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Examining primate community occurrence patterns in agroforest landscapes using arboreal and terrestrial camera traps

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Abstract

Context

Forest-agricultural mosaics are now considered critical for biodiversity. Within these landscapes, the type of land use surrounding remnant forests influences the ability of arboreal non-flying wildlife to travel, disperse and ultimately survive, making arboreal species disproportionally impacted from habitat change. To inform land management strategies we must first understand how wildlife, including arboreal taxa, respond to heterogeneous landscapes.

Objectives

Here, we examine the occurrence patterns of four arboreal and three semi-terrestrial primate species in response to agroforest landscape characteristics in southern Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

Methods

We combine results from arboreal and terrestrial camera traps across Cantanhez National Park (1067 km2). We fit occupancy models using anthropogenic and environmental covariates generated via remote sensing and in-situ vegetation surveys.

Results

Arboreal camera traps (N = 38 locations, 1922 camera trap days) detected all seven primate species, terrestrial camera traps (N = 62 locations, 3113 camera trap days) detected five. Arboreal red colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and semi-terrestrial Guinea baboon (Papio papio) were the only species not detected at all outside forest blocks. Occupancy of semi-terrestrial chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) increased nearer villages, whereas that of arboreal king colobus (Colobus polykomos) and Demidoff's galago (Galagoides demidoff) decreased. Our models also suggest that semi-arboreal Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli) increase arboreality nearer villages.

Conclusions

We demonstrate heterogeneous spatial responses amongst primates across the agroforest landscape. The lack of distinct patterns between groups (arboreal vs. semi-terrestrial primates) is likely due to species-specific human-induced anti-predator strategies and hunting preferences. Our results highlight the contribution of arboreal camera traps to community-based landscape-scale studies in anthropogenic environments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas (IBAP) particularly Dr Alfredo Simão da Silva, Aissa Regalla, Queba Quecuta, Dr Justino Biai and Dr Abílio Rachid Said for their permission to conduct research in Guinea-Bissau and for logistical support. A special thank goes to local community guides and research assistants Iaia Tawél Camará, Braima Vieira, Mamadu Cassamá, Djibi Indjai, and Idrissa Galiza for assisting with data collection and providing invaluable advice in Cantanhez. We thank Nalu leaders and Régulo Mamadu Camará for granting us permission to conduct research in Cantanhez. We thank Joana Bessa and Mansata Djalo for their support during fieldwork. This research was funded by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (project number 152510653), Conservation International/Global Wildlife Conservation's Primate Action Fund grant donated by Ms. Constance Roosevelt, Primate Conservation Inc, Primate Society of Great Britain, the International Primatological Society, a doctoral studentship from Oxford Brookes University to EB and Darwin Initiative funding (Grant Number: 26-018) United Kingdom to KH. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments which helped improving our manuscript.

Funding

Funding was provided by Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (152510653), Conservation International/Global Wildlife Conservation's Primate Action Fund, Primate Conservation Inc, Primate Society of Great Britain, International Primatological Society, and DEFRA Darwin Initiative (Project 26-018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK

    Elena Bersacola & Kimberley J. Hockings

  2. School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

    Elena Bersacola, Catherine M. Hill & Vincent Nijman

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  1. Elena Bersacola
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Contributions

EB and KJH conceived the study. CMH and VN helped design the study. EB collected the data, analysed the data and prepared all figures and tables. EB wrote the main manuscript text with contributions from all authors.

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Correspondence to Elena Bersacola.

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Bersacola, E., Hill, C.M., Nijman, V. et al. Examining primate community occurrence patterns in agroforest landscapes using arboreal and terrestrial camera traps. Landsc Ecol 37, 3103–3121 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01524-7

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