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The impact of commercial hunting on forest mammals was studied in two regions on Bioko and Rio Muni in Equatorial Guinea, west Africa. Harvests were assessed from carcass counts in the main markets in the areas. A total of 10,812 carcasses of 13 species were recorded in Bioko, and 6160 carcasses of 30 species were recorded in Rio Muni. Biomass of harvested mammals was 111,879.63 kg in Bioko and 66,447.87 kg in Rio Muni. For the 12 prey species selected for study in Bioko, harvests totaled 7.15 animals/km2 or 62.93 kg/km2. Harvests for the 17 prey species in Rio Muni were 3.22 animals/km2 or 24.06 kg/km2. We used a model developed by Robinson and Redford (1991) to estimate potential harvests based on animal production rates. Total production was 147.90 animals/km2 and 139.12 animals/km2 in Bioko and Rio Muni, respectively. Potential harvest figures varied considerably by species. Comparison of actual and potential harvests showed that five primate species (Cercopithecus erythrotis, Cercopithecus nictitans, Cercopithecus pogonias, Cercopithecus preussi, and Mandrillus leucophaeus) and one ungulate (Cephalophus ogilbyi) in Bioko were being hunted unsustainably. Only two of the 17 species (Cercopithecus nictitans and Cephalophus dorsalis) in Rio Muni were being hunted unsustainably. Percent deviation of actual from potential harvests averaged 4.98 times greater than sustainable harvest in Bioko and 1.03 times greater in Rio Muni. For the two sites together figures ranged from close to 28 times greater than potential to 0.08% of the potential harvest. Although hunting methods and the commercialization potential of species may affect their presence in markets, these figures show that Bioko animals are heavily exploited, some of them unsustainably. This poses severe risks for the conservation of the island's unique fauna that must be addressed immediately. Impacto de la caza comercial sobre las especies de mamíferos en Guinea Ecuatorial

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In general, the strategies for biological diversity conservation and the design of protected areas have been developed with environmental information as a surrogate for diversity (Hortal and Lobo 2006). However, this does not necessarily achieve the goals for conserving the most important target, i.e., the species (Brooks et al. 2004). The spatial distribution of species reflects the variability of the physical environment, as well as the role of historical and demographical factors that determine their population dynamics. Hence, a first step to generate an effective conservation strategy is to compile taxonomical information concerning the region under study and to document spatial patterns of diversity distributions. The challenge, though, is to obtain this information in the appropriate scale for the use of conservation managers (Harris et al. 2005 AbstractThe knowledge of the spatial patterns of species richness and, particularly, of endemic and threatened species at the scale at which management activities take place is crucial for conservation. Yet, detailed descriptions of species' distribution areas are often lacking or incomplete, especially in the tropics. This article focuses on the African island of Bioko and uses species accumulation curves to evaluate the completeness of its biological inventory for three plant groups (ferns, monocotyledons and dicotyledons), birds and monkeys. Results showed that the current inventory is fairly complete for monkeys and birds, but only covers half of the vegetation in the island. Bioclimatic models were used to estimate the potential distribution of each species and to assemble species richness patterns for each taxa and for endemic and threatened species, revealing that montane and lowland rainforests were the richest habitats, while high altitude shrubs and subalpine meadows were the poorest ones. Predicted richness values for monsoon forests were unexpectedly low for plants and birds, probably because of insufficient sampling in these areas. Additionally, the comparison of species richness patterns with the proposed delineation of protected areas for the island shows that these will cover most hotspots of species richness, endemism and threatened species, except for dicotyledonous plants and endemic birds. The potential utility of the predicted patterns for conservation priorities and initiatives in Bioko is discussed.

Las actividades de fomento de la cultura científica se han convertido en una práctica habitual de las instituciones de investigación, que destinan presupuesto y recursos humanos a este objetivo. Cada vez más personal científico y técnico incorpora esta misión a sus tradicionales tareas de investigación y formación. Sin embargo, mientras la investigación y la docencia cuentan con indicadores establecidos, las actividades de divulgación siguen estando consideradas como un ejercicio extraordinario, pocas veces reconocido institucionalmente. En este sentido, el uso de unos indicadores de cultura científica contribuiría a favorecer un cambio de mentalidad y a la obtención de datos objetivos sobre los que orientar las acciones de comunicación social de la ciencia. En este contexto, el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), a través de su Vicepresidencia Adjunta de Cultura Científica, se ha propuesto analizar las actividades desarrolladas en esta línea, entre 2011 y 2019, en relación a los siguientes indicadores: 1) la inversión económica; 2) el personal dedicado a cultura científica; 3) el número y tipo de actividades; y 4) el público al que se llega. Entre las principales conclusiones, destaca que el CSIC cuenta con una masa crítica más o menos estable de unas 200 personas que se dedican a tareas de cultura científica. Cada año se realizan alrededor de 15.000 actividades (presenciales y no presenciales) en las que se implican alrededor de 3.000 trabajadoras y trabajadores del CSIC. Cada año participan cerca de un millón y medio de personas de manera presencial.