Ensemble models of habitat suitability relate chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) conservation to forest and landscape dynamics in Western Africa

Torres, João; Brito, José Carlos; Vasconcelos, Maria J.; Catarino, L.; Gonçalves, João; Honrado, João P.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.11.007

Cited by 45 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Typical values for AUC are between 1.0-0.5 where a value of 1.0 represents a perfect fit while 0.5 indicates the model is no better than a random expectation [29]. The first study to use Landsat data to model chimpanzee habitat suitability was Reference [22] and reported an average AUC value greater than 0.9 indicating a good model fit. In addition, they were also able to detect changes in habitat suitability between two time periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Canopy cover and canopy height were included in the set of predictor variables because measurements of forest structure (e.g., percent canopy cover) were found to be important in the determination of chimpanzee habitat suitability in several previous studies [23][24][25]. Spectral metrics, namely NDVI, were found to be an important predictor in Reference [22], which they argued served as a proxy for ecosystem functioning. We chose to include all Landsat ETM+ bands and band derivatives from the dataset in Reference [28] for this reason and because several studies have found an association between spectral data and forest structure metrics [36][37][38].…”

Section: Derivation Of Predictor Variables and Calibration Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Distance to the nearest forest patch was used as a predictor variable both in the habitat suitability models for Western Tanzania [21] and in Reference [22], and was therefore included in the set of predictor variables. In this study, we defined forest as 40% canopy cover with a minimum patch size of 0.5 ha, which is a combination of definitions used by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for closed forests [39,40].…”

Section: Derivation Of Predictor Variables and Calibration Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landsat ETM+ and SRTM Data Provide Near Real-Time Monitoring of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Habitats in Africa

et al. 2016

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All four chimpanzee sub-species populations are declining due to multiple factors including human-caused habitat loss. Effective conservation efforts are therefore needed to ensure their long-term survival. Habitat suitability models serve as useful tools for conservation planning by depicting relative environmental suitability in geographic space over time. Previous studies mapping chimpanzee habitat suitability have been limited to small regions or coarse spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, we used Random Forests regression to downscale a coarse resolution habitat suitability calibration dataset to estimate habitat suitability over the entire chimpanzee range at 30-m resolution. Our model predicted habitat suitability well with an r 2 of 0.82 (˘0.002) based on 50-fold cross validation where 75% of the data was used for model calibration and 25% for model testing; however, there was considerable variation in the predictive capability among the four sub-species modeled individually. We tested the influence of several variables derived from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) that included metrics of forest canopy and structure for four three-year time periods between 2000 and 2012. Elevation, Landsat ETM+ band 5 and Landsat derived canopy cover were the strongest predictors; highly suitable areas were associated with dense tree canopy cover for all but the Nigeria-Cameroon and Central Chimpanzee sub-species. Because the models were sensitive to such temporally based predictors, our results are the first to highlight the value of integrating continuously updated variables derived from satellite remote sensing into temporally dynamic habitat suitability models to support near real-time monitoring of habitat status and decision support systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Derivation Of Predictor Variables and Calibration Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Derivation Of Predictor Variables and Calibration Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landsat ETM+ and SRTM Data Provide Near Real-Time Monitoring of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Habitats in Africa

et al. 2016

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“…This area is quite homogeneous in terms of climate, geology and topography, and so it was considered suitable to address the effects of spatial and structural features on the patterns of biodiversity in forest patches (e.g. Torres et al, 2010).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of multiple factors on plant diversity of forest fragments in intensive farmland of Northern Portugal

Lomba

Vicente

Moreira³

et al. 2011

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Suitable forest habitats in the Cantanhez region (extending beyond the Cantanhez Peninsula to include parts of the Cacine and Catio regions) decreased by c. 11% (270 km 2 of a total study area of 2,723 km 2 ) from 1986 to 2003 (Torres et al, 2010) and, depending on three scenarios of chimpanzee density, will have resulted in a decrease of 157-1,103 chimpanzees. For the low-density, or worst-case, scenario (0.5 individuals km −2 ) the population of chimpanzees in the Cantanhez region is predicted to be , 400 individuals.…”

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confidence: 99%

Differential utilization of cashew—a low-conflict crop—by sympatric humans and chimpanzees

Hockings

Sousa

2012

Oryx

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Modification of natural areas by human activities mostly has a negative impact on wildlife by increasing the geographical and ecological overlap between people and animals. This can result in escalating levels of competition and conflict between humans and wildlife, for example over crops. However, data on specific crops and crop parts that are unattractive to wildlife yet important for human livelihoods are surprisingly scarce, especially considering their potential application to reducing crop damage by wildlife. Here we examine the co-utilization of a nationally important and spatially abundant cash crop, cashew Anacardium occidentalis, by people and chimpanzees Pan troglodytes verus inhabiting a forested-agricultural matrix in Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau. In this Park people predominantly harvest the marketable cashew nut and discard the unprofitable fruit whereas chimpanzees only consume the fruit. Local farmers generally perceive a benefit of raiding by chimpanzees as they reportedly pile the nuts, making harvesting easier. By ensuring that conflict levels over crops, especially those with high economic importance, remain low, the costs of living in proximity to wildlife can potentially be reduced. Despite high levels of deforestation associated with cashew farming, these findings point to the importance of cashew as a low-conflict crop in this area.

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Ensemble models of habitat suitability relate chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) conservation to forest and landscape dynamics in Western Africa

Cited by 45 publications

References 80 publications

Landsat ETM+ and SRTM Data Provide Near Real-Time Monitoring of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Habitats in Africa

Landsat ETM+ and SRTM Data Provide Near Real-Time Monitoring of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Habitats in Africa

Effects of multiple factors on plant diversity of forest fragments in intensive farmland of Northern Portugal

Differential utilization of cashew—a low-conflict crop—by sympatric humans and chimpanzees

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