Publication: African apes coexisting with logging: Comparing chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) resource needs and responses to forestry activities
African apes coexisting with logging: Comparing chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) resource needs and responses to forestry activities
| dc.contributor.author | Morgan, D. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mundry, R. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Sanz, C. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ayina, C.E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Strindberg, S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lonsdorf, E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kühl, Hjalmar S. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-01-23T18:55:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-01-23T18:55:53Z | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://open.fsc.org/handle/resource/673 | |
| dc.title | African apes coexisting with logging: Comparing chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) resource needs and responses to forestry activities | en |
| dcterms.abstract | The extraction of timber often conflicts with the well-being and conservation of wildlife. In particular, there is a need to better understand the impact of tree removal under selective logging regimes on local ecological communities. We conducted ape nest counts along line transects before, during, and after logging to assess the impact of timber harvesting and associated activities on sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in a forestry con- cession in northern Republic of Congo. We used generalized linear models to relate ape nest counts to a set of predictor variables, representing the impact of logging and controlled for variation in environmental conditions including food availability, habitat and rainfall. Commercial forest inventory data were used to assess the baseline influence of food availability and forest structure on ape distribution. Higher numbers of chimpanzees were found in proximity to their preferred tree foods, whereas gorillas were associated with more heterogeneous habitats. Chimpanzee nest encounter rates decreased with increasing intensity of human impacts. Gorillas also avoided areas with active timber exploitation and roads, but were attracted to recently logged areas with abundant terrestrial herbaceous vegetation. Species-specific responses were consistent with theoretical predic- tions of niche partitioning and cumulative human influence. Based on these findings, we provide re- commendations to improve existing guidelines and forest certification standards aimed at safeguarding ape populations. | en |
| dcterms.accessRights | Public | |
| dcterms.accessRights | Open access | |
| dcterms.bibliographicCitation | Morgan, D., Mundry, R., Sanz, C., Ayina, C.E., Strindberg, S., Lonsdorf, E. and Kühl, H.S., 2018. African apes coexisting with logging: comparing chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) resource needs and responses to forestry activities. Biological Conservation, 218, pp.277-286 | en |
| dcterms.issued | 2017 | |
| dcterms.language | en | |
| dcterms.license | CC-BY-4.0 | en |
| dcterms.type | Journal Article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| fsc.evidenceCategory | FSC impact-related | |
| fsc.focus.forestType | Natural Forest | |
| fsc.focus.forestZone | Tropical | |
| fsc.focus.sustainDimension | Environmental | |
| fsc.focus.tenureManagement | Private | |
| fsc.issue.environmental | Biodiversity | |
| fsc.subject | Forests | |
| fsc.subject | Governance | |
| fsc.subject | Non-State market regulation | |
| fsc.subject | Certification | |
| fsc.subject | Power | |
| fsc.subject | Sovereignty | |
| fsc.subject | Legitimacy | |
| is.availability.fullText | Full text available | |
| is.contributor.funderType | Mixed sources | |
| is.contributor.member | Forest Stewardship Council | |
| is.coverage.country | Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| is.coverage.geographicLevel | Region | |
| is.coverage.latitude | -4.038333 | |
| is.coverage.longitude | 21.758664 | |
| is.coverage.region | Africa | |
| is.evaluation.collection | Interviews/surveys with certified entities and their representatives and workers/producers | |
| is.evaluation.counterfacts | No | |
| is.evaluation.dataSource | National Statistics - national government data | |
| is.evaluation.notes | This study examines how logging activity in a FSC-certified concession in The Republic of the Congo affects the abundance of two great apes species, western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees, and their habitat. It performs a temporal analysis by comparing the situation before, during and after logging operation over 9 years. | |
| is.evaluation.notes | The study design is sound and the temporal analysis is an informative and original way to approach the problematic. It is worth noting that a comparison with a non-certified concession would provide even more interesting results to isolate the effect of FSC certification. Similarly, a comparison of the effect of logging operation before and after certification could be valuable. | |
| is.evaluation.notes | The authors found that gorillas and chimpanzees were affected by logging activity as both species showed some avoidance behaviour. Those effects were relatively limited and species specific. More specifically, chimpanzees stayed at relative proximity while gorilla demonstrated a more marked avoidance by going far away from the entire logging front. However, gorillas returned to areas with timber extractions directly after it was interrupted as those heterogeneous areas offered valuable food. The accumulation of logging activity had the strongest (negative) influence on the occurrence of chimpanzees. Also, beside the influence of anthropogenic disturbance, both species maintained fidelity to their ecological preferences (chimps stayed close to their preferred food trees while gorillas stayed in open habitats with herbaceous vegetation), independently of logging activity. | |
| is.evaluation.notes | Despite those results, the authors remain cautious regarding their conclusion about the long-term effect of FSC certification: "Given the relatively short duration of our study (< 10 years), any long-term inference about the impact of roads and logging on these species is unwarranted at this time and will require a study spanning several decades" and "recommend continued monitoring to determine the long-term impacts of logging on great apes and also the impacts of future harvesting cycles in these forests." | |
| is.evaluation.notes | Regarding management recommendations, the authors underline that the presence of eco-guards was beneficial to prevent poaching and hunting activity. They also recommend to stagger timber removal in space and time to prevent too much disturbance in ape home ranges (7 and 10 km2 for gorillas and chimps respectively). They finally emphasis that tree inventory data by logging companies are particularly useful for conservation strategies and should be included into management plans and regional certification standards. | |
| is.evaluation.outcome | yes | |
| is.evidenceSubType | Monitoring report - collective | |
| is.evidenceType | Monitoring report | |
| is.extent.pages | 277-286 | |
| is.extent.volume | 218 | |
| is.focus.products | Other forestry and logging | |
| is.focus.sdg | SDG 15 - Life on Land | |
| is.focus.sectors | Agriculture | |
| is.focus.sectors | Forestry | |
| is.focus.sustainDimension | Environmental | |
| is.focus.sustainIssue | Plant and wildlife conservation | |
| is.focus.sustainLens | Ecosystem | |
| is.focus.sustainOutcome | Rare, threatened and endangered species | |
| is.focus.systemElement | MandE outcomes and impacts | |
| is.focus.systemElement | MandE performance monitoring | |
| is.identifier.code | Impacts | |
| is.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.10.026 | |
| is.identifier.fscdoi | http://dx.doi.org/10.34800/fsc-international455 | |
| is.identifier.schemeName | Forest Stewardship Council | |
| is.identifier.schemeType | Voluntary Sustainability Standards | |
| is.item.reviewStatus | Peer reviewed | |
| is.journalName | Biological Conservation |