Local awareness of and attitudes towards the pygmy hippopotamusChoeropsis liberiensisin the Moa River Island Complex, Sierra Leone

Abstract

The pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis is an Endangered species found only in the Upper Guinea rainforests of West Africa. Using a two-phase approach, with initial semi-structured interviews followed by more extensive questionnaires, we examined local residents' awareness of and attitudes towards the pygmy hippopotamus along the Moa River near Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Sierra Leone. The interviews and questionnaires addressed human-hippopotamus interactions, local knowledge and awareness of pygmy hippopotamus ecology and behaviour, and public attitudes towards hippopotamus conservation. Overall, 22% of questionnaire respondents acknowledged benefits related to hippopotamus conservation; factors affecting the perception of benefits included age, livestock ownership, distance from Tiwai Island and exposure to conservation programmes. The results of this study could be used to inform the conservation of the pygmy hippopotamus and highlight the critical role of local support in the management of threatened species in biodiversity hotspots. This paper contains supplementary material that can be found online at

A mix of community-based conservation and protected forests is needed for the survival of the Endangered pygmy hippopotamusChoeropsis liberiensis

“…We searched sites along the length of the Moro and Mano rivers, tributaries draining the National Park both within and outside the protected area, and parts of the Moa River. These surveys complemented work conducted on and around Tiwai Island (Conway, 2013; Conway et al, 2015).…”

“…The pygmy hippopotamus is also threatened by poaching and human–wildlife conflicts (e.g. Greengrass, 2011; Hillers & Muana, 2011; Koroma, 2012; Conway, 2013; Conway et al, 2015), although there are no detailed data concerning the extent of these threats. Little is known about the ecology and behaviour of the pygmy hippopotamus, and there are no reliable population estimates.…”

“…Distribution information from this area is patchy and outdated (e.g. Grubb et al, 1998) but evidence has emerged that besides a well-known site at Tiwai Island (Conway et al, 2015) the area around the Gola Rainforest National Park in south-eastern Sierra Leone, and presumably also the Gola National Forest in western Liberia, may constitute an important core area for the species (Hillers, 2013). The discovery of what could be a substantial population highlights how poorly known the species’ distribution is.…”

Community-based conservation as a potential source of conflict around a protected area in Sierra Leone

“…Finally, effects of specific interventions such as targeted education and information campaigns on conservation orientations and conflict mitigation could be studied and effective strategies could be developed for use in different situations. For instance, some evidence from the Tiwai Island area suggests conservation education programs provided by EFA may help to generate support for protected area management in host communities (Conway et al 2015), but their effects in other villages is unknown.…”

Bats in a cave tourism and pilgrimage site in eastern India: conservation challenges

“…Using a semi structured questionnaire (Supplementary Material 1) I opportunistically interviewed people visiting the cave complex, if they were willing to be interviewed, to examine their knowledge of bats and their attitudes towards their conservation. Conway et al (2015) and Debata et al (2016a) used a similar non-random selection of subjects for attitude surveys. The questionnaire included five statements (Table 1) that examined the knowledge of respondents on ecological importance, habitats and threats, and their views regarding the conservation importance of cave dwelling bats.…”