Paul Scholte

Towards Understanding Large Mammal Population Declines in Africa's Protected Areas: A West-Central African Perspective:

A raft of recent studies has highlighted a major decline in large mammal populations in many of Africas protected areas. A recent continent-wide assessment represented a major step forward also in terms of quantifying the decline on a regional basis, but fell short in its sampling and analysis. In this paper, a way out of the “black box” of large mammal declines in Africas protected areas is formulated, with the aim of assisting in the preparation of further assessments in the future. First, large mammal assessments are categorized, highlighting the importance of using and sometimes juxtaposing peer-reviewed sources. The importance of the length of time series of large mammal counts is stressed, allowing one to distinguish between natural variation (especially rainfall) and human-induced changes. Setting reference dates, such as 1970, often gives biased results, showing the need to interpret large mammal population assessments in a historic context as well. This holds true particularly for West-Central Africa, which has experienced a considerable decline in rainfall since 1970. Building on a framework that connects herbivore physiology and behavior with environmental gradients, examples are given to explain some striking observed changes. The declines in Africas protected areas are not limited to large mammals, but have also been observed for large birds of prey. Assessments of large mammal populations should be accompanied by the identification of proximate drivers of change, for which a framework is suggested in this paper. To conclude, some suggestions for countering the declines in large mammal populations are presented.

Mobile Pastoralists in the Logone Floodplain Distribute Themselves in an Ideal Free Distribution

We examined whether mobile pastoralists in the Logone floodplain of Cameroon distribute themselves according to the ideal free distribution (IFD), which predicts that the number of individuals in each area is proportional to the quality and quantity of resources in each area and that all individuals have access to the same amount of resources. We used the concept to assess the distribution of grazing pressure over available common-pool resources as evidence of a complex adaptive system in which the spatial distribution grazing pressure is adjusted to the distribution of resources through individual decision making and passive coordination of movements among individual pastoralists. We used a combination of spatial and ethnographic approaches to study the distribution of resources and mobile pastoralists in the Logone floodplain in 5 successive years and found evidence for an IFD in 3 years (2008–2009 and 2012) and an approximation of an IFD in years in which pastoralists were terrorized by armed bandits (2010) and the government reestablished security (2011). The findings support our hypothesis that there is a self-organizing management system in which pastoralists distribute themselves effectively over the available resources.

Rangeland governance in an open system: Protecting transhumance corridors in the Far North Province of Cameroon

The mobile pastoral system in the far north region of Cameroon is an excellent example of the paradox of pastoral land tenure, in that pastoralists need secure access to pasture and water, but also flexibility in resource use, i.e. the ability to move elsewhere because of spatio-temporal variation in resource availability. In this paper, we draw from our collective research and development experience with mobile pastoralists and discuss how non-governmental organisations have used ordinances and bureaucratic procedures to protect pastoral resources, in particular transhumance corridors that connect seasonal grazing lands in the far north region. We argue that the mobile pastoral system is best understood as an open system and explain what the implications are for the protection of pastoral resources. We argue that delimiting and protecting transhumance corridors is not the panacea, and we conclude with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.

Vegetation mapping from high-resolution satellite images in the heterogeneous arid environments of Socotra Island (Yemen)

Abstract Socotra Island (Yemen), a global biodiversity hotspot, is characterized by high geomorphological and biological diversity. In this study, we present a high-resolution vegetation map of the island based on combining vegetation analysis and classification with remote sensing. Two different image classification approaches were tested to assess the most accurate one in mapping the vegetation mosaic of Socotra. Spectral signatures of the vegetation classes were obtained through a Gaussian mixture distribution model, and a sequential maximum a posteriori (SMAP) classification was applied to account for the heterogeneity and the complex spatial pattern of the arid vegetation. This approach was compared to the traditional maximum likelihood (ML) classification. Satellite data were represented by a RapidEye image with 5 m pixel resolution and five spectral bands. Classified vegetation relevés were used to obtain the training and evaluation sets for the main plant communities. Postclassification sorting was performed to adjust the classification through various rule-based operations. Twenty-eight classes were mapped, and SMAP, with an accuracy of 87%, proved to be more effective than ML (accuracy: 66%). The resulting map will represent an important instrument for the elaboration of conservation strategies and the sustainable use of natural resources in the island.

Ideal Free Distributions of Mobile Pastoralists in Multiple Seasonal Grazing Areas

Abstract The pastoral system in the Far North Region of Cameroon is best described as an open system in which mobile pastoralists have open access to common-pool grazing resources. We hypothesized that there is a self-organizing management system of open access to common-pool grazing resources and predicted that we would find an Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) of mobile pastoralists within seasonal grazing areas. In this paper we used mobility data and remote sensing data from two seasonal grazing areas at the end of the dry season in three consecutive years to evaluate that hypothesis. We found evidence of an IFD in the two seasonal grazing areas of the Logone Floodplain and the Lake Maga area. These findings offer further support for our hypothesis that there is a complex adaptive system in which pastoralists distribute themselves effectively over available grazing resources.

Large-scale extinction of large carnivores (lion Panthera leo, cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and wild dog Lycaon pictus) in protected areas of West and Central Africa

A number of recent studies have suggested that large carnivores are rapidly disappearing in West Africa, including in protected areas (PAs). The extent of this extinction process, however, is poorly known. Here, we quantify the extinction of three large carnivore species (Panthera leo (lion), Acinonyx jubatus (cheetah) and Lycaon pictus (wild dog)) in 41 West and Central African PAs by comparing historical and current data of occurrence. We found that lions have gone (near-) extinct in 23 out of the 38 PAs (63%) where they historically occurred and that extinction is significantly more pronounced in West (15 extinctions out of 18 historical occurrence, 64%) than in Central Africa (8/20, 40%). Cheetahs have disappeared from 11 out of 15 PAs (73% of site extinction). Wild dogs persist in only one PA in West Africa and two in Central Africa out of a total of 31 historical occurrences (90% of site extinction). For all three species combined, the number of extinctions in PAs in West Africa (33 out of 39 historical occurrences, i.e. 85% of site extinction) is significantly higher than in Central African PAs (29/45, i.e. 64%). Carnivore populations persist outside PAs in that latter region. Our study shows that PAs with remaining lion populations are significantly larger than those with extinct populations. However, we found that the human population density around PAs is not a good predictor of lion extinction. We suggest that the presence of mobile pastoralists may better explain the extinction pattern of large predators, and we recommend developing indicators of the pastoralism pressure to test that hypothesis.

Studying the Logone floodplain, Cameroon, as a coupled human and natural system

African floodplains are an excellent example of coupled human–natural systems because they exhibit strong interactions among multiple social, ecological, and hydrological systems. The intra-annual and interannual variations in seasonal flooding have direct and indirect impacts on ecosystems and human lives and livelihoods. Coupled human and natural system (CHANS) is a broad conceptual framework that is used to study systems in which human and natural components interact. While there are other conceptual frameworks to study social-ecological systems, the CHANS framework offers a clear way of studying the interactions, called couplings, between human and natural systems. Core features of the framework are the following: human and natural systems are analytically separated; focus is on processes within and couplings between systems; and the goal is to build an integrative, quantitative model of the coupled system. This paper explains the conceptual framework of coupled systems, using the case study of the Logone floodplain in Cameroon. We compare the CHANS framework with other frameworks that have been used to study the same floodplain, and argue for its usefulness in the study of African floodplains.

Good news from north-central Africa: largest population of Vulnerable common hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius is stable

North-central Africa (i.e. Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad) once held important populations of large mammals, including the hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius . Exports of hippopotamus trophies from Cameroon were suspended in 2012 but the species’ status and population trends remain poorly known. Using the same methodology as in 2000 and 2008, we counted hippopotamuses in Faro National Park and bordering hunting zones in 2014. We counted 685 individuals along 97 km of river, compared with 647 and 525 in 2000 and 2008, respectively. The stability of this population contrasts with the declines in populations of large mammals across north-central Africa. We attribute this conservation success to private efforts (i.e. safari hunting) compensating for a decline in state protection. However, the situation remains fragile, as highlighted by an influx of transhumant cattle and gold diggers. We recommend increasing public–private conservation efforts, including incentives for the safari hunting industry, which is also under pressure.

A Central African Perspective on Delegated Protected Area Management

In recent years, there has been a trend for African states to delegate protected area management to private partners. Central Africa is confronted with rapidly declining wildlife populations, with scarce funding and poor incentives as root causes. This raises the question as to whether management delegation can counter this trend. However, our understanding of the efficiency of such partnerships and how they need to be handled is poor. Based on hands-on experiences and external evaluations, we developed best practices of delegated management partnerships in Central Africa. This triggered the development of the here presented Central African perspective, enriching a debate that is biased toward other parts of the continent and dominated by private conservation partners. In particular, we emphasize that in Central Africa, (a) protected areas with delegated management are among the most prestigious ones, albeit with serious management challenges; (b) it is the importance of the protected area that justifies its inclusion in formal development cooperation agreements—the dominant source of funding; (c) lack of legal provisions has been an obstacle to initiate delegated management partnerships for some countries and its wider use in others; (d) increasingly, foundations are being created as implementing national entities; and (e) raising national capacities in handling delegated management should be at the forefront of partnerships. We conclude by highlighting the importance of the new regional best practices that are based on the four stages: identification, preparation, negotiation, and implementation, of which the first three have often been neglected by Central African governments.