Does forest management and researchers’ presence reduce hunting and forest exploitation by local communities in Tsitongambarika, south-east Madagascar?

Abstract

Hunting of wildlife is one of the major threats to biodiversity. For effective conservation programmes in countries where hunting and shifting agriculture are the main sources of subsistence, forest management should aim to reduce hunting pressure and forest exploitation. The presence of researchers has been promoted as one of the main ways to mitigate anthropogenic pressures on wildlife populations. Our aim was to test whether local management and the establishment of a research station had a role in decreasing forest exploitation by local people living adjacent to a recently protected area in south-east Madagascar. We interviewed local people from nine villages at various distances from the recently established research station of Ampasy, in the northernmost portion of the Tsitongambarika Protected Area, to explore how people use the forest, with a particular focus on hunting. We also performed transect surveys to estimate snare and lemur encounter rates before local forest management began, at the establishment of the research station, and 1 year after. The impact of local communities on the forest seems to have decreased since the beginning of forest management, with a further decrease since the establishment of the research station. Participants from villages not involved in the local management were more reluctant to declare their illegal activities. We conclude that a combination of local management and related activities (e.g. installation of a research station) can assist in temporarily reducing forest exploitation by local communities; however, community needs and conservation plans should be integrated to maintain long-term benefits.

Do functional traits offset the effects of fragmentation? The case of large‐bodied diurnal lemur species

“…Also, maintaining permanent presence at field sites may reduce local anthropogenic pressures (e.g., hunting, timber harvesting) on species' populations as a consequence of providing consistent employment/direct benefits to local communities (Campera et al, 2019; Wrangham & Ross, 2008; Wright et al, 2012). Regardless of whether or not PAs are a legitimate predictor of species occurrence, a greater effort is needed to maintain park boundaries.…”

Elevation gradients of lemur abundance emphasise the importance of Madagascar’s lowland rainforest for the conservation of endemic taxa

“…Although lemur species are well known for their ecological, physiological and behavioural flexibility, we found that their abundance was generally higher at lower elevations. Given the limited extent of undisturbed lowland rainforests in Madagascar, it is pivotal to promote conservation measures to maintain this habitat that hosts high abundances of several lemur species (Kremen et al 1999, Campera et al 2017. Rapid habitat degradation is occurring elsewhere in lowland rainforests (Myers et al 2000, Gibson et al 2011, so a similar analysis could be extended to other regions of the world where endemic taxa occur at different elevations, to determine their ability to occupy elevation gradients.…”

The what and where of primate field research may be failing primate conservation

“…Field sites that experience less human traffic may be better for the primates themselves because the populations experience less exposure to human researchers and potentially less attraction for the area by tourists, students, and short‐term researchers. Studies at newly founded field sites also provide new information on geographic variation and may afford a new conservation value to the area . Lack of infrastructure, inconsistent funding, and inconsistent local community support may, however, make research and conservation challenging at these relatively unstudied sites.…”