Integrating traditional knowledge when it appears to conflict with conservation: lessons from the discovery and protection of sitatunga in Ghana

McPherson, Jana; Sammy, Joy; Sheppard, Donna J.; Mason, John; Brichieri‐Colombi, Typhenn A.; Moehrenschlager, Axel

doi:10.5751/es-08089-210124

Cited by 44 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…A recently completed road between Blemeazadoe and Agorbledokui, for example, opens the area to increased human traffic and likely restricts sitatunga access to potentially suitable habitat further south in the Anlo‐Keta Lagoon complex. The CPA itself is vulnerable too, as aspirations of eco‐tourism income have not so far materialized, and the CPA's management board has no reliable revenue stream to fund even basic operations (McPherson et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…To maximize capture of sitatunga activity, cameras were placed non‐randomly in areas identified as suitable habitat by local hunters. All camera trapping occurred between March and July, with 4–10 cameras set per year at varying locations (details in McPherson et al ., ). Images of sitatunga captured by each camera were considered discrete events if separated by at least 1 h. In total, cameras captured 34 sitatunga events at 13 of 38 camera locations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Data on sitatunga presence to calibrate our habitat suitability models originated from both camera‐traps (as above) and 225 h of hunter‐aided surveys conducted opportunistically across a 83 km 2 search area in and around the CPA between 2006 and 2013 (Fig. a; details in McPherson et al ., ). These surveys recorded sitatunga evidence (tracks, feces, browsing evidence, sleeping spots, horn scratching posts, reported recent sightings plus one live sighting) at 150 locations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In Ghana, sitatunga were thought extirpated for over 50 years, but were ‘rediscovered’ by science in 1998 when the Ghana Wildlife Division undertook aerial surveys of Avu Lagoon near the country's south‐eastern coast. Since then, hunter‐assisted tracking and camera‐trap efforts have yielded additional evidence of sitatunga presence in the surrounding wetlands (McPherson et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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In aid of (re)discovered species: maximizing conservation insights from minimal data

Brichieri‐Colombi¹,

McPherson²,

Sheppard³

et al. 2016

Animal Conservation

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New species discoveries or the rediscovery of species once considered extinct or extirpated is good news, and yet prospects for long-term survival may be bleak if remnant populations are small and isolated. Because (re)discovered species are commonly rare or cryptic, data to inform appropriate conservation actions are usually sparse. We demonstrate how to make the most of available data, using the recent rediscovery in Ghana of sitatunga Tragelaphus spekei as an illustrative case study. Sitatunga were thought extinct in Ghana for over 50 years, but were 'rediscovered' by science in Avu Lagoon in 1998. Little is known about this species, especially West African populations, given its cryptic nature and inaccessible wetland habitat. Our approach to maximizing insights given limited data first paired observations of occurrence with landscape characteristics derived from open-access remote sensing data, creating the first ever habitat suitability model for sitatunga. This model then served to: (1) elucidate habitat preferences; (2) assess possible existence and connectivity of remnant populations elsewhere in Ghana; and (3) estimate maximum total and effective population size. Moreover, the timing of occurrence sightings provided insights into behavior. Sitatunga sightings were rare, heavily male-biased and mostly occurred between 6 pm and 6 am. Suitable habitat was limited, suggesting that habitat in and near Avu Lagoon is insufficient to ensure long-term population viability, and the existence of other, connected populations in Ghana is improbable. Without continued protection, and possibly additional interventions to augment population numbers or gene flow, the sitatunga in Avu Lagoon will likely go extinct. Our case study demonstrates the conservation challenges associated with the rediscovery of relict populations, and the utility of applying tools such as habitat suitability models to sparse data. Moreover, our research stresses the need to implement immediate conservation action upon species (re)discoveries to prevent (regional) extinction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

In aid of (re)discovered species: maximizing conservation insights from minimal data

Brichieri‐Colombi¹,

McPherson²,

Sheppard³

et al. 2016

Animal Conservation

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“…, McPherson et al. ). Ignoring the local cultural context or exploiting sociocultural divisions to advance a particular agenda is therefore detrimental to effective community engagement (Mishra et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Standardizing the evaluation of community‐based conservation success

Brichieri‐Colombi

McPherson

Sheppard

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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Community-based conservation, which strives to simultaneously improve nature conservation and alleviate poverty, must provide biological and socioeconomic benefits that are linked through effective resilience mechanisms. To date, few community-based conservation initiatives have published comprehensive assessments that track performance in these elements of success. With 45% of the world's protected areas in comanagement with local communities, standardized measures to effectively evaluate the dual goals of community-based conservation are needed. We here introduce SPECCS, a user-friendly Standardized Protocol for Evaluating Community Conservation Success that incorporates an appraisal of data quality to responsibly assess progress over time or to compare effectiveness among different initiatives. We illustrate SPECCS's use by evaluating the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary (WCHS) of northern Ghana 10 and 20 yr after its inception. The WCHS has the dual objective of protecting one of Ghana's few remaining hippopotamus populations while alleviating poverty in the surrounding communities through the creation of economic opportunity and infrastructure development. Results suggest stable project performance in the 10-yr (76%) and 20-yr (76%) evaluation, with an improvement in evaluation quality from 30% to 34%. The project is currently stronger in socioeconomic (performance 86%; quality 30%) than biological (60%; 32%) outcomes and in benefits (83%, 42%) than resilience (63%, 21%). Biological resilience is challenged by poor connectivity and limited project control over threats, whereas socioeconomic resilience is affected by a decision balance that continues to favor external stakeholders. SPECCS helps pinpoint strengths and weaknesses for timely adaptive management, strategic investments, and evidence-based recognition of community-based conservation successes.

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Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Ulicsni,

Molnár,

Szentirmai

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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Locals engaged in traditional farming and possessing traditional ecological knowledge consider certain species worthy of protection, as do official nature conservationists, although the sets of taxa may not be identical. Exploring the relationship between the two sets of taxa could bring many practical benefits, yet the literature on this subject is scarce. For more efficient conservation and better engagement and knowledge co‐production with locals, it is necessary to understand the principles, preferences and worldviews of the two knowledge systems, and the drivers behind the choices of which animal species to protect. We examined which animal species traditional farmers and conservationists wish to protect, and why. We also examined whether there is a correlation between the extent of farmers' ecological knowledge and the number of species they regard as needing protection. In the case of the species that conservationists consider most in need of protection, we also enquired how knowledgeable local farmers are about these species. Our research was carried out in two adjacent protected sites in Central Europe along the Slovenian‐Hungarian border. We conducted 20 structured interviews with traditional farmers at each of the two sites (40 altogether), and 23 with local conservationists. Both conservationists and local farmers predominantly mentioned the protection of species that do not provide a tangible economic benefit to farmers and that show a declining population trend. Local farmers with greater species knowledge did not know significantly more than those with less knowledge about the species to be protected, nor did they list more legally protected species. The preliminary assumption of the conservationists was that the locals knew the species and listed the ones to be protected for essentially functional reasons (e.g. usefulness). By contrast, it was found that many more aspects (e.g. population trends, appearance) also had a significant impact. Once the boundaries between the two knowledge systems are removed, collaboration between the stakeholder groups can facilitate the protection of natural assets and local communities. We consider it the responsibility of conservationists (together with ethnoecologists and other researchers) to ensure that these preferences are properly understood for the benefit of conservation and local communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Integrating traditional knowledge when it appears to conflict with conservation: lessons from the discovery and protection of sitatunga in Ghana

Cited by 44 publications

References 46 publications

In aid of (re)discovered species: maximizing conservation insights from minimal data

In aid of (re)discovered species: maximizing conservation insights from minimal data

Standardizing the evaluation of community‐based conservation success

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

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