Projekt

Taï National Park (TNP) is a world biodiversity hotspot located in Côte d'Ivoire. Despite the threats to TNP's mammalian wildlife and the existence of a bio-monitoring program, the distribution and the long term trends of many species' population and the drivers remain poorly understood. This compromises effective identification of management interventions and urgent anticipation. This three-year project seeks to evaluate and improve the existing nine-year, transect-based monitoring program by assessing long-term trends of large mammal populations (elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys and bovids) and their threats, supplemented by the collection of vital demographic data on chimpanzee and elephant populations utilizing camera-trapping methods. We will use data on TNP managers' funding and staffing, and changes in the local human population size surrounding the park, to assess the effect of management resources and human population demography on large-mammal population dynamics. Stratified survey design taking into account the known distribution of elephants and chimpanzees will be used for cameras' positioning involving rangers and local villagers to increase precision of estimates and cost efficiency. From existing data analysis, camera visitation analyses, modeling and scan statistics, we will provide the evidence-based evaluation of the effectiveness of TNP management approaches and highlight alternative scenarios for long-term conservation. Finally, the potential of this project is not only informing conservation planning but in collaborating and building local capacity to monitor wildlife.

• Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stützel

  Universität Hannover
  Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
  Institut für Gartenbauliche Produktionssysteme
  Abteilung Systemmodellierung Gemüsebau
  Hannover
  

• Dr. Yao Celestin Kouakou

  Swiss Center of Scientific Research
  (CSRS)
  Departement Biodiversite et Securite Alimentaire
  Abidjan
  Elfenbeinküste (Côte d'Ivoire)