Effect of density and management of oil palm plantations on the avifauna of Southeastern Sierra Leone
November 2023
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a tropical perennial plant that provides most of the vegetable oil traded internationally. Although native to Africa, oil palm is grown throughout the humid tropics, and the largest producers are now in Southeast Asia. In many regions of cultivation, oil palm has been identified as a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. In Sierra Leone, oil palm grows wild in secondary...
Effects of rangeland based integrated soil and water conservation practices on herbaceous species regeneration, diversity, biomass and growth of planted tree species in Haro-Bake Sub-Watershed, Yaballo District, and Southern Ethiopia
October 2023
Rangeland degradation is a significant threat to people in dryland areas, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa like Ethiopia. Rehabilitation of degraded land is challenging due to moisture limitations and drought. This study evaluated rangeland-based integrated watershed management. Three soil and moisture conservation structures were applied, and multi-purpose tree/shrub species like Faidherbia albida, Melia azedarach,...
A comparative ecophysiological study of two forest understory ferns (Dryopteris marginalis and Polystichum acrostichoides) during summer drought and excessive heat
July 2023
This is a study of the photophysiology of two understory fern species growing on Torrey Cliff, Palisades, N.Y. during the summer of 2022 when the northeast incurred a significant period of drought and elevated temperatures. During the peak period of stress (July and August), mean photosynthesis rates of both species were lower than during more moderate weather in early summer and in autumn. Leaf fluorescence analyses...
Phenology and early growth performance assessment of the endangered Afromosia (Pericopsis elata) of the high forest zones in Ghana
July 2023
Pericopsis elata is a tall tree of high commercial value within moist and dry semi-deciduous West African forests. It is threatened with extinction, mainly due to overexploitation. Information on the reproductive phenology of such threatened but highly demanded trees remains crucial for taking conservation measures. This study examined the reproductive phenology of 50 individual trees relative to climatic variables,...
Socioeconomic determinants of Cameroon’s Mefou Wildlife Sanctuary visitors' willingness to pay for seeing animals in the wild
July 2023
Protected areas (PAs) in Cameroon witness chronic underfunding, with most operating with only around 10% of the necessary funds. This study aimed to explore socioeconomic factors affecting Mefou Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS) visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) for wildlife species observation in their natural habitat. The study was based on semi-structured questionnaires conducted with 637 respondents and the contingent...
Rural women vulnerability to human-wildlife conflicts: Lessons from villages near Mikumi National Park, Southeast Tanzania
July 2023
Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) remain a serious conservation problem in Tanzania, particularly for rural communities near national parks. Despite this prevalence, research on rural women’s experiences with human-wildlife conflicts is limited. To address this research gap, this study examined the impacts of HWC on rural women from two villages neighboring Mikumi National Park (MNP) in Southeast Tanzania. A total of...
Habitat preference and distribution of pangolin in Ala Forest Reserve and Onipanu Community Forest of Southwestern Nigeria
July 2023
Despite the ecological significance, social and economic values and the roles being played by pangolin, their ecological roles remain under-studied in context to Nigeria. There is dearth of information on the current status, distribution, habitat preferred by pangolin especially in the tropical rainforest ecoregion of Nigeria. Information on the overall habitat ecology, preference and the current distribution pattern of...
Traditional knowledge on wild edible vegetables consumed by communities around Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania
June 2023
Globally traditional knowledge on wild edible vegetables (WEVs) exists in most communities, but this information is limited and incomplete in the Serengeti ecosystem. This study employed face to face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires to about 180 households to acquire the required information on the WEVs species they consume in their area. After analysis of the collected data, the results indicated that a...
Contributions of Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) activities to livelihood of the local people, South West Region Cameroon
June 2023
The survival of Protected Areas (PAs) in Cameroon is very much dependent on alternative economic benefits derived by local people living around these areas. This study was set out to assess the contributions of Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) activities to livelihood of the local people. To achieve this, a household survey was conducted using simple random sampling technic where each household was given equal...
Highlighting the diversity of the rhizosphere mycobiome of five native West African trees
March 2023
Soil microbial communities play a vital role in ecosystem functioning by enhancing mineral nutrition and protecting forest trees against pathogens through mycorrhizal symbiosis. However, knowledge of the diversity and assemblage of belowground fungal communities associated with native host trees in tropical Africa is incomplete. Using high-throughput sequencing, this study examined soil fungal communities in the...
A framework for considering coral ecosystem services for biodiversity offsets
February 2023
Biodiversity offset practices often focus solely on securing ecological validity, despite biodiversity providing various human benefits such as ecosystem services (ES); the use of which is often lost by both the development project and the offset itself. In this paper, a framework is suggested to rationally examine the compensatory measures for ES use losses and tested with actual offset cases in developing countries,...
Responses of soil microbial biomass carbon to tillage and fertilizer types in maize cultivation in Buea, Cameroon
February 2023
Although soil microbial biomass (MBC) comprises less than 5% of soil organic matter, it responds rapidly to changes in soil management practices and, therefore, is generally used as an early indicators of changes in soil carbon. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of tillage practices (conventional tillage and no-tillage) and fertilizer types (synthetic, organic, and no fertilizer) on soil MBC. The...
Human-wildlife conflict in the Campo-Ma’an Technical Operational Unit, Southern Cameroon
December 2022
Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) is increasing in the Campo-Ma’an Conservation Area located in the southern region of Cameroon, thus threatening human livelihoods and wildlife; yet the sources and consequences of HWC in this region remain poorly understood. 127 households from three subdivisions were interviewed to investigate the extent of wildlife crop damage and identify humans’ impact on wildlife. Most...
Phenotypic characterization of sorghum accessions on farmers’ fields in northern and eastern Uganda
December 2022
Sorghum is one of the most important cereal crops grown in arid/semi-arid regions of the world. Understanding and utilising the genetic variation in sorghum accessions is essential for improving the crop to adapt to abiotic and biotic constraints. Several authors have reported the loss of sorghum diversity, but there is limited available information on on-farm sorghum diversity in the major sorghum growing areas in...
Status of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Ethiopia: A review
October 2022
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), one of the wide-ranging scarce carnivores, was widespread some decades back in Ethiopia's wild lands. However, its natural habitats are currently fragmented and shrinking due to anthropogenic factors. Regardless of this general overview, there appears to be a lack of up-to-date information which reveals the past and existing status of cheetahs in Ethiopia since they are relatively...
The physicochemical properties of surface water resources around fuel filling stations and auto-mobile repair workshops in Bamenda-City, North West Region of Cameroon
October 2022
Surface and ground water resources in urban areas are at risk of contamination from many human activities such as oil spills due to improper location of fuel filling stations and auto mobile repair workshops in fast developing cities in third world countries like Cameroon. The study was aimed at determining the physicochemical properties of surface water resources around fuel filling stations and auto-mobile repair...
Photophysiology and respiration of the temperate fern Onoclea sensibilis in spring and during summer stress in a changing climate
September 2022
Onoclea sensibilis L. is a temperate fern species of horticultural importance, and widely distributed in the natural environment of North America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. With increasing climate change, including excessive heat and unpredictable, sometimes severe precipitation events, ferns such as O. sensibilis may come under increasing loss of habitat and possibly survival threat. This is a study of the...
The effect of human-mediated mortalities of African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Ethiopia
September 2022
Even though the challenges to the conservation of African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Ethiopia are wide ranging, little is known about the trend of their potential threats. Similarly, the impacts of direct human-induced mortalities of leopards are poorly understood. Available literature sources that include published and unpublished reports and manuscripts on African leopard were reviewed in order to investigate...
Distribution, diversity and abundance of small mammals in different habitat types in the Usangu area, Southern Tanzania
July 2022
Habitat type and their vegetation composition play important role in determining the abundance and diversity of animals including small mammals, hence any change in habitat type will influence their abundance and spatial distribution. This study aimed at investigating the influence of habitat types (that is, Wetland grassland, Miombo and Vachellia woodlands) on small mammal abundance, diversity, and richness in the...
Sampling techniques for the optimal measurements of macromycetes diversity in the Soudano-Guinean ecozone (West Africa)
July 2022
Fungi range among the most important organisms in the world thanks to their ecological roles in the ecosystems and their socio-economic importance for human beings. Still, the global fungal species richness is full of uncertainties as evidenced by various estimates. Estimating fungal species richness and diversity is raising many questions related to the sampling effort (in space and time). This study aims to determine...
Status of bamboo species (Poaceae) (Kunth) in Menoua, Agroecological Zone 3 of Cameroon
July 2022
Studies on bamboo resources are limited in Congo Basin. This study assessed species diversity, distribution, characterisation and socio-economic importance of bamboo to livelihood in Menuoa, Cameroon. Ninety questionnaires, one focus group discussion per village, observation and interviews were administered in 9 villages. Yushania alpina (K. Schum.) W.C.Lin, Phyllostachys aurea Carrière ex Rivière & C....
Combining local ecological knowledge and field investigations to assess diet composition and feeding habit of forest elephants in Campo-Ma’an National Park, Southern Cameroon
July 2022
Forest elephants are nocturnal and elusive animals, making it difficult to perform direct observations on them. Data on elephants’ diet and feeding habit are lacking despite most forest elephants’ habitats being lost to anthropogenic activities; yet such knowledge may be important for their conservation, particularly in a human dominated landscape. Local ecological knowledge and field investigations...
Review of the status of African lion (Panthera leo) in Ethiopia
June 2022
African lion (Panthera leo), is an important species in the Ethiopian ecosystems. However, significant lion populations and their suitable habitats in many of their former ranges in Ethiopia have declined over time due to socioeconomic uncertainty and the resulting ecological imbalances. Despite this general trend, it is equally noted that there is a lack of verifiable data which depicts the past and current status of...
Diversity of lichens at Mount Cameroon, South West Region, Cameroon
April 2022
Concern about maintaining the biodiversity of lichen communities’ species has been an issue with lichenologists for many years. Many of the understudied regions face increasing threats from urban development, pollution, and potentially climate change, among other factors. The objective of this study was to examine the diversity of lichens on Mt. Cameroon. To achieve this objective, eight collection sites were...
Patterns of mammalian roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania
January 2022
Roads that traverse through protected areas if not well managed can have adverse impact on wildlife such as road-kills which is of global conservation concern. Though mammalian road-kills have been reported in different protected areas worldwide, very little information on the problem is available in the Serengeti ecosystem. This study employed both cross sectional observation and opportunistic encounter methods to...
Challenges for world natural heritage protection through coordinating a variety of values
January 2022
Designation of protected areas is an extremely effective means of "protecting" the natural environment and natural resources, and registration as a world natural heritage site is an extremely effective conservation policy for protecting its outstanding universal value. This paper introduces three cases such as Ha Long Bay, in Vietnam, Galapagos Islands and Shirakami-Sanchi in Japan which are the sites of world...
Ethnoecological knowledge allied to the management of wild medicinal plants in Ada’a District, East Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
January 2022
This study assessed and documented ethnoecological knowledge of the indigenous people of Ada’a District that has important contribution in the conservation of wild medicinal plants. Both purposive and random sampling methods were used to collect appropriate data. Quantitative and qualitative ethnobotanical methods were used to analyze the ethnoecological data. A significance test on the indigenous knowledge...
Feeding pattern of forest elephants in the Nki National Park and its environs, East Region, Cameroon
January 2022
Forest elephants play a vital role as keystone species in forest ecosystems, but little information is known on their feeding pattern which is a key concern for its conservation. This study was carried out in Nki National Park and the specific objective was to identify cultivated and non-cultivated plants eaten by elephants. Eleven 2 km line transects, and reconnaissance walk of approximately 40.16 km were used to...
Use and socio-economic values of Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre, a wild oil species in Benin
January 2022
Ricinodendron heudelotii is a wild oil tree species native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also found in Benin. Its oil is rich in the essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6), fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and trace elements, essential for human health. Currently, few people know about this oil, likely explaining its almost total absence in rural markets in Benin. The species is also neglected, as little scientific data...
Rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus) as a de facto forest common for local communities in Ghana
January 2022
This paper discusses how rosewood as a common-pool resource is managed and utilized at the local community level in the wake of aggravated exploitation of the resource for export to feed external markets. Non-probability sampling technique coupled with focus group discussion was used to collect primary data from two administrative districts in the transitional zone between the savannah and high forest in Ghana. In all,...
Environmental sustainability of consumptive and non-consumptive wildlife tourists: The case of a game reserve in Namibia
October 2021
Africa as a tourism destination is seen as a wildlife tourism hotspot that contributes significantly to job creation, community upliftment, and conservation. Wildlife tourism is based on encounters with non-domestic animals that can occur in either the animal’s natural environment or in captivity. The interaction with the animals includes activities that are historically classified as consumptive and...
Biodiversity loss and conservation challenges in Chimit Kolla, Gozamen District, East Gojam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
October 2021
A field study in Chimit Kolla, Gozamen District, Ethiopia was conducted in November, 2020. The study aimed to evaluate the biodiversity loss and major conservation challenges in the area. Direct sighting of the animals in the field and indirect evidences like scats, prey leftover and evidence from native key informants revealed higher wildlife potential of the area. However, intensive agricultural investment,...
Traditional uses of African rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. Fabaceae) through the sociolinguistic groups and the pathways of conservation and sustainable management in Benin
October 2021
Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir, a spontaneous species from Guinean savannahs of West Africa, functions as socio-economic and cultural livelihood in rural areas of Benin. This study improved the knowledge of people about the uses of P. erinaceus organs connected to the sociolinguistic diversity in Benin, intending to enhance the pathways of conservation and sustainable management of the species. A total of 506 respondents...
Floristic composition, diversity and community structure in a secondary rainforest in Ibadan, Nigeria
October 2021
Secondary forests may act as buffer area and serve as reservoir for biotic components that are lost from primary forest due to anthropogenic disturbances. This study investigated the floristic composition, diversity and community structure of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan, Nigeria. Twenty-five main plots (each 50 m × 50 m) were randomly mapped out to enumerate tree species, five 10...
Diversity, structure and health of a cocoa based agroforest system in the Humid dense forest, East Cameroon
October 2021
Cocoa is a major cash crop in Cameroon, where its production and export contributes significantly to the national economy and in poverty alleviation. Cocoa-based agroforestry systems (cAFS) have been recognised as a fair strategy for natural resource management, combining both the agricultural and conservation objectives. This study aims to (1) assess the diversity, (2) analyses the floristic and structural...
Can conservation incentives promote willingness to coexist with large carnivores in the eastern Serengeti ecosystem?
July 2021
Communities living adjacent to protected areas tend to express more willingness to coexist with large carnivores in their areas when they receive tangible benefits. The aim of this study was to explore people’s willingness to coexist with large carnivores, including lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) and...
Spatial distribution, ecological niche model of pignut and control eradication strategies in the context of climate and global change for Benin, West Africa
July 2021
Benin’s native biodiversity, like other countries in the world, is facing biological invasions through the proliferation of invasive alien species. One of them, the pignut (Mesosphaerum suaveolens (L.) Kuntze, Lamiaceae), represents a serious threat to the biodiversity. The control of its spatial distribution and ecological niche are essential to understand its favorable spatial area and predict its dynamics. The...
Impact of protected areas on the livelihood of locals: A case study in Saadani National Park, Tanzania
July 2021
We randomly selected 200 households from the four villages (50 per village) based on the household distance from the park: villages settled close to the park and villages settled further away from the park. Besides, qualitative methods including focus group discussions and direct observations, were used. Community activities differed between the two groups of villages (close and far from the park). Furthermore, local...
Forest cover change due to large scale plantation agriculture and community perception of its impact on climate variability in Nguti sub-division, South West Cameroon Region
July 2021
This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of plantation agriculture on land use, land cover change in the Nguti sub division and to investigate resident’s perception about the effects of land use, land cover change on local climatic variability. Satellite maps from Landsat multispectral images were processed using Arc GIS 8 to assess land cover change overtime. Structured questionnaires, focused group...
Tree species composition and diversity in Agoro-Agu Central Forest Reserve, Lamwo District, Northern Uganda
July 2021
Tree species composition and diversity were assessed in Agoro-Agu Central Forest Reserve located in Lamwo district-Northern Uganda. Fifteen transects, each 2 km long, were established in the reserve. A procedure of nested quadrats was employed for a systematic sampling of mature trees, saplings and seedlings at 100 m interval(s). Vegetation analysis was conducted in Species Diversity and Richness (SDRiv) software. A...
Assessment of the diversity and abundance of tree species in Afe Babalola University, Ado- Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
July 2021
In this study, an assessment of trees diversity and abundance in the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria was carried out. Stratified sampling method was employed. The University was divided into four strata for adequate sampling (Stratum A, B, C, D). The results revealed a total of 816 individual trees of 21 tree species belonging to 16 families. The family Aracaceae has the highest number of species...
Ethnobotanical study of the coconut palm in the Coastal Zone of Benin
July 2021
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.), also known as “tree of life”, is widely distributed across the Coastal Zone in Benin, where its cultivation is most important. Using participatory research appraisal tools and techniques, a survey was conducted in this zone to assess the diversity of coconut ecotypes, associated endogenous knowledge and their utilization. Nineteen villages randomly selected, and...
Assessment the conservation status and vulnerability of the ichthyological population of the Bandama River in the Marahoué Region (Central West of Côte d'Ivoire)
July 2021
The conservation status and the vulnerability to fishing pressure of the ichthyological population of the Bandama River located in the Marahoué Region (Côte d’Ivoire) were assessed. Sampling of fish fauna was conducted from September 2019 to November 2020 using experimental and artisanal fisheries. The results of International Union for Conservation of Nature show that, the majority of the fish...
Breeding biology and diet of the Madagascar Buzzard Buteo brachypterus in the Bemanevika Protected Area, Madagascar
April 2021
The breeding biology and diet of the endemic Madagascar Buzzard Buteo brachypterus, in Bemanevika Protected Area, northern Madagascar, was studied in 2017 and 2018. Nest building occurred from early August to early September, egg laying from late August to early October, hatching between September and October and fledging between November and December. Laying peaked in September (n = 24 pairs). Twenty-four breeding...
Invertebrate fauna associated with the cultivation of Vernonia calvoana calvoana (Asteraceae) in Yaoundé (Center-Cameroon)
April 2021
Vernonia calvoana is a culture spread across the world and prized for its culinary and medicinal virtues. The data was collected in Yaoundé, Central Cameroon region through manual harvesting at two stations from 2017 to 2019. A total of 168 species or morphospecies belonging to 47 families and 12 orders from two phyla were collected. The most abundant phylum was Arthropoda which represented 99.96% of the total...
Studies on Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) fruits storage and different preservation technologies for domestication
April 2021
In order to prevent a Shea seed from germination when stored, a preservation technology was adopted using different polythene bags which include a white transparent polythene bag of 500 mm gauge, big size perforated brown envelope, and black polythene bags of 500 mm guage. The results revealed that the Shea seeds preserved in the white transparent polythene bags retained their viability for six months which can then be...
Physiological ecology of ferns: Biodiversity and conservation perspectives
April 2021
Ferns have a long geological record extending over millions of years, and they are distributed in diverse environments worldwide; including swamps, coastal locations, open grasslands, mountain terrains, drylands and deserts. Consequently, their physiological ecology is rich with examples of the fern species diversity, and remarkable adaptive variability. This is a review of some major aspects of their physiological...
Species composition, seasonal abundance and distribution of avifauna in Lake Hawassa and part of the Eastern Wetland habitats, Southern Ethiopia
February 2021
This study was carried out in Lake Hawassa, Tikur wuha riverine habitat and Cheleleka wetland from August 2017 to February 2018. The study aims to investigate species composition, seasonal abundance and distribution of birds. Systematic random sampling techniques at an interval of 3 km were used to select sampling blocks. T-test and one way ANOVA were applied for analysis of the effect of season on the composition and...
The effects of anthropogenic activities on the regeneration of flora in duekoué and scio forests in Southwestern Côte D’ivoire
February 2021
The aim of this study is to understand how the crop farms and forest plantations affect the regeneration of local flora. Ten plots of 10 m × 10 m size were established per vegetation type and all DBH categories of vascular plants were inventoried. The richness of adult plants (DBH ≥10 cm) was similar to those of juvenile plants (10 cm > DBH ≥1 cm), which was between 20 and 50 times lower than the richness...
Climate change study in Burkina Faso from 1987 to 2018: An online systematic review for future directions
February 2021
In this paper, we perform a bibliometric analysis of published climate change research in Burkina Faso for the period of 1987 to 2018. More specifically, this article aims at (1) revealing the temporal, and categorical patterns in climate change research; (2) summarizing the global research trends from multiple perspectives; and (3) providing an alternative demonstration of research advancements about climate change...
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