Assessing local knowledge on the diversity and abundance of bushmeat species and hunting pressure in the fragmented forest islands of southern Benin (Dahomey Gap)

Abstract

Illegal hunting of wildlife is one of the major issues in tropical ecosystems, especially when it occurs in highly degraded habitats with forest cover fragmentation. In this study, we assessed the impact of bushmeat hunting in a large forest patch (the Lama Natural Forest; LNF) and 11 nearby forest islands, using Traditional Ecological Knowledge from 240 interviewees across 16 villages. Thirty‐five species belonging to nine orders of mammals, birds and reptiles were mentioned by local communities. Rodentia were significantly more observed in the forest islands, whereas medium‐sized mammals belonging to Carnivora, Primates, Artiodactyla, Pholidota and Hyracoida were found predominantly in LNF. Approximately 57% of the species were reported to be rare in the forest islands, whereas c. 77% were listed as abundant in LNF, confirming the role of LNF as a refuge for forest species targeted by the bushmeat trade. Generalised linear models indicated that species sighting frequencies were positively correlated with perimeters of forest patches. We found hunting pressure to be greater in forest islands in the vicinity of LNF than those further away. Our results suggest that long‐term conservation of wildlife in southern Benin may require a ‘mainland‐islands’ approach including both LNF and its surrounding forest islands.

Community forests as beacons of conservation: Enabling local populations monitor their biodiversity

“…Surveys of local wild meat markets are also a rapid evaluation for not only confirming the presence of several taxa in the study area, but also to assess the relative abundance of consumed animals, as these markets typically consist of mainly common and widespread species with rare species much less frequently observed (e.g. Djagoun et al, 2022; Sonhaye‐Ouyé et al, 2022). Obviously, market surveys should be incorporated into the research scheme when mammals and other ‘wild meat’ are target, whereas they are not necessary for investigations of non‐consumed biodiversity.…”

Filling global gaps in monitoring data with local knowledge

“…One small vein of this fast‐growing literature is of interest here, because it focuses on measuring spatial or temporal changes in the abundance or biomass of taxa or resources of conservation concern. Recent studies have surveyed local people asking them to estimate (qualitatively or quantitatively) the (relative or absolute) abundance or biomass of taxa or resources in different places or points in time (Van Holt, Townsend & Cronkleton, 2010; Gandiwa, 2012; Danielsen et al, 2014a; Danielsen et al, 2014b; Tomaselli et al, 2018; Naah & Braun, 2019; Henri et al, 2020; Afriyie & Asare, 2020; Benner, Nielsen & Lertzman, 2021; Djagoun et al, 2022; Castello et al, 2023). Some studies have analysed the raw data for trends (Tesfamichael, Pitcher & Pauly, 2014), while others have used advanced methods (Ainsworth, Pitcher & Rotinsulu, 2008; Early‐Capistrán et al, 2020) to infer changes to the taxa or resources.…”

Ecology in a troubled continent

“…The AJE has extensively covered these themes, as evidenced by numerous recent contributions focusing on savannah mammals. (e.g., Ang'ila et al, 2023; Ayechew et al, 2022; Everatt et al, 2023; Lee et al, 2023; Tarugara & Clegg, 2022; Tiller et al, 2022), bushmeat (e.g., Djagoun et al, 2022; Froese et al, 2022; Hariohay et al, 2022; Hart et al, 2022; Sonhaye‐Ouyé et al, 2022), and community forests (e.g. Fa & Luiselli, 2023; Mavah et al, 2022; Oyda et al, 2022; Poulain et al, 2023; Rampheri et al, 2022).…”