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Protected areas in tropical Africa: assessing threats and conservation activities.


ABSTRACT: Numerous protected areas (PAs) have been created in Africa to safeguard wildlife and other natural resources. However, significant threats from anthropogenic activities and decline of wildlife populations persist, while conservation efforts in most PAs are still minimal. We assessed the impact level of the most common threats to wildlife within PAs in tropical Africa and the relationship of conservation activities with threat impact level. We collated data on 98 PAs with tropical forest cover from 15 countries across West, Central and East Africa. For this, we assembled information about local threats as well as conservation activities from published and unpublished literature, and questionnaires sent to long-term field workers. We constructed general linear models to test the significance of specific conservation activities in relation to the threat impact level. Subsistence and commercial hunting were identified as the most common direct threats to wildlife and found to be most prevalent in West and Central Africa. Agriculture and logging represented the most common indirect threats, and were most prevalent in West Africa. We found that the long-term presence of conservation activities (such as law enforcement, research and tourism) was associated with lower threat impact levels. Our results highlight deficiencies in the management effectiveness of several PAs across tropical Africa, and conclude that PA management should invest more into conservation activities with long-term duration.

SUBMITTER: Tranquilli S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4254933 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Protected areas in tropical Africa: assessing threats and conservation activities.

Tranquilli Sandra S   Abedi-Lartey Michael M   Abernethy Katharine K   Amsini Fidèle F   Asamoah Augustus A   Balangtaa Cletus C   Blake Stephen S   Bouanga Estelle E   Breuer Thomas T   Brncic Terry M TM   Campbell Geneviève G   Chancellor Rebecca R   Chapman Colin A CA   Davenport Tim R B TR   Dunn Andrew A   Dupain Jef J   Ekobo Atanga A   Eno-Nku Manasseh M   Etoga Gilles G   Furuichi Takeshi T   Gatti Sylvain S   Ghiurghi Andrea A   Hashimoto Chie C   Hart John A JA   Head Josephine J   Hega Martin M   Herbinger Ilka I   Hicks Thurston C TC   Holbech Lars H LH   Huijbregts Bas B   Kühl Hjalmar S HS   Imong Inaoyom I   Yeno Stephane Le-Duc SL   Linder Joshua J   Marshall Phil P   Lero Peter Minasoma PM   Morgan David D   Mubalama Leonard L   N'Goran Paul K PK   Nicholas Aaron A   Nixon Stuart S   Normand Emmanuelle E   Nziguyimpa Leonidas L   Nzooh-Dongmo Zacharie Z   Ofori-Amanfo Richard R   Ogunjemite Babafemi G BG   Petre Charles-Albert CA   Rainey Hugo J HJ   Regnaut Sebastien S   Robinson Orume O   Rundus Aaron A   Sanz Crickette M CM   Okon David Tiku DT   Todd Angelique A   Warren Ymke Y   Sommer Volker V  

PloS one 20141203 12


Numerous protected areas (PAs) have been created in Africa to safeguard wildlife and other natural resources. However, significant threats from anthropogenic activities and decline of wildlife populations persist, while conservation efforts in most PAs are still minimal. We assessed the impact level of the most common threats to wildlife within PAs in tropical Africa and the relationship of conservation activities with threat impact level. We collated data on 98 PAs with tropical forest cover fr  ...[more]

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