Decline of the marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) in West Africa and the need for immediate conservation action

Abstract

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is widespread and generally abundant in East and Southern Africa, but recent research has found range loss indicative of a population decline in West Africa in recent decades. In the absence of population data, we conducted an in‐depth review of the status of the marabou in the region using a plethora of sources together comprising the largest database on the occurrence of the species. Despite caveats and coarseness of the assessment, we estimate the range loss at 52% in West Africa, including extirpation of approximately 64% of known nesting colonies since 2000. The resulting fragmentation has left a metapopulation of likely no more than 100 breeding pairs in The Gambia and Benin and an unknown number of breeders in Cameroon. Knowledge gaps about marabou population ecology in West Africa are significant and prevent an empirical assessment of regional extinction probability. Therefore, we recommend immediate field surveys, especially for breeding colonies, and research into threats and population dynamics. We also recommend the West African metapopulation be listed as regionally critically endangered and that a working group be formed comprising stakeholders from across the region to aid in assessing threats and implementing research and conservation action.

The global influence of the IUCN Red List can hinder species conservation efforts

“…Furthermore, in the Andes, over a quarter of subspecies could be at risk of extinction (Palacio & Clark 2023). In Africa, the Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer ) remains a common species through the East and South, but appears to be on the verge of extinction in West Africa, a fact that was overlooked until recently (Gula & Barlow 2022). In the marine realm, wide-ranging species such as tunas and billfishes often experience range contractions before abundance is reduced to extinction risk thresholds (Worm & Tittensor 2011;Burgess et al 2017).…”

In praise of commensalism

“…Herrán et al, 2022;Mikula et al, 2018Mikula et al, , 2020Warren et al, 2010). The same search (performed on 9th February 2023) on the term 'commensalism' in the database of articles published by the African Journal of Ecology (AJE) throughout its history, returned just 29 articles, some of them recently published (Banda et al, 2021;Gula & Barlow, 2023;Sebele et al, 2023;van Vuuren et al, 2022). However, of these 29 articles, only three (10.3%) really focused on the ecology of commensalism (Grandcolas, 1997;Plantan et al, 2013;Ruggiero & Eves, 1998), if we exclude a recent article showing the co-occurrence of pangolins and bats in the same burrows in Gabon (Lehmann et al, 2020).…”