An estimate of the numbers of forest elephants in Gabon

Barnes, R. F. W.; Blom, A.; Alers, M. P. T.; Barnes, Keith

doi:10.1017/s0266467400008361

Cited by 57 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In 1989, following reconnaissance surveys on foot, the forest elephant population of the Congo Basin was estimated at 172,400 individuals, nearly one third of Africa's elephants at that time [9]. Poaching was rampant in some areas, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo [10] (then Zaire), whereas Gabon's elephants were relatively unaffected [11]. Human activity, particularly road infrastructure, was found to be the major factor influencing the distribution of forest elephants [9,12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest Elephant Crisis in the Congo Basin

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Debate over repealing the ivory trade ban dominates conferences of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Resolving this controversy requires accurate estimates of elephant population trends and rates of illegal killing. Most African savannah elephant populations are well known; however, the status of forest elephants, perhaps a distinct species, in the vast Congo Basin is unclear. We assessed population status and incidence of poaching from line-transect and reconnaissance surveys conducted on foot in sites throughout the Congo Basin. Results indicate that the abundance and range of forest elephants are threatened from poaching that is most intense close to roads. The probability of elephant presence increased with distance to roads, whereas that of human signs declined. At all distances from roads, the probability of elephant occurrence was always higher inside, compared to outside, protected areas, whereas that of humans was always lower. Inside protected areas, forest elephant density was correlated with the size of remote forest core, but not with size of protected area. Forest elephants must be prioritised in elephant management planning at the continental scale.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest Elephant Crisis in the Congo Basin

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We also expected site characteristics such as habitat type, distance to water, distance to human habitation, shade and understorey cover to influence recursion and the intensity of site use. We expected more intensive use of sites within habitats containing preferred food plants of the Bornean elephant, such as within riverine and open grass areas along forest margins (English et al, 2014), sites closer to a water source (McKay, 1973;Sukumar, 1990), sites further from human habitation (Blake, 2002) and sites less shaded (Barnes et al, 1995;Powell, 1997) allowing for more understorey growth, in particular grasses and bamboos (McKay, 1973;Shoshani and Eisenberg, 1982).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging site recursion by forest elephants Elephas maximus borneensis

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recursion by herbivores is the repeated use of the same site or plants. Recursion by wild animals is rarely investigated but may be ubiquitous. Optimal foraging theory predicts site recursion as a function of the quality of the site, extent of its last use, and time since its last use because these influence site resource status and recovery. We used GPS collars, behaviour and site sampling to investigate recursion to foraging sites for two elephant Elephas maximus borneensis herds in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Borneo, over a 12 month period. Recursion occurred to 48 out of 87 foraging sites and was most common within 48 hours or between 151-250 days, indicating two different types of recursion. Recursion was more likely to occur if the site had previously been occupied for longer. Moreover, the time spent at a site at recursion was the same as the time spent at the site on the first occasion. The number of days that had passed between the first visit and recursion was also positively correlated with how much time was spent at the site at recursion. Habitat type also influenced the intensity of site-use, with more time spent at recursion within riverine/open grass areas along forest margins compared to other habitat types. Recursion is a common behaviour used by the elephants and its pattern suggests it may be a foraging strategy for revisiting areas of greater value. The qualities of recursion sites might usefully be incorporated into landscape management strategies for elephant conservation in the area [Current Zoology 60 (4): 551-559, 2014].

show abstract

“…Reynolds 1996, 1997;Kouakou et al 2009), or of ungulates through surveying their dung piles (e.g. Barnes et al 1995;Barnes 2001;Marques et al 2001).…”

Section: Indirect Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%