Graphical Abstract Highlights d Bonobos and gorillas had stronger looking impulses compared to chimpanzees d Young apes looked longest at camera traps compared to mature individuals d Presence of a research site or conspecifics reduced the duration of looking d Both social and environmental factors affect great ape curiosity in the wild In Brief Kalan et al. use a large-scale field experiment to assess the reaction of wild great apes toward a novel object: camera trap devices. Bonobos show the strongest looking impulse and are more neophobic than either gorillas or chimpanzees. Additional social and environmental effects on reactions demonstrate the complexities of animal curiosity.

The effectiveness of protected area management is a major concern. In Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, recurrent human pressure challenges the ability of law enforcement authorities to protect wildlife. During 2010–2015 we studied the implementation of law enforcement in the Park to determine (1) the potential for improvement of the protection of large mammals and (2) the minimum patrolling effort needed to obtain increases in their populations. We recorded presence of large mammals and illegal activities in two areas within the Park, the research area (210 km2) and the rest of the Park (5,150 km2), and compiled data about patrolling efforts from the Park authorities. Using a generalized linear mixed model we identified a relationship between increased patrolling effort and the relative abundance of large mammals, especially for monkey groups, pygmy hippopotamuses Choeropsis liberiensis and duikers. At low patrolling efforts duiker encounter rates remained stable, whereas rates of encounter with monkey groups and pygmy hippopotamuses decreased. Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes verus encounter rates were slower to respond and remained stable at higher patrolling effort, but decreased at low patrolling effort. Our findings suggest that a minimum of 1.32 patrol days per km2 over 2 years is required for chimpanzee and monkey populations to increase, whereas a patrolling effort of 0.48 days per km2 over 2 years would lead to an increase in duiker and pygmy hippopotamus populations. We maintain that the patrolling effort required to ensure an increase in wildlife can be estimated relatively precisely from multi-year biomonitoring programmes.

Correspondances à adresser à: Inza Koné inza.kone@csrs.ci Résumé La Forêt des Marais Tanoé-Ehy (FMTE), identifiée par le Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS) comme étant un site hautement prioritaire pour la conservation des primates en Afrique de l'ouest, est sujette à de fortes pressions anthropiques qui se traduisent par le braconnage, le prélèvement anarchique des ressources naturelles, l'exploitation forestière et les tentatives de défrichements agricoles. Tranchant avec les politiques traditionnelles de conservation des écosystèmes caractérisées par l'exclusion des communautés locales, un programme pilote de gestion communautaire de cette forêt a été initié, depuis septembre 2006, avec les populations riveraines. L'appréhension des déterminants du succès et de la durabilité de cette expérience passe par une bonne connaissance des valeurs socio-économiques et anthropologiques qui sous-tendent les rapports des communautés locales avec cette forêt. Dans une approche qualitative, avec les outils d'analyses compréhensive, fonctionnaliste et interactionniste, cette étude a permis de comprendre comment l'existence de la FMTE participe à la préservation des moyens de subsistance des riverains et au maintien de leurs repères socioculturels. L'étude démontre ainsi que la valeur de la FMTE pour la conservation ne se limite pas à la spécificité de sa biodiversité et donne, par ailleurs, des pistes pour une bonne prise en compte de la dimension socio-anthropologique de la conservation de ce patrimoine forestier naturel. Mots clés :Forêt des Marais Tanoé-Ehy -Valeur pour la conservation -Gestion communautaire -Dimension socio-anthropologique -Côte d'Ivoire -Afrique de l'Ouest. AbstractThe Tanoé-Ehy Forest, identified by the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS) as a top priority site for primate conservation in West Africa is prone to high anthropogenic pressures: poaching, uncontrolled harvesting of natural resources, logging and agricultural clearings. Unlike traditional policies of conservation of ecosystems characterized by the exclusion of local communities, a pilot program for community management of this forest was initiated in September 2006 with local residents. A good understanding of socioeconomic and anthropological factors underpinning the relationships of the local communities with the forest is required to understand the determiners of success and sustainability of such a program. In a qualitative approach, with comprehensive, functionalist, and interactionist analysis tools, this study demonstrates how the existence of the Tanoé-Ehy Forest is crucial for the preservation of livelihoods for local residents and the maintenance of their sociocultural references. The study thus demonstrates that the conservation value of the Tanoé-Ehy Forest extends beyond the specificity of its biodiversity and finally gives clues for a proper consideration of the socio-anthropological dimension of the conservation of this heritage.