Unsafe Haven
Large mammals struggling in many African reserves
Being big and hairy is looking scary. The number of large mammals living in nearly 80 African reserves has dropped by more than half since the 1970s, according to a new study. Some reserves, however, appear to be helping big mammals hang on.
Protected areas (PAs) have become a major focus of conservation efforts around the globe, but relatively few studies have analyzed just how well they do the job. To help fill that gap, Ian D. Craigie of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and colleagues combed through journals and file cabinets for survey data on 69 kinds of mammals living in 78 PAs in western and southern Africa. The animals typically weighed more than 5 kilograms, and had been surveyed by biologists for decades. Then, using statistical techniques, the researchers translated the data into comparable forms and looked for trends.
Overall, the team found that large mammal abundance declined by 59% between 1970 and 2005, most likely due to over-hunting and habitat loss. There were big regional difference, however, with populations in the western PAs faring worst. Southern reserves, in contrast, often maintained or even expanded their mammal populations, the team reports in the September issue of Biological Conservation.
The difference, the authors speculate, is that the southern reserves tend to be better funded, and “are often managed specifically for their large mammals, and primarily for tourism. Populations of some species here may have even been artificially inflated through mechanisms such as waterhole provision and translocation.” The take-home lesson, they say, is that “many PAs in Africa need urgent support if they are to successfully preserve their biodiversity in perpetuity.” – David Malakoff
Source: Craigie, I., Baillie, J., Balmford, A., Carbone, C., Collen, B., Green, R., & Hutton, J. (2010). Large mammal population declines in Africa’s protected areas. Biological Conservation, 143 (9), 2221-2228 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.06.007
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