Dodo Coastal Forest

West Africa > Côte d'Ivoire > Dodo Coastal Forest

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Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Dodo Coastal Forest.
• The population size is unknown.
• The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.

Site characteristics

The Dodo Coastal Forest (DCF), situated at the mouth of the Dodo River in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire, provides critical habitat for the globally and locally endangered pygmy hippopotamus, a species experiencing a steep population decline. Despite its small population of about 4,000 individuals, the presence of this species in the DCF offers hope for its conservation (Mallon et al. 2011, Ransom et al. 2015). The forest also supports two species of African pangolins. In this forest, we note the presence of primates such as the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), West African potto (Perodicticus potto), Lowe's mona monkey (Cercopithecus lowei), Olive colobus (Procolobus verus), Sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys), and King colobus (Colobus polykomos) (Soiret et al. 2019). As one of the few remaining coastal community forests in the region, the DCF lacks formal protection but boasts a rich mosaic of habitats, including rainforests, mangroves, savannas, and coastal thickets, which support diverse wildlife. The beach of this coastal forest is the nesting ground of four species of threatened marine turtles of conservation interest: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) (Peñate 2007, Soiret pers. obs. 2022). The nearby village, located 18 km from Grand-Béréby, is inhabited by the indigenous Kroumen people and migrant communities who depend on subsistence farming, hunting, and artisanal fishing. While certain trees are preserved for cultural practices, hunting is allowed. Despite its ecological richness, the DCF faces increasing threats from human activities, particularly land-use changes, putting its biodiversity at risk.

Table 1. Basic site information for Dodo Coastal Forest

Species	Pan troglodytes verus
Area	46.94 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 4.544618 , Lon: -7.113949
Type of site	Proposed protected area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical swamp forest, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes)
Type of governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Dodo Coastal Forest

Species	Year	Occurrence	Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day)	Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)	Abundance estimate (95% CI)	Survey area	Sampling method	Analytical framework	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Pan troglodytes verus	2019	Present	0.5			Dodo Coastal Forest (46.94 km²)	Reconnaissance walk	Distance sampling	Soiret et al. 2019

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

The high concentration of human population near the sites increases threats such as hunting and the creation of plantations. There is also the removal of firewood and timber. All these actions could lead to the disappearance of these village forests, which represent a great interest for conservation (Soiret pers. obs. 2022).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Dodo Coastal Forest

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Present (unknown severity)	The coastal forest has experienced unprecedented changes in land use over the past decade (CILSS 2016). Once intact, dense rainforests have been cleared and fragmented to make way for farms and plantations growing oil palm, rubber, cocoa, coffee, and coconut, as well as for charcoal production (Soiret et al. 2019).	2016-Ongoing (2018)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Hunting for commercial purposes is common in villages surrounding the forest. However, within the DCF itself, villagers primarily hunt mammals for local subsistence, and the commercial bushmeat trade has minimal influence on the local economy. Despite this, there is a notable presence of hunting activity in the forest, with signs of hunting most frequently observed in gallery forests. Poaching appears to be the greatest threat to all primate species in the area. A high encounter rate of chimpanzees in the DCF may be linked to a longstanding local taboo against hunting them, which has played a key role in maintaining a stable population of these apes (Soiret et al. 2019).	Ongoing (2018)
5 Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Present (unknown severity)		Ongoing (2018)

Threats

Conservation activities

The NGO Conservation des Espèces Marines (CEM) plans to protect the marine area of ​​the site. It launched the project to create the first marine protected area in Côte d'Ivoire juxtaposed with the reserve at the mouth of the Dodo River. The NGO is beginning a reforestation project with native forest trees.

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Dodo Coastal Forest

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols	The NGO CEM employs people for beach and forest monitoring.	Conservation des Espèces Marines (CEM)	Ongoing (2022)
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	The NGO CEM carries out awareness-raising activities for the protection of the voluntary nature reserve, which is home to rich wildlife, and advocates for the creation of a marine protected area to conserve sea turtles.	Conservation des Espèces Marines (CEM)	Ongoing (2022)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Dodo Coastal Forest

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.1 Lack of capacity/training	NGO CEM	Ongoing (2022)
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 General lack of funding	NGO CEM	Ongoing (2022)
4 Institutional support	4.1 Lack of law enforcement	Soiret et al. 2019	Ongoing (2018)
4 Institutional support	4.3 Lack of protected area status	Soiret et al. 2019	Ongoing (2018)
	Other (Lack of conservation education)	Soiret et al. 2019	Ongoing (2018)

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Dodo Coastal Forest

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
3 Engaged community	3.2 Local taboos in favor of conservation	Soiret et al. 2019	Ongoing (2018)
5 Ecological context	5.1 Ecological characteristics (e.g. terrain) conducive to conservation	Soiret et al. 2019	Ongoing (2018)

Enablers

Research activities

The studies conducted at this site have confirmed the presence of exceptional wildlife and flora (Soiret et al., 2019), as well as sea turtles. Trained Eco-guards who monitor the fauna continue surveillance activities at the site. Their permanent presence serves as a deterrent to poaching activities and provides researchers with assistants to carry out their research. It should be noted that, at present, there are no ongoing research activities in the area. The only study conducted in the area was by Soiret et al. (2019). The NGO CEM focuses on conservation activities.

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Dodo Coastal Forest

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Building nests in trees				Soiret et al. 2019

Behaviours

References

Bamba, S. (2002). Identification et étude de la reproduction, de la distribution géographique et des facteurs de menace des tortues marines migrant sur le littoral ivoirien: Cas du département de Grand-Béréby. Thèse de Doctorat, Département de Biologie Animale, Université de Cocody-Abidjan. 150 pp.

Bohoussou, K. H., Akpatou, K. B., Kouassi, Y. W. R., & Kpangui, K. B. (2018). Diversité des Mammifères et valeur pour la conservation des reliques forestières au sein d’une concession agro-industrielle au sud-ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire. VertigO, 18-1(1). doi:10.4000/vertigo.19947

CILSS. (2016). Landscapes of West Africa: A window on a changing world. U.S. Geological Survey EROS.

Kouadio, Y. J., Soiret, K. S. P., Kpan, W. B., Yao, N. O., N’Guessan, K. E., Kouassi, K. P., & Gomez, P. J. (2018). Valeur de conservation de la Réserve Naturelle Volontaire (RNV) de la Dodo, Sud-Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire (Afrique de l’Ouest). International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 12(6), 2784–2796. https://doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v12i6.24

Mallon, D., Wightman, C., De Ornellas, P., Collen, B., & Ransom, C. (2011). Stratégie de conservation de l’hippopotame pygmée. Commission de la sauvegarde des espèces de l’UICN, Gland, Suisse et Cambridge, Royaume-Uni.

Peñate, J. G., Karamoko, M., Bamba, S., & Djadji, G. (2007). An update on marine turtles in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 116, 7–8. link

Ransom, C., Robinson, P. T., & Collen, B. (2015). Choeropsis liberiensis. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2015. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-2.rlts.t10032a18567171.en

Soiret, S. P. K., Kouakou, C. Y., Koffi, B. J., Kadjo, B., Kouassi, P., Gomez, P. J., …, & Kone, I. (2019). The diversity and conservation of mammals in the Dodo Coastal Forest in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, western Africa: a preliminary study. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 11(6), 13654-13666. doi:10.11609/jott.4641.11.6.13654-13666

CEM. https://www.ong-cem.org/

Page created by: Zausa Diorne & Serge Soiret Date: 2024-11-23 09:50:00