Abstract
Goliath beetles (genus Goliathus) are among the largest and most charismatic insects in the world. In West African forests, two species (G. cacicus and G. regius) and natural hybrids are found. These beetles are widely collected for the entomological trade. We carried out standardized interview campaigns in Liberia and Ivory Coast to explore local persons’ perceptions of the status and population trends of these beetles, as well as information on their ecology and use by humans. Only relatively few interviewed communities reported the presence of beetles, all agreed that Goliath beetle populations were declining, especially G. cacicus. On the other hand, G. regius was generally considered less rare by the interviewees and was also known in a larger number of communities than G. cacicus. Because of the high deforestation rates in Liberia and Ivory Coast, as well as the impact of the international trade at specific collection localities, we suggest that these species are in peril of extinction if no immediate conservation actions are taken to reverse their status.
Implications for conservation. Since our study detected a likely dramatic decline of G. cacicus and, to a lesser extent, also of G. regius, we suggest that: (i) their IUCN Red List status should be assessed as soon as possible, (ii) their current distribution should be studied more properly in the field given that many collection specimens are old and with incomplete labeling details, and (iii) their international market should be regulated as soon as possible by appropriate legislation.
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Data availability
The data that supports the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the submitted draft, and to Sery Gonedele Bi and Olivier Le Duc for their help during our periods in Ivory Coast. Various phases of the field research were indirectly supported by Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Funds, Turtle Conservation Funds, National Geographic, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Quarters for Conservation (all funds to LL), IDECC (to LL and DD), ENI S.p.A., Snamprogetti S.p.A., the University of Juba (To GSD), and GBIF (to the Université de Lomé). Selection of study areas in Liberia was done when LL and JFA worked in Liberia under the financial and logistic support of USAID and CIFOR (funds to JFA). Since we interviewed no minors and all interviewees were informed of the aims of the research study prior to applying any questionnaires with their identity being not taken, no explicit authorizations were needed from the governmental agencies. All interviews followed the guidelines of the British Sociological Society, and the protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of IDECC.
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Study design: LL, GA; fieldwork: SNA, LL, TFL, GSD, EAE, GHS, DD; data analysis: LL, DD; writing the article: LL, JEF, GA, DD; reviewing the various drafts: SNA, TFL, GSD, EAE, GHS; final review: all authors.
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Dendi, D., Ajong, S.N., Ségniagbeto, G.H. et al. Detecting declines of West African Goliath beetle populations based on interviews. J Insect Conserv 27, 249–259 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00447-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00447-7