Daiji Kimura

Habitat Use and Ranging of Wild Bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba

The relationship between vegetation and ranging patterns of wild bonobos at Wamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, was examined. Via Landsat data, we distinguished three types of vegetation—dry forest, swamp forest, and disturbed forest—at Wamba. The home ranges of the study groups changed considerably from year to year, due mainly to intergroup relationships. The population density of each group varied between 1.4 and 2.5 individuals per km2and was lowest during a period of population increase. Home ranges consisted mainly of dry forest. The bonobos used dry forest more frequently than the other forest types, though they also used swamp and disturbed forest almost every day. The latter types of forest seemed to be important resources for the bonobos, owing to the abundant herbaceous plants that are rich in protein and constantly available. The bonobos tended to use dry forest more frequently in the rainy season than in the relatively dry season, probably because the favored fruits in the dry forest were mostly available in the rainy season. There was no seasonal difference in the size of the daily ranging area.

Vegetation of the Kalinzu Forest, Uganda: Ordination of Forest Types Using Principal Component

We analyzed the vegetation of the Kalinzu Forest, Uganda, using principal component analysis. We got two components by the analysis: one seemed to indicate the strength of environmental factors characteristic to the western part of the study area, and the other seemed to indicate the extent of disturbance by human exploitation. Using these components, we made a vegetation map that distinguished four types of vegetation: mixed mature forest, Parinari-dominated mature forest, Parinari-dominated secondary forest, and Musangadominated secondary forest. Preliminary analysis of the relationship between vegetation type and frequency of vocalization of chimpanzees suggested that these components would give important information for the study of habitat use by chimpanzees.

Feral cattle (Bos taurus) on Kuchinoshima Island, southwestern Japan: Their stable ranging and unstable grouping

The ranging and grouping of about 75 feral cattle (Bos taurus), inhabiting a small mountainous island with thick vegetation, were studied. Each individual kept a stable home range for at least one year. The cattle preferred flat and open areas (FO areas) as their ranging center, and each had 1 or 2 FO areas in its home range. Those who shared the same FO areas largely overlapped home ranges; thus a clumped pattern was seen in the home range distribution. The individuals within each clump composed a “home range overlapping group” (HROG). The cattle formed 1–8 individual-sized unstable groups mainly with their own HROGs members. FO areas corresponded to the “required components of the home range” reported elsewhere for other ungulate species. Close social interactions were scarcely observed, and no sexual bias in ranging and grouping was confirmed. The stability in ranging and unstability in grouping are discussed in relation to domestication and management of the cattle herd.

QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF LIVELIHOODS AROUND GREAT APE RESERVES: CASES IN LUO SCIENTIFIC RESERVE, DR CONGO, AND KALINZU FOREST RESERVE, UGANDA

This study analyzed the livelihoods of people living around two great ape reserves in Africa, the Luo Scientifi c Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Uganda, based on quantitative assessments carried out for several years. The results show clear differences in food sources between the two sites. The forest is an important food source in Luo, whereas the market is central in Kalinzu. This difference should be acknowledged when adjusting management plans for the great ape reserves to fi t the actualities of local livelihoods. For example, in Kalinzu, restricted forest use can be compensated by an increase in cash income, which is more acceptable than in Luo, where the market economy is less developed and the forest provides most of the protein consumed by local people. This difference in degree of integration into the market economy presents different challenges for the long-term management of the reserves.

DIACHRONIC CHANGES IN PROTEIN ACQUISITION AMONG THE BONGANDO IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

A comparison of data obtained in the 1970s, 1980s, and 2000s revealed diachronic changes in protein acquisition among the Bongando people living in the Wamba region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The main protein source changed from bushmeat to fi sh due to depletion of the game animal population. This shift occurred for two main reasons. First, hunting pressure around sedentary villages had increased even before the 1980s. Second, a civil war in the 1990s resulted in changes in the structure of cash earning in this region, consequently accelerating commercial hunting for cash income. To preserve the ecosystem and ensure a stable protein supply, it is important to promote the aquaculture and animal husbandry that have been implemented by some local nongovernmental organizations.

Land Use in Shifting Cultivation: The Case of the Bongando (Ngandu) in Central Zaire

Land use pattern of the Bongando, shifting cultivators living in central Zaire is studied, using data of relnote sensing, land use Inap, and soil sampling. Cultivation-fallow cycle of the Bongando is not completed within the secondary forest, and the surrounding prinlary forest is successively cleared. It is because of sedentarization, population growth, and penetration of market economy. However, clear difference in soil fertility cannot be detected between forest and field, i.e. field soil is not extremely depleted by the cultivation. It suggests that by taking appropriate measures such as periodical village Inovement, tropical rain forest and its soil might be utilized continuously.

INTRODUCTION : Recent Advances in Central African Hunter-Gatherer Research

JAPANESE RESEARCH ON CENTRAL AFRICAN HUNTER-GATHERERSIt was more than 30 years ago when two Japanese anthropologists, late Professor Ju-nichiro Itani and late Professor Reizo Harako, first visited the Ituri forest in northeast-ern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, former Zaire). They took the routefrom Bukavu toward north along the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, passingthrough the area currently under a state of war, and reached to Bunia, then hitchhikeda camion to the Ituri forest. After a preliminary survey, Harako conducted a compara-tive research on the Mbuti net-hunters and archers at Lolwa village from 1972 to 1973(Harako, 1976). Tanno took over Harako’s research in 1973 in a new field in the Teturiarea, focusing on hunting activities of the Mbuti net hunters (Tanno, 1976). When Tannoreturned to Japan in 1974, Ichikawa left for the Teturi area to conduct further research onthe social organizations of the Mbuti net hunters (Ichikawa, 1978). In 1978, Terashimastarted theresearchon the Efe archers in thenorthern part of the forest (Terashima, 1983),where Ichikawa had carried out a preliminary survey in 1975. A series of research byJapanese anthropologists in the 1970s marks the starting point of the Mbuti and Efe stud-ies after Turnbull’s studies in the 1960s (Turnbull, 1965). The research in the Ituri foresthad continued until the early 1990s, when the political situation of former Zaire becameextremely unstable. In the early 1990s, the major field shifted to the northern part of Re-public of Congo (Congo=Brazzaville) to study the Aka in the Likouala region (Kitanishi,1995; Takeuchi, 1995). When the situation of Congo=Brazzaville worsened in 1993, themajor fields again shifted further westward to Cameroon, where we have been carryingout the research in the tropical rain forest on the western edge of the Congo basin.Research activities by Japanese anthropologists has thus covered most of the majorhunter-gatherer groups in central Africa, the Mbuti, Efe, Aka and Baka, and expanded towider fieldsof interests. Whileinitial researchwasfocusedon theecology, ethno-science,relationships between ecology and social organization, and other aspects of the people’srelationshipwith thenaturalenvironment, researchinterestsalsohavegradually expandedto other fields, such as ritual performances, non-verbal communications, as well as suchcontemporaryissuesas development,commercialization andenvironmental problems. Asa result, more than 20 researchers and students have so far been engaged in the researchof the central African hunter-gatherers.

AFlora: A database of traditional plant use in tropical Africa

AFlora is a database of ethnobotanical information collected in tropical Africa. Its purpose is to accumulate the information on plant use and nomenclature, and to facilitate effective information retrieval through Internet Web System. The information is specimen-based rather than taxon-based, and covers a whole range of man-plant relationships, direct and indirect, material as well as non-material uses. Graphic data (photographs) are also included in the database. In this paper, the structure ofAFlora database, information included in each record, categorizations of uses and used parts are demonstrated, and some of the uses of the database for reference and comparative studies are discussed.