L'exploitation durable de la faune dans un village forestier de la République Centrafricaine : une approche interdisciplinaire

This manuscript presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of wildlife exploitation in Banga, a bofi forest village of 300 persons in Central African Republic. In the first part of this work, operating modes and worldviews of the four main local stakeholders of wildlife management are confronted: the Central African State, the local peoples (Pygmies and Bantus), a forester and a conservation-development project. This analysis shows marked differences between actors in terms of internal organization, influence networks, means available, knowledge of the resource and its exploitations, values, goals, strategies and vision of the future. Basically, there is a major conceptual divide between local people and the others stakeholders. The second part of this work summarizes the methods developed by the Conservation Biology to assess the sustainability of wildlife harvesting, applying them to our study site. We distinguished sustainability indices that can be classified as empirical or theoretical, and site-specific modeling exercises. This review identifies many approximations, uncertainties, questionable assumptions and errors that limit the relevance of sustainability indices. Furthermore, our analysis shows that these methods carry implicit values (environmentalism, fixism and neo-liberalism) that influence their results. Thus, the third part of this thesis proposes a synthesis of the wildlife management problem in Banga using the Panarchy framework, which gives a new definition of sustainability, of the role of science and of the practice of interdisciplinarity for complex problems solving. Four scenarios of prospective change and action are constructed, which clarify the values they promote, the beneficiaries of the actions engaged, the probability of success and their expected results. (Résumé d'auteur

Gabon - Vers une gestion durable de la chasse villageoise. Diagnostic approfondi du département de Mulundu et recommandations stratégiques

Ce rapport intitulé "Gabon - Vers une gestion durable de la chasse villageoise" fait partie de la série de rapports techniques du Programme de gestion durable de la faune sauvage (Sustainable Wildlife Management "SWM" Programme). Au Gabon, le SWM Programme opère au sein d'une collectivité territoriale décentralisée (département de Mulundu) dans un contexte de faible densité humaine, et où l'exploitation de la faune sauvage contribue significativement à la sécurité alimentaire et économique des populations rurales. Le SWM Programme au Gabon vise donc à promouvoir une gestion durable de la chasse villageoise et du commerce local de viande de brousse, tout en augmentant l'offre en protéines alternatives. L'objectif est de trouver un juste équilibre entre l'utilisation de la faune sauvage et sa conservation. Les enseignements tirés de cette initiative seront reproduits dans d'autres endroits du pays. Le SWM Programme est une initiative de l'Organisation des États d'Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique (OEACP) financée par l'Union européenne (UE) et cofinancée par le Fonds français pour l'environnement mondial (FFEM) et l'Agence française de développement (AFD). Ce programme de sept ans (2017-2024) est mis en oeuvre dans 15 pays membres de l'OEACP par un consortium de partenaires incluant l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO), le Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (Cirad), le Centre de recherche forestière internationale (CIFOR) et la Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

Extension de l'aire de distribution du mangabey agile (Cercocebus agilis) et du mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) dans l'est du Gabon, documentée grâce aux pièges photographiques.

peer reviewe

Notes on the distribution and status of small carnivores in Gabon

The distribution and status of small carnivore species in Gabon have never been comprehensively assessed. We collated data from general wildlife surveys, camera-trap and transect studies and analyses of bushmeat consumption and trade, to map their country-wide occurrence and assess current exploitation levels. Records of Common Slender Mongoose Herpestes sanguineus and Cameroon Cusimanse Crossarchus platycephalus represent the first confirmation of their occurrence in Gabon. Cameroon Cusimanse was believed to extend into north-east Gabon, but the Slender Mongoose records extend its known range well outside that previously suspected. We furthermore extended the known range for Egyptian Mongoose Herpestes ichneumon. Crested Genet Genetta cristata has also been proposed to occur in Gabon but our records were not suited to evaluating this possibility given the difficulties of separation from Servaline Genet G. servalina. Most species appear to be distributed widely across the country. While several are commonly recorded in hunter catch and bushmeat markets, they form only a small proportion (3.4% and 3.1%, respectively) of all bushmeat records. However, in proximity to settlements, small carnivore exploitation, for bushmeat and use of body parts in traditional ceremonies, appears to have adverse effects on species richness and abundance

Community-based monitoring in the context of sustainable wildlife management and biodiversity conservation in tropical countries

This document is addressed to communities and their partners, and features eight main key lessons learned that emerge from the implementation of community-based monitoring in the context of wildlife management and biodiversity conservation, across 15 countries in Africa, the Guyana Shield and the Pacific Region in which the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme is implemented. The examples involve diverse forms of community-based monitoring and include different ecosystems (forests, savannahs, wetlands) and taxonomic groups (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish). We further provide a more focused description of five case studies, including the multitaxa community-based monitoring process implemented by community wildlife and fisheries committees in the Rupununi (Guyana), the human-wildlife coexistence monitoring programme implemented by communities in Mucheni Community Conservancy (Zimbabwe), the co-managed monitoring system implemented for sustainable hunting around Lastoursville (Gabon), and the citizen science process implemented in communities around the Dja Reserve (Cameroon) to monitor and alert emergence of zoonotic diseases and the community-based monitoring system implemented in Namibia in the context of community-based conservancies (Namibia)

Regional patterns of wild animal hunting in African tropical forests

Wildlife contributes to the diets, livelihoods and socio-cultural activities of people worldwide; however, unsustainable hunting is a major pressure on wildlife. Regional assessments of the factors associated with hunting offtakes are needed to understand the scale and patterns of wildlife exploitation relevant for policy. We synthesized 83 studies across West and Central Africa to identify the factors associated with variation in offtake. Our models suggest that offtake per hunter per day is greater for hunters who sell a greater proportion of their offtake; among non-hunter-gatherers; and in areas that have better forest condition, are closer to protected areas and are less accessible from towns. We present evidence that trade and gun hunting have increased since 1991 and that areas more accessible from towns and with worse forest condition may be depleted of larger-bodied wildlife. Given the complex factors associated with regional hunting patterns, context-specific hunting management is key to achieving a sustainable future