W National Park in Niger—a case for urgent assistance

Grettenberger, John F.

doi:10.1017/s0030605300019281

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This has certainly been the case for many years, for cattle have regularly encroached on the south-east of the WRP since the 1970s. Grettenberger (1984) stressed that the great increase in grazing of cattle in the 1970s had effectively displaced wildlife from the most productive habitat in the park and noted 'an influx of elephants from the Benin and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) sectors to the Niger W National Park […]. Even within the Niger sector, the amount of illegal activity along the borders had resulted in concentrations of elephants in the middle of the park.'…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial avoidance of invading pastoral cattle by wild ungulates: insights from using point process statistics

et al. 2010

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Traditional rangelands in many developing countries are currently being encroached by cultivation, driving some herders to illegally use protected areas for grazing their cattle. Since cattle are an exotic species in these ecosystems, they might have an impact on the local wild herbivore communities, notably through competition. We used point pattern statistics to characterise the spatial relationships between wild ungulate species and cattle herds within a protected area in west Africa undergoing seasonal intrusions by cattle. We predicted that the wild ungulate species that are ecologically and morphologically similar to cattle, in terms of body mass and diet, would be more sensitive to grass depletion by cattle and would be separated from cattle to a larger extent. The spatial distribution of browsing and mixed-feeding antelopes did not seem to be affected much by cattle presence, whereas most grazing species showed spatial separation from cattle. Interestingly, elephants also showed significant separation from cattle herds. We discuss the likely processes that may have contributed to the observed spatial patterns. The spatial displacement of certain wild species, including megaherbivores, affects the whole community structure and, thus, other components of the ecosystem

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial avoidance of invading pastoral cattle by wild ungulates: insights from using point process statistics

et al. 2010

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“…Mauritania [921]; Morocco (ex? ); Mozambique [1174,1175,1256];Niger [480,922,1005]; Nigeria [21,695];…”

Section: 1265mentioning

confidence: 99%

Checklist of mammals listed in the CITES appendices

1995

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“…Tbe Area The W. National Park and Tamou Reserve make up an area of 2190 km2 and 760 km2, respectively, in the extreme south-west comer of Niger (12"20", 2'25'E). A general description of the area's ecology can be found in Koster (1981) and Grettenberger (1984). The park is dominated by basement geology.…”

Section: Rcsumcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elephant‐fire relationships in Combretum/Terminalia woodland in south‐west Niger

McShane¹

1987

African Journal of Ecology

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Summary It has recently been suggested that the distribution of elephant and the impact by elephant on woodland can be manipulated by burning. Six landscape categories have been described for the W. National Park and Tamou Reserve in south‐west Niger, each containing a single segment of the catenary sequence. Data on woodland utilization and damage by elephant were collected on a series of quadrats and by direct observation of elephant behaviour. A mosaic of burned and unburned land, soil moisture levels and burned‐sprouted, burned‐unsprouted and unburned vegetation at different positions on the catena allowed elephant to utilize different aspects to meet different needs. Results indicated that the proportion of feeding on burned and unburned land followed the relative spatial distribution of burning on the upper catena levels. On mid and lower catena levels feeding was concentrated in areas where vegetation had resprouted following fire and on unburned land. Both bulls and cows showed a strong preference for unburned land when standing (resting). Differences in elephant distribution by activity, relative to the spatial distribution of burning, indicated that comparisons by aerial survey may be biased. Climatic factors were compared between different areas with regard to elephant utilization of burned and unburned land. It is recommended that the management implications of burning with respect to elephant‐woodland interactions must be considered in a broader model. RÉSUMEÉ On a suggéré récemment que la distribution de l'éléphant et son impact sur les zones boisées pouvaient ěre ‘manpulés’ par les feux. Six catégories de milieux ont été décrits dans le Parc national du Wet la Réserve de Tamou, dans le sud‐ouest du Niger, contenant chacun un élément particulier de la séquence écologique. Des données sur l'utilisation des zones boisées et les dégǎts par les éléphants ont été récoltés dans une série de quadrats et par observation directe du comportement des éléphants. Parmi la mosaïque de zones brülées et non‐limitées, les différents niveaux d'humidité du sol, les sols à jeunes pousses et les zones brülées sans repousse, les éléphants leurs besoins. Les résultats indiquent que la proportion de temps passéà manger sur une zone brülée ou non brülée suit la distribution spatiale relative du feu sur les strates supérieures de la séquence. Sur les strates moyennes et inférieures de la séquence, l'alimentation se concentre dans des zones où la végétation présente une repousse d'après feux et dans les zones non brülées. Au repos, aussi bien mäes que femelles présentent une préférence marquée pour les zones non brülées. Certaines différences dans l'actogramme des éléphants, relatives à la distribution spatiale des incendies, indiquent que des comparaisons par comptages aériens peuvent étre biaisés. On a comparé des facteurs climatiques entre différentes zones pour comparer leur utilisation en situation brülée et nonbrülée. Il est recommandé que les implications des feux pour la gestion, spécialement les interactions ...

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W National Park in Niger—a case for urgent assistance

Cited by 5 publications

References 7 publications

Spatial avoidance of invading pastoral cattle by wild ungulates: insights from using point process statistics

Spatial avoidance of invading pastoral cattle by wild ungulates: insights from using point process statistics

Checklist of mammals listed in the CITES appendices

Elephant‐fire relationships in Combretum/Terminalia woodland in south‐west Niger

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