Impact of Village Hunting on Wildlife Populations in the Western Dja Reserve, Cameroon

Abstract

The Dja Biosphere Reserve, a lowland rainforest in southern Cameroon, supports extensive biotic communities with a high proportion of endemic fauna and flora. A growing human population afflicted by an economic crisis and a predilection for game meat has augmented pressures on the faunal resources. We conducted a 2‐year study to assess the spatial distribution and intensity of hunting in the western Dja Reserve and the implications for the management of these activities. We mapped the area where the villagers hunt, determined snare densities, and collected biological data on species killed. Surveys using standard line‐transect methodology were conducted on mammalian game species in the various hunting zones across strata of human‐disturbed and less‐disturbed areas. In the three hunting zones of the village of Mekas, snare density decreased as distance from the village increased. Despite a 64% lower snare density, the monthly overall capture rate was four times higher there than in the zone closest to the village. The number of animals that rotted on snares was three times higher in the farthest hunting region from the village. Except for the four common arboreal primates, encounter rates and densities of game species tended to decrease with proximity to human activity and with an increase in snare densities. Duikers (Cephalophus spp.) comprised 63.5% of animals killed. We used Robinson and Redford’s (1991) production model to determine the sustainability of the present harvest rates. Harvest rates of C. monticola, C. dorsalis, and C. callipygus in two of the hunting zones were between one and three times higher than the populations can theoretically sustain. As species are depleted, hunters will journey even further into the forest to hunt. To reduce waste, subsistence hunting should be limited to within 15 km of the village. Ecological studies to determine stochastic and deterministic influences on the duiker populations are required to ensure their conservation within the Dja Reserve.

The bushmeat trade in African savannas: Impacts, drivers, and possible solutions

“…Within protected areas, bushmeat hunting is more prevalent close to the borders and near human settlements (Muchaal and Ngandjui, 1999;Hofer et al, 2000;Wato et al, 2006;Marealle et al, 2010). Greater distances mean increased time, effort and costs for hunters to find wildlife and transport meat, and higher risk of apprehension (Hofer et al, 2000).…”

“…Logging companies often perceive bushmeat as a free commodity with which to supplement workers' income (Wilkie et al, 2011). The frequency of bushmeat hunting and rate of bushmeat consumption declines with distance from human settlements (Hofer et al, (Fitzgibbon et al, 1995) ; 4 (Saru, 2012) ; 5 (Fusari and Carpaneto, 2006) ; 6 (Lindsey and Bento, 2012) 7 C. Roche, unpublished; (Warchol and Johnson, 2009) Hofer 2000, Barnett 2002, 1996Muchaal and Ngandjui, 1999;Brashares et al, 2011;Lindsey et al, 2011a) and wildlife populations fare better where human settlement is not permitted .…”

Gestión cinegética racional ligada a la praxis de la caza y la recolección. ¿Entelequia aristotélica o quimera?

“…En algunos casos las partidas de caza utilizan campamentos móviles durante varios días. En ambas situaciones el esfuerzo cinegético tiende a concentrarse en torno al núcleo habitado (Ohl-Schacherer et al, 2007;Smith, 2008) y suele provocar un empobrecimiento del área periférica inversamente proporcional a la distancia recorrida por los cazadores (Alvard, 1994;Alvard, 1998;Muchaal y Ngandjui, 1999). Por otra parte, los factores implicados en dicho empobrecimiento tienen relación directa con el tamaño de la población humana y su distribución espacial, el tipo de armamento utilizado y el número medio de capturas anuales por cazador (Levi et al, 2011).…”

Bushmeat Utilization in Oban Sector of Cross River National Park: A ‘Biodiversity Palaver’

“…High bushmeat demand has been recorded for west and central African countries (Liberia [8], Ivory Coast [9], Ghana [10,11], Cameroon [12], and Gabon [13,14]) and for the Congo Basin as a whole (e.g. [15][16][17][18]).…”