The Far North Region of Cameroon is home to a great diversity of bird species, which unfortunately remains very little explored. This work was initiated to establish an inventory of birds and the factors affecting their diversity and distribution for sustainable management in the Kalfou Forest Reserve (KFR) and its periphery. Two methods were used for sampling, linear strip transects from which direct counts and indirect observations were made and the mist netting to complement the first. In total, 2525 birds were observed, including 149 species, belonging to 20 orders and 55 families. Accipitridae had the greatest number of species (11). The species richness was greater in the KFR (117 species) compared to the periphery (95 species). The specific richness was higher in wooded savannah compared to other habitats. Shannon index was significantly higher in the KFR (3.99) compared to that obtained in the periphery (3.80). The value of the Simpson index was higher on the outskirts of the KFR than on the periphery. The indices of species diversity were greater in the wooded savannah compared to other vegetation types. The seasons had no influence on bird diversity. Among the human activities encountered, the pressure indices were more important for grazing (7.3 contacts/km). Human activities have resulted in a significant decrease in specific richness. Six endangered species were encountered, four belonging to the Accipitridae family. The greater bird diversity in the reserve compared to the periphery shows that protected areas are a long-term solution for biodiversity conservation.
References
[1]
Ricard, J., Garcin, A., Jay, L. and Mandrin, J. (2017) Les Vertébrés Biodiversité et régulation des ravageurs en arboriculture fruitière. Centre technique interprofessionnel des fruits et légumes Ctiff Balandran 30127 (France).
[2]
Whelan, C.J., Wenny, D.G. and Marquis, R.J. (2008) Ecosystem Services Provided by Birds. AnnalsoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciences, 1134, 25-60. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1439.003
[3]
Jaquemet, S. (2010) Rôle des Oiseaux marins tropicaux dans les réseaux trophiques hauturiers du sud et de l’océan Indien. Océan, Atmosphère. Université de la Réunion, Saint-Denis. https://theses.hal.science/tel-00464182/document
[4]
Diop, M. (2014) Etat des lieux des mesures politiques et juridiques visant à protéger la biodiversité, L’habitat et la qualité de l’eau dans la Zone CCLME: Bilan et perspectives. Dakar, Senegal.
[5]
Kougoum, P.G.N., Tamungang, S.A. and Téguia, A. (2017) Breeding Biology of African Grey Parrot (Psittacuserithacus) in Kom National Park (South-Cameroon) and Implications to the Species Conservation. InternationalJournalofBiologicalandChemicalSciences, 11, 1948-1966. https://doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v11i5.2
[6]
Amelaid, H. (2013) Etude de la dynamique spatio-temporelle et inventaire de populations des oiseaux d’Anjouan en union de Comores. Master recherche en analyse des populations des espaces fauniques et halieutiques. Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso, Dindéresso, 68 p.
[7]
Birdlife International (2018) État des populations d’oiseaux dans le monde: Prenons le pouls de la planète. BirdLife International, Cambridge.
[8]
Lassagne, A. (2005) Exploitation forestière, développement durable et stratégies de pouvoir dans une forêt tropicale camerounaise. Anthropologie et Sociétés, 29, 49-79. https://doi.org/10.7202/011740ar
[9]
WWF-France (2015) Impacts du changement climatique sur les espèces. Mathilde Valingot, Marielle Chaumien, Christine Sourd et Pierre Cannet. WWF France, 1 carrefour de Longchamp, Paris.
[10]
Wafo, G. (2008) Les aires protégées de l’Extrême-Nord Cameroun entre politiques de conservation et pratiques locales. Thèse de Doctorat Sciences de l’Homme et Société, Université d’Orléans, Orléans.
[11]
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2008) Protected Areas in Today’s World: Their Values and Benefits for the Welfare of the Planet. Montreal, Technical Series No. 36, i-vii 96 p. https://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-36-en.pdf
[12]
Tabopda, G.W. (2008) Les aires protégées de l’Extrême-Nord Cameroun entre politiques de conservation et pratiques locales. Sciences de l’Homme et Société. Université d’Orléans, Orléans, 326 p. https://doi.org/10.3917/lig.734.0062
[13]
BirdLife International (2024) Data Zone, Important Bird Areas of Cameroon. https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/results?cty=37&fam=0&gen=0
[14]
Borrow, N. and Demey, R. (2014) Birds of Western Africa. 2nd Edition, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
[15]
Languy, M. (2019) The Birds of Cameroon. Their Status and Distribution. Series Student in Afrotropical Zoology, Vol. 299. Tervuren Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren.
[16]
Van Wetten, J.C.J. and Spierenburg, P. (1998) Waders and Waterfowl in the Floodplains of the Logone, Cameroun, January 1993. WIWO, Zeist, Report 67.
[17]
Scholte, P., De Kort, S. and Van Weerd, M. (1999) The Birds of the Waza-Logone Area, Far North Province, Cameroon. Malimbus, 21, 16-50.
[18]
Scholte, P. and Dowsett, R.J. (2000) Bird of Waza New to Cameroon: Corrigenda and Addenda. Malimbus, 22, 29-31.
[19]
Kremen, C. (1992) Assessing the Indicator Properties of Species Assemblages for Natural Areas Monitoring. Ecological.Applications, 2, 203-217. https://doi.org/10.2307/1941776
[20]
MacArthur, R.H. (1984) Geographical Ecology: Patterns in the Distribution of Species. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
[21]
Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R. and Laake, J.L. (1980) Estimation of Density from Line-Transect Sampling of Biological Populations. Wildlife Monographs Vol. 72, Supplement to the Journal of Wildlife Management 44. The Wildlife Society, Washington DC.
[22]
Bibby, C., Burgess, N. and Hill, D. (1992) Bird Census Techniques. Academic Press, London.
[23]
Rasoazanakolona, J. (2016) Diversité de la communauté aviaire de la forêt sèche de la nouvelle aire protégée d’Oronjia Antsiranana, Madagascar. Mémoire Master 2. Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo.
[24]
Hill, D.M., Fasham, M., Tucker, G., Shewry, M. and Shaw, P. (2005) Handbook of Biodiversity Methods, Survey, Evaluation and Monitoring. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511542084
[25]
Heltshe and Forrester (1983) Estimating Species Richness Using the Jackknife Procedure.Biometrics, 39, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.2307/2530802
[26]
Chao, A. (1987) Estimating the Population Size for Capture-Recapture Data with Unequal Catchability. Biometrics, 43, 783-791. https://doi.org/10.2307/2531532
[27]
Colwell, R.A. and Coddington, J.A. (1994) Estimating Terrestrial Biodiversity through Extrapolation. PhilosophicalTransactionsoftheRoyalSociety (Series B), 345, 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1994.0091
[28]
Whittaker, R.H. (1960) Vegetation of the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon and California. EcologicalMonographs, 30, 279-338. https://doi.org/10.2307/1943563
[29]
Ayine, N.C., Acquah, E., Mensah, G., Kusi-Kyei, V. and Boadi, S. (2018) Avian Community Structure as a Function of Season, Habitat Type, and Disturbance, in Mole National Park, Northern Region (Ghana). InternationalJournalofEcology, 2018, Article ID: 2045629. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2045629
[30]
Lougbegnon, O., Vissin, E. and Houndenou, C. (2012) Biodiversité de la faune avienne au Bénin: État de la connaissance, statut et répartition dans les différents écosystèmes. Cahier de maîtrise professionnelle. Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Calavi, Vol. 4, n. 7, 21 p.
[31]
MacArthur, R.H. and MacArthur, J.W. (1961) On Bird Species Diversity. Ecology, 42, 594-598. https://doi.org/10.2307/1932254
[32]
Kouassi, A.M., Nassa, R.A., Koffi, E.K., Kouame, K.F. and Biemi, J. (2019) Analysis of the Impacts of Climate Change on Hydrological Standards in West Africa: Case of Abidjan District (South of Ivory Coast). JournalofWaterScience, 32, 207-315. https://doi.org/10.7202/1067305ar
[33]
Earnst, S. and Holmes, A. (2012) Bird-Habitat Relationships in Interior Columbia Basin, Shrubsteppe. Condor, 114, 15-29. https://doi.org/10.1525/cond.2012.100176
[34]
Gardner, C., Jasper, I. and Vincke, X. (2011) Sakalava Weaver (Ploceussakalava) Nesting Association with Raptors: An Alternative Hypothesis.MalagasyNature, 5, 129-131.
[35]
Nepali, A., Khanal, S., Sapkota, S. and Nanda, B.S. (2021) Seasonal Variation of Bird Diversity in Dhaneshwor Baikiwa Community Forest, Kavrepalanchowk District, Nepal. JournalofBiodiversityManagementandForestry, 10, Article No. 3.
[36]
Sadip, B.S. and Hari, P.S. (2022) Bird Diversity and Factors Affecting Bird Abundance at Dullu Municipality, Dailekh, Nepal. Biodiversitas, 23, 1535-1545. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d230343
[37]
Mostefai, N. (2010) La diversité avienne dans la région de Tlemcen (Algérie occidentale): Etat actuel, Impact des activités humaines et stratégie de conservation. Thèse de Doctorat. Université Abou bekr Belkaid-Tlemcen, Tlemcen.
[38]
Mogaka, D.M., Muya, S., Ndwigah, F. and Ndang’ang’a, P. (2019) Diversity, Abundance, Richness, and Birds of Conservation Interest in Nyando Sugar Belt, Muhoroni Sub-County, Lake Victoria Basin, Western Kenya. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 9, 268-285. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2019.93023
[39]
Atakilt, B., Gidey, Y. and Gebregizabher, T. (2016) Human-Wildlife Conflict in Kafta-Sheraro National Park, Northern Ethiopia.WorldJournalofZoology, 11, 154-159.
[40]
McKinney, M.L. and Lockwood, J.L. (1999) Biotic Homogenization: A Few Winners Replacing Many Losers in the Next Mass Extinction. TrendsinEcologyandEvolution, 14, 450-453. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01679-1
[41]
Bonter, D.N., Zuckerberg, B. and Dickinson, J.L. (2010) Invasive Birds in a Novel Landscape: Habitat Associations and Effects on Established Species. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2009.06017.x
[42]
Blondel, J. (1979) Biogéographie et écologie. Masson éd., Paris.
[43]
Dajoz, R. (2006) Précis d’écologie. 8e Edition, Dunod, Paris.
[44]
Sekercioglu, C.H., Primack, R. and Wormworth, J. (2012) The Effects of Climate Change on Tropical Birds. Biological Conservation, 148, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.019