West Africa's last giraffes: the conflict between development and conservation

Abstract

The distribution of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta Thomas 1898) has greatly diminished in West Africa, and now the last remaining population, reduced to less than 100 individuals, is found in Niger. These giraffes of West Africa are seriously threatened by extensive deforestation and clearing of their habitat. They live peacefully with humans and cattle and participate in an essential way in the dynamics of vegetation. Their disappearance would represent another step towards the impoverishment of the inheritance of Africa, a process already too far advanced. To save them, a fundamental rethinking of the connection between the environment and development on the one hand, and on the responsibilities of rural communities for the management of their natural resources on the other, has to be undertaken.

The last African white giraffes live in farmers’ fields

“…Fifteen years later, this study confirms that a harmonious human-giraffe cohabitation described from 1991 to 2000 (Ciofolo 1991(Ciofolo , 1995Ciofolo et al 2000), has evolved. The damage caused today by the giraffes is, according to our sample, significant and widely distributed within the zone, to the point of eliciting a predominantly negative overall perception of the giraffes.…”

“…Very rare natural ponds dry up at the end of Biodivers Conserv (2009) 18:2663-26772665 the rainy season in late October. Re-growth of these wooded areas, largely dominated by Combretaceae, and the filling up of temporary ponds begin in June with the first rains (Ciofolo 1995). A retrospective analysis shows that the area of tiger bush has diminished by 50% since 1950 from the effects of overgrazing, the intensive cutting of firewood and a significant increase in cultivated land.…”

“…The human population density is higher than in Fakara (70 against 35 persons km -2 , BCR Niger 2001). The woody vegetation is degraded and modified with a scattered cover constituted of species which are palatable for the giraffes (Ciofolo et al 2000;Caister et al 2003) such as Combretum glutinosum (Combretaceae), Acacia nilotica, A. seyal, Faidherbia albida (Mimosaceae) (Ciofolo 1995), this last species flushing with the start of the dry season. In addition to rainy season crops, the permanent water allows farmers to grow off-season crops in gardens and orchards around permanent ponds.…”

“…This population increase has accelerated the clearing of the natural woody cover for crop cultivation and the collecting of firewood (Newby and Fennessy 2006). This unique situation where giraffes and humans cohabit in the same area does not seem to have posed any problems in the past: ''giraffes, farmers, pastoralists, and domestic herds lived alongside each other in a totally peaceful way'' (Ciofolo 1991(Ciofolo , 1995Ciofolo et al 2000). An eco-ethological study of the feeding behaviour of the White giraffe in 1992 and 1993 also made no reference to crops being fed upon by giraffes Ciofolo and Le Pendu (2002).…”

Behavioural inventory of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

“…Over the past couple of decades, the number of giraffes has declined considerably across Africa, presumably due to direct and indirect anthropogenic impact, such as extensive poaching, habitat destruction, and rinderpest [7-9]. As a consequence, several of today’s giraffe populations are isolated and live in detached habitat fragments or fenced reserves [7,8].…”