail monkey groups had breeding females but there were small populations with no breeding females. The number of breeding females and young varied in different forest patches with the breeding sex ratio ranging from 0 to 1:3. The residential status of red‐tails in the patches was partly influenced by the presence of the vervet monkey and the intensity of human activities in the vicinity.
Crop damage by wildlife is a very prevalent form of human-wildlife conflict adjacent to protected areas, and great economic losses from crop raiding impede efforts to protect wildlife. Management plans are needed to decrease damage by raiding wildlife, yet conservation biologists typically lack the basic information needed for informed conservation strategies. Red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) raid a variety of crops adjacent to protected forests in East Africa; however, the role of group structure on crop raiding has not been explored. Here, crop raiding patterns of solitary males and social groups were investigated during 10 months in a plantation of mature cocoa in Uganda. Monkeys gained access to the plantation via trees planted as wind breaks and shade trees, and the sighting frequency of groups was negatively related to the distance from the forest edge. In contrast, solitary males were sighted more frequently far from the forest edge and caused proportionately greater damage than members raiding in a social group. These results highlight that for social animals, crop raiding behavior can vary among types of social groupings; appropriate strategies to cope with raiding must therefore respond to this variation.Keywords: crop raiding, social groups, solitary red-tailed monkeys, cocoa Resumen Los daños a los cultivos por la fauna silvestre es un conflicto común entre humanos y la fauna silvestre que se presenta adyacente a las áreas protegidas y donde el alto costo económico de los daños previene esfuerzos de protección a la fauna. Por lo tanto, los planes de manejo deben considerar la disminución de las intrusiones a los cultivos por la fauna silvestre, sin embargo los biólogos conservacionistas típicamente carecen de la información adecuada para construir estrategias informadas de conservación. El cercopiteco cola roja (Cercopithecus ascanius) se alimenta de una variedad de cultivos en áreas adyacentes a bosques protegidos en el este de África, sin embargo el papel que juega la estructura grupal en los daños a los cultivos no ha sido explorada aun. Aquí investigamos los patrones de incursiones a los cultivos por machos solitarios y grupos sociales durante 10 meses en una plantación madura de cacao en Uganda. Los grupos de monos accedieron a las plantaciones a través de árboles plantados como cercas vivas y como árboles sombra, y la frecuencia de avistamientos estuvo negativamente relacionada con la distancia del borde del bosque. En contraste, machos solitarios fueron observados frecuentemente más lejos del borde del bosque y causaron proporcionalmente más daño que miembros de un grupo social. Esos resultados indican que para especies sociales, el comportamiento de incursiones a cultivos puede variar dependiendo de la estructura social, por lo tanto las estrategias apropiadas para prevenir daños a los cultivos deben tomar en cuenta esta variación.
Given the extent of tropical forest deforestation and as a number of conservation programmes and local communities rely on forest fragments, it has become important to understand how fragment exploitation by local communities affects forest structure and function. The effects of forest exploitation on forest structure and status of forest fragments were investigated in 20 nonreserved forest fragments in central Uganda. Enumeration of plots showed that tree species composition of the forest fragments was 60.0%, 23.7% and 6.3% for under‐storey, middle and top canopy trees respectively. The major activity was fuel wood extraction (65%), followed by brick making (10%), cultivation and livestock paddocks (10%), charcoal burning (5%), local brew distillation and others (5%). These extractive processes caused drastic structural changes, habitat degradation and destruction. Tree stumps enumeration indicated that under storey trees formed the highest proportion for wood extraction. There was no significant difference in the level of forest exploitation (basal area loss) among forest patches of varying sizes.
Leaf parts were obtained from Celtis durandii Engl. and Markhamia platycalyx (Bak.) Sprague, two of the top ranking food-tree species of the red colobus (Colobus badius tephrosceles Elliot) and the black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza occidentalis Rochebrune) at Kanyawara, Kibale Forest (Uganda). Samples were taken over 12 months; these were analysed for their moisture, crude protein, ether extract, acid detergent fibre and lignin contents, calorific value and four selected mineral contents. Assays of Markhamia leaf blades showed a lower crude protein content than rachises and petioles but were higher in fibrous constituents. Acid detergent fibre and lignin were lowest in petioles. Celtis leaves, especially younger ones were higher in crude protein than all Markhamia leaf parts; they were also lower in fibre and lignin. The nutrient data were related to the food preferences of the colobus monkeys. It is probable that the high fibre and lignin contents of mature leaves of Celtis and of Markhamia leaf blades and rachises, rendered them less preferable as food sources than young Celtis leaves and Markhamia petioles, respectively. Besides nutrient composition, inhibitors and the availability of alternative food from trees other than Markhamia and Celtis may also affect the colobus' food preferences. ResumCDes morceaux de feuille ont ete preleves sur Celtis durandii Engl. et Markhamia platycalyx (Bak.) Sprague, deux especes d'arbres favorites dans l'alimentation du colobe bai (Colobus badius tephrosceles Elliott) et du colobe magistrat (Colobus guereza occidentalis Rochebrune) a Kanyawara, dans la foret de Kibale en Ouganda. Des Cchantillons furent preleves durant 12 mois et analyses quant a I'humidite, les proteines brutes, les extraits d'ether, les detergents acides des fibres et de la lignine, la valeur calorifique et le contenu d'une selection de 4 minkraux. Des essais sur des lamelles de feuille de Markhamia montrent des contenus en proteines brutes plus faibles dans les rachis et les petioles mais plus eleves que dans les constituants fibreux. Les detergents acides des fibres et de la lignine sont plus faibles dans les petioles. Les feuilles de Celtis-surtout les jeunes-sont plus riches en proteines brutes que toutes les parties de feuille de Markhamia; elles sont aussi moins riches en fibres et en lignine. Ces donnees sont mises en relation avec les preferences alimentaires des colobes. I1 est probable que le contenu eleve 0141-6707/82/0600-0113 $02.00 01982 Blackwell Scientific Publications 114 D. Barangrt cn fibre et lignine dans les fcuilles et les rachis matures de Ce1ti.s et les petioles de Markhamia, les rende moins appetentes comme source de nourriture que les jeunes feuilles dc ('dtic. et les pktioles de Mankhanzia, respectivement. Outre la composition dietetiquc, des inhibiteurs et la disponibilite de nourriture d'autres arbres peuvcnt airfsi affccter les preferences alimentaires des colobes.
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