Richard J. Parnell

Using satellite tracking to optimize protection of long-lived marine species: olive ridley sea turtle conservation in Central Africa.

Tractable conservation measures for long-lived species require the intersection between protection of biologically relevant life history stages and a socioeconomically feasible setting. To protect breeding adults, we require knowledge of animal movements, how movement relates to political boundaries, and our confidence in spatial analyses of movement. We used satellite tracking and a switching state-space model to determine the internesting movements of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) (n = 18) in Central Africa during two breeding seasons (2007-08, 2008-09). These movements were analyzed in relation to current park boundaries and a proposed transboundary park between Gabon and the Republic of Congo, both created to reduce unintentional bycatch of sea turtles in marine fisheries. We additionally determined confidence intervals surrounding home range calculations. Turtles remained largely within a 30 km radius from the original nesting site before departing for distant foraging grounds. Only 44.6 percent of high-density areas were found within the current park but the proposed transboundary park would incorporate 97.6 percent of high-density areas. Though tagged individuals originated in Gabon, turtles were found in Congolese waters during greater than half of the internesting period (53.7 percent), highlighting the need for international cooperation and offering scientific support for a proposed transboundary park. This is the first comprehensive study on the internesting movements of solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles, and it suggests the opportunity for tractable conservation measures for female nesting olive ridleys at this and other solitary nesting sites around the world. We draw from our results a framework for cost-effective protection of long-lived species using satellite telemetry as a primary tool.

Physical maturation, life-history classes and age estimates of free-ranging western gorillas--insights from Mbeli Bai, Republic of Congo.

Physical maturation and life‐history parameters are seen as evolutionary adaptations to different ecological and social conditions. Comparison of life‐history patterns of closely related species living in diverse environments helps to evaluate the validity of these assumptions but empirical data are lacking. The two gorilla species exhibit substantial differences in their environment, which allows investigation into the role of increased frugivory in shaping western gorilla life histories. We present behavioral and morphological data on western gorilla physical maturation and life‐history parameters from a 12.5‐year study at Mbeli Bai, a forest clearing in the Nouabalé‐Ndoki National Park in northern Congo. We assign photographs of known individuals to different life‐history classes and propose new age boundaries for life‐history classes in western gorillas, which can be used and tested at other western gorilla research sites. Our results show that western gorillas are weaned at a later age compared with mountain gorillas and indicate slower physical maturation of immatures. These findings support the risk‐aversion hypothesis for more frugivorous species. However, our methods need to be applied and tested with other gorilla populations. The slow life histories of western gorillas could have major consequences for social structure, mortality patterns and population growth rates that will affect recovery from population crashes of this critically endangered species. We emphasize that long‐term studies can provide crucial demographic and life‐history data that improve our understanding of life‐history evolution and adaptation and help to refine conservation strategies. Am. J. Primatol. 71:106–119, 2009.

Tracking leatherback turtles from the world's largest rookery: assessing threats across the South Atlantic

Despite extensive work carried out on leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the North Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, very little is known of the at-sea distribution of this species in the South Atlantic, where the worlds largest population nests in Gabon (central Africa). This paucity of data is of marked concern given the pace of industrialization in fisheries with demonstrable marine turtle bycatch in African/Latin American waters. We tracked the movements of 25 adult female leatherback turtles obtaining a range of fundamental and applied insights, including indications for methodological advancement. Individuals could be assigned to one of three dispersal strategies, moving to (i) habitats of the equatorial Atlantic, (ii) temperate habitats off South America or (iii) temperate habitats off southern Africa. While occupying regions with high surface chlorophyll concentrations, these strategies exposed turtles to some of the worlds highest levels of longline fishing effort, in addition to areas with coastal gillnet fisheries. Satellite tracking highlighted that at least 11 nations should be involved in the conservation of this species in addition to those with distant fishing fleets. The majority of tracking days were, however, spent in the high seas, where effective implementation of conservation efforts is complex to achieve.

Satellite tracking highlights difficulties in the design of effective protected areas for Critically Endangered leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea during the inter-nesting period

The globally distributed leatherback turtle Der- mochelys coriacea is subject to fisheries bycatch throughout its range. Protection from fisheries within pelagic foraging habitats is difficult to achieve but may be more tractable when populations are concentrated near neritic breeding and nesting grounds. We used satellite telemetry to de- scribe patterns of habitat utilization during the inter- nesting period for seven leatherback turtles nesting at Mayumba National Park in Gabon on the equatorial West African coast. The National Park includes critical nesting grounds and a marine protected area to 15 km offshore. Turtles dispersed widely from the nesting beach spending a mean of 62 - SD 26% of tracking time outside the confines of the National Park. This propensity to disperse is likely to increase the chance of deleterious interactions with fisheries in the region. Patterns of habitat utilization indicate the need for wider spatial scale planning on the West African continental shelf to enhance protection of leatherback turtles when they are seasonally occupying these habitats in great numbers for breeding and nesting.

Hand preference for food processing in wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) have not previously been represented in studies of laterality in wild great apes. The discovery of swampy clearings frequented by gorillas in northern Congo has provided the first opportunity to redress this imbalance. Hand preference data are presented from 33 gorillas in seated and standing postures, covering the procurement and processing of 2 to 4 plant species. Levels of hand preference exhibited were low. When data from all postures and plant species were pooled, 33% of gorillas showed hand preferences in excess of chance. In the standing posture, more gorillas exhibited significant left-hand preferences than right, but an overall population-level bias was not evident.

Does rainforest logging threaten marine turtles

Industrial logging is expanding rapidly in Central African rainforests. We suggest that logging operations in this region pose an indirect threat to nesting marine turtles, especially the Critically Endangered leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea. This occurs because some logs are being lost or abandoned during downriver transport to coastal timber yards; the lost logs float out to sea and then often wash ashore, where they accumulate on beaches used by nesting turtles. We used a light aircraft to survey logs along the entire coastline of Gabon, and also studied the impacts of logs at Pongara Beach, one of the worlds most important turtle nesting areas, during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 breeding seasons. Nearly 11,000 lost logs were counted along Gabons beaches, with an estimated commercial value of USD 11.1 million. Logs were unevenly distributed along the coast, reaching a peak density of 247 logs km-1. At Pongara, logs blocked 30.5% of the beach. These logs had a number of negative effects on marine turtles, causing 8-14% of all nesting attempts (n = 2,163) to be aborted or disrupted. Initiatives to remove lost logs and driftwood from critical nesting beaches may be the most effective means to reduce their deleterious impacts on threatened marine turtles.

Addressing uncertainty in marine resource management; combining community engagement and tracking technology to characterise human behavior

Small-scale fisheries provide an essential source of food and employment for coastal communities, yet the availability of detailed information on the spatiotemporal distribution of fishing effort to support resource management at a country level is scarce. Here, using a national-scale study in the Republic of Congo, we engaged with fishers from 23 of 28 small-scale fisheries landing sites along the coast to demonstrate how combining community engagement and relatively low cost Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers can rapidly provide fine-scale information on: (1) the behavioural dynamics of the fishers and fleets that operate within this sector; and (2) the location, size and attributes of important fishing grounds upon which communities are dependent. This multi-disciplinary approach should be considered within a global context where uncertainty over the behaviour of marine and terrestrial resource-users can lead to management decisions that potentially compromise local livelihoods, conservation, and resource sustainability goals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) sightings in continental shelf habitat off Gabon and Côte d'Ivoire (Africa)

caroline r. weir, tim collins, terry cross, alison gill, simon elwen, michael unwin and richard j. parnell Ketos Ecology, 4 Compton Road, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2BP, UK, Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK, Wildlife Conservation Society, Ocean Giants Program, Global Conservation, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA, Environment Society of Oman, PO Box 3955, PC 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, c/o Ketos Ecology, 4 Compton Road, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2BP, UK, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Present address: Iziko South African Museum, 25 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa, c/o Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN), Batterie 4, BP 30 379, Libreville, Gabon

Using satellite AIS to improve our understanding of shipping and fill gaps in ocean observation data to support marine spatial planning

1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK 2Association RENATURA Congo, Ecocentre, Pointe Noire, Congo 3Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Marine Program, Bronx, NY, USA 4Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, Brazzaville, Congo 5Wildlife Conservation Society, Gabon Program, Libreville, Gabon 6Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, UK 7College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Biology Group, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK