Assessment of wildlife abundance indicators, human activities and their dependence on development projects in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Southern Cameroon

Assessment of wildlife abundance indicators, human activities and their dependence on development projects in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Southern Cameroon | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessment of wildlife abundance indicators, human activities and their dependence on development projects in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Southern Cameroon Gareth Martinien ZO'OBO ENGOLO, Charles Innocent MEMVI ABESSOLO, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4800293/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The accumulation of projects in the vicinity of protected areas can influence the density and abundance of the wildlife species they contain, thereby contributing to the failure to achieve management objectives. The aim of this study is to analyse changes in indicators of wildlife abundance and human activity within the Campo-Ma'an National Park and to assess their dependence on the development projects implemented, in order to take into account the pressures the park is experiencing as a result of their accumulation.To do this, an analysis of the content of 08 documents shows that variations in the number of individuals and kilometre index of abundance of critical species are decreasing, from 335, 1304, 16898 and 0. 1 in 2008 to 114, 718 and 0.012 in 2020 for elephants, great apes and mandrills respectively. Dependency analysis using SPSS shows that elephants, great apes and mandrills have dependencies of -0.722, -0.276 and − 0.596 respectively with the different projects implemented. Analysis of the changes in the human activity indicators shows that they are increasing and that there is a strong dependence on the number of projects, of the order of 0.913. It is therefore necessary to improve the implementation of projects in order for the Park to fulfil its role as a protected area. Accumulation of projects Classified species Evolution Pressure indicators SPSS Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Introduction Human activities are known to be the cause of certain environmental changes that ecosystems in general, and protected areas in particular, are undergoing (Solly et al 2018 ). Indeed, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 report, an estimated 47 million hectares of forest cover will be lost between 2010 and 2020 (FAO 2020). The main causes of this loss of forest resources can be a range of human activities adjacent to ecosystems or protected areas, including industrial and subsistence agriculture, logging and mining, large development projects (including dams, industrial port complexes, bridges, etc.), road projects, forest resource development projects, industrial sawmills, etc. (FAO 2020; Munyemba & Bogaert 2014 ; Salomon, Sikuzani et al 2021 ; Salomon, Useni et al 2021 ). In the context of protected area management, indicators are tools that make it possible to represent a phenomenon, factor or quantity using a measurable variable and provide the most accurate overview of the phenomenon under consideration (Constant et al 2013 ). They also make it possible to report on the evolution of a phenomenon, a process or a valued component of the environment that organisations help to influence through their actions, but sometimes in a very partial way (Jiao et al 2022 ). These indicators allow us to see whether trends are moving in the direction of the valued components of protected areas in response to environmental pressures. A number of authors have worked on the development of indicators, such as Dennis et al ( 2019 ) who used abundance indicators to show changes in the density of certain species in Scotland and concluded that the overall abundance of species in protected areas is decreasing and recommended further work on the factors responsible for these changes. Young et al ( 2016 ) used wildlife abundance indicators to demonstrate the extinction threat faced by some important species in protected areas around the world, and recommended that attention be paid to the link between activities adjacent to protected areas and declines in abundance indicators. The work of Jones et al ( 2018 ) shows that the use of pressure indicators within protected areas makes it possible to show the level of pressure a protected area is under. However, he points out that identifying the associated causes is a way of understanding the phenomenon. For their part, Newbold et al ( 2015 ) show that there is a link between the level of pressure within protected areas and the activities carried out around them, and that in most cases this is manifested by a change that leads to a rapid decline in species. However, very few studies have analysed the links between changes in protected area status indicators and the presence of development projects in the vicinity of these areas. In this article, we propose an analysis of the dependence between ecosystem indicators (abundance density and kilometre abundance indices) and the pressure indicator (indicator of the presence of anthropogenic activities) as a function of the cumulative evolution of projects. The approach adopted is based on the hypothesis that critical components are rapidly declining within protected areas and that the accumulation of development projects is a factor in this rapid decline. The Campo-Ma'an National Park (CMNP), which is of particular interest for biodiversity in Cameroon due to its creation, status and location within the Campo-Ma'an TOU, was selected. The general objective of this study was to analyse the evolution of ecosystem and pressure indicators within the CMNP and to assess their dependence on the implementation of projects in the surrounding area. Specifically, the objectives were to (i) select the components of wildlife diversity to be included in the study, (ii) analyse changes in ecosystem and pressure indicators within the CMNP, and (iii) assess the dependencies between ecosystem and pressure indicators and the accumulation of projects deployed over the period 2008–2020. Material and Methods Study area The Campo Ma'an National Park (CMNP), with an area of 264,064 ha, represents 34.3% of the Campo Ma'an Technical Operational Unit (TOU), which covers an area of 771,668 ha, or about 16.3% of the Southern Cameroons Region. This protected area covers 4 arrondissements, including Campo, Akom II and Niété in the Ocean Department and the arrondissement of Ma'an in the Ntem Valley Department. In recent years, the area of the TOU has come under enormous pressure due to the implementation of structuring projects, in particular the Kribi Industrial Port Complex (KIPC), the Memve'élé Hydroelectric Dam (MHD), the agro-industrial development of HEVECAM SA, the development and mining exploration of SINOSTEEL and the project to build the Kribi-Mbalam railway on the northern edge of the park, the project for the construction of an industrial complex for the production and processing of palm oil by the company CAMVERT SARL in the Campo district, the project for the construction of a second hydroelectric dam on the NTEM river, without forgetting the project for the construction of the Lolabé-Campo motorway with the bridge over the Ntem river for trade between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (Memvi 2023 ). Figure 1 below shows the geographical location of CMNP and some of the development projects adjacent to the park: Material and Methods The methodology of this study was based on a content analysis of the documentation available from the CMNP's Conservation Department and its partners, including the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). The secondary data used in this study came from the following documents : MINEF. (2002). Projet d’aménagement et de conservation de la biodiversité de Campo-Ma’an : Rapport semestriel Juillet-Décembre 2001. Rapport Technique ; MINEF; TROPENBOS INTERNATIONAL and SNV, (2002). Schéma directeur pour le développement de l’Unité Technique Opérationnelle de Campo-Ma’an : Projet d’aménagement et de conservation de la biodiversité de Campo-Ma’an. Rapport Technique ; FORM Ecology Consultants SARL. (2004). Plan d’aménagement durable UFA 09–021. Rapport Technique ; Etoga, G. and D. Foguekem. (2008). Évaluation des potentialités fauniques du Parc National de Campo Ma’an: Statut des grands mammifères et menaces anthropiques. Rapport Technique, WWF CCPO, 72p. Etoga, G. and C. Fondja Hendji. (2011). Évaluation des potentialités fauniques du Parc National de Campo Ma’an: Statut des grands mammifères et menaces anthropiques. Draft de Rapport Technique, WWF CCPO, 72p. MINFOF. (2014). Plan d’aménagement du parc national de Campo-Ma’an et de sa zone périphérique période 2015–2019. Rapport Technique MINFOF; Nzooh Dongmo, Z. L., K. P. N’Goran, C. Fondja and J. Nkono. (2015). Evaluation de la dynamique des populations de grands et moyens mammifères dans le domaine forestier permanent de l’Unité Technique Opérationnelle Campo Ma’an. Rapport Technique MINFOF-WWF, 103 p. Beukou Choumbou Ghislain Brice; Nzooh Dongmo Zacharie Laurent; Sombambo Marius; Njal Njock Simon; Mbiapa Tchoumi Tatiana; Ekane Humphrey; Mounga Abana Albert; Nzitouo Urbain; Sambou Mambala Patrick And N’goran Kouamé Paul. (2020). Dynamique de la population des grands et moyens mammifères dans le parc national de Campo-Ma’an et sa zone périphérie. Rapport Technique MINFOF-WWF. The methodology adopted for the various large mammal inventories within the CMNP was based on linear transects of variable width, combined with knowledge walks (recces) between transects.This is the most reliable method in forest areas, according to Barnes ( 1993 ) and Buckland et al ( 1993 ), and also because it is required by the Cameroonian regulations for population inventories of medium and large mammals (MINFOF 2019). The survey plans carried out allowed a survey effort of 255 km for 102 transects, 265 km for 106 transects, 538 km for 515 transects and 552 km for 501 transects for the years (2008), (2011), (2014) and (2020) respectively. The content of the reports was analysed in terms of the park, its components, problems and management objectives; the indicators for monitoring the density of the selected species; the development and industrialisation plan for the site since the creation of the Park. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) analysis was used to select the species to be included in the study, following the guidelines established by Gedda ( 2015 ). The phases considered ranged from data collection to the selection of species to be included in the study. The following inclusion criteria were applied be a species present in the CMNP; be a species classified A according to Decree N°0053/MINFOF of 1 April 2020, which establishes the modalities for the classification of animal species in protection classes. The species selected at the end of this phase were sorted according to the availability of data contained in the various wildlife inventory reports analysed at the CMNP, and those for which data were available and in sufficient quantity were included in the statistical summary. The data obtained made it possible to plot changes in the various parameters over the period 2008–2020. The databases required for the analysis were compiled from the inventory results for the above-mentioned years and the reports of the various management plans of the Campo-Ma'an TOU, as well as from the reports of technical studies to corroborate the various results on the number of projects per inventory year. A cumulative addition between two inventory periods is the origin of the data on the number of projects implemented in this period. The statistical method used to describe the dependencies between the values of the indicators and the number of projects grouped together is Pearson's correlation, as it allows to perform a bivariate analysis describing the degree of associativity between two random variables (Ly et al 2018 ). It was carried out by component and by theme for all the inventory periods, in order to facilitate the analysis. SPSS software was used to analyse the data for the study of dependencies. The following formula was used to calculate the correlation coefficients: $$\:r=\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}XY-\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}X*{?}_{i}^{n}Y}{n}}{\sqrt{\left({?}_{i}^{n}{X}^{2}-{\left(\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}X}{n}\right)}^{2}\right)*\left({?}_{i}^{n}{Y}^{2}-{\left(\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}Y}{n}\right)}^{2}\right)}}$$ Equation 1: Calculation of the correlation coefficient The following criteria were used to characterise and interpret the strength and direction of the dependencies: If r = 0, then there is no correlation between the average values of the indicators and the cumulative value of the number of projects; If 0 < r < 0.25, there will be a weak correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects; If 0.25 ≤ r < 0.75, there will be a medium correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects; If 0.75 ≤ r < 1, then there will be a strong correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects; If r = 1, there is a perfect correlation between the average values of the indicators and the cumulative value of the number of projects. Results Selection des espèces Selection of species The literature review revealed that there are just over 2,500 species in CMNP: 1,500 plant species; 80 mammal species, 23 of which are endangered; 302 bird species, of which 24 are rare or endangered; 122 species of reptiles 80 species of amphibians; Nesting sites for four (04) sea turtle species. After a documentary analysis, the qualitative summary of the data is presented in Fig. 2 below, which gives an inventory of the components threatened with extinction, classified according to the regulations, present and documented in the CMNP : Thus, according to Fig. 2 , almost 282 species of animals, excluding birds, were identified within the CMNP and 17 species of Class A were selected in relation to Decree N°0053/MINFOF of 1 April 2020, which establishes the modalities for the classification of animal species in protection classes. From this selection of 17 species and after analysing the reports, four (04) species were retained due to the presence of documentation and were therefore included in the qualitative summary.: Table 1 Summary of the reduced PRISMA analysis N° Selected species Species present in the CMNP Species classified A by MINFOF 2008 inventory 2011 inventory 2014 inventory 2020 inventory 1 Agile Cercocedbus Yes Yes No Yes No No 2 Brazza's Cercopithecus Yes Yes Yes No No No 3 Aquatic buckthorn Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes 4 Chimpanzee Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 5 Black colobus Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 6 Dwarf crocodile Yes Yes No No No No 7 Forest elephant Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8 Galago d'Allen Yes Yes Yes No No No 9 Gorilla Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10 Manatee Yes Yes No No No No 11 Mandrill Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 12 Long-tailed Pangolin Yes Yes Yes No No No 13 Giant pangolin Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 14 Panther Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 15 Bushpig Yes Yes Yes No Yes No 16 Sitatunga Yes Yes Yes No No No 17 Sea Turtle Yes Yes No No No No According to this table, the critical species documented within CMNP are Forest elephant ; Gorilla; the chimpanzee the mandrill. Analysis of changes in status indicators within CMNP Evolution of elephants in CMNP According to the documentation analysed, the evolution of elephants is shown in Fig. 3 below, which shows their evolution in terms of numbers of individuals within the park since 2008, the date of the first documented inventory of large and medium-sized mammals: This figure shows that elephant numbers were relatively stable between 2008 and 2014, with an estimated average of 320 elephants spread across CMNP. However, the averages for 2011 and 2020 are diametrically opposed. In fact, while the 2011 values reached a maximum, with an average number of individuals estimated at 596, the 2020 values return a relatively low value ever recorded, with 114 elephants. Evolution of the great apes in CMNP According to the documents analysed, the evolution of the great apes is shown in Fig. 4 below, which shows the evolution of the number of individuals in the park since 2008, the date of the first inventory of large and medium-sized mammals: This figure shows that in 2008, the average number of great ape individuals (gorillas and chimpanzees) in the entire CMNP was estimated at 1304 individuals; in 2011, this number increased relatively and was estimated at 2326 individuals; in 2014, this number decreased again to 1956 individuals; and finally, the latest inventory to date shows that the number has decreased again to 718 individuals in 2020. Evolution of mandrills in the CMNP According to the documentation analysed, the evolution of mandrills is shown in Fig. 6 below, which shows their evolution in terms of Kilometre Index of Abundance (KIA) within the park since 2008, the date of the first survey of large and medium-sized mammals: The figure shows that the IKA for mandrills was relatively stable in 2008 and 2014, with an estimated value of 0.101 presence index per kilometre, 2011 was the year with the highest IKA value, i.e. 0.45 presence index per kilometre, and finally the figure shows 2020 as the year with the lowest IKA, i.e. 0.012 presence index per kilometre. Evolution of human activity indicators The following figure shows the trend in the number of poaching offences recorded during the inventory periods. The offences considered are: number of camps identified and destroyed, animal remains (class A and B), weapons and ammunition seized, poachers transferred (number of fines) and number of traps destroyed: This figure shows that the overall number of poaching offences has increased relatively steadily. In fact, the number of offences rose from 523 in 2008 to 1,284 in 2020, via 985 in 2014, and it should be noted that the lowest value was recorded in 2011, with 399 poaching offences. The figure also shows that the indices of poaching offences within the CMNP increase as the years go by. Analysis of dependency between state indicators in relation to the accumulation of projects The results of the analysis of the dependence of the condition indicators in the park on the number of projects are presented in two parts, namely the dependence between indicators of wildlife abundance and indicators of human activity. Table 2 below shows the number of projects identified during the different inventory periods. Table 1 Number of projects registered in the locality from 2008 to 2020 Year concerned Project title Cumulative number Number of elephants Number of great apes IKA Mandrills Number of poaching offences Y2008 HEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025 and SCIEB 6 335 851 0,100 523 Y2011 HEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM and Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam 8 596 2326 0,450 399 Y2014 HEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM, Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam and ECOTOURISME 9 314 1956 0,101 985 Y2020 HEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM, Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam, ECOTOURISME, PAK and CAMVERT 12 114 718 0,012 1284 According to this table, 11 projects have been implemented within the study area that interact with the Park. Specifically, 06 projects were implemented between 2000 and 2008, 08 projects between 2008 and 2011, 09 projects between 2011 and 2014 and 11 projects between 2014 and 2020. Analysis of the dependence of wildlife abundance indicators on project accumulation Table 3 below shows the dependency matrix between the indicators of wildlife abundance and indicators in the park and the number of projects implemented: Nbr_Prj : the cumulative number of projects deployed Ind_Abd_Mdll: Kilometre Index of Abundance Nbr_Ind_GSg: Number of great apes Nbr_Ind_Elp: Number of Elephans N : Sample size Sig : Significance According to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of elephants per year and the number of cumulative projects is r = -0.62, which lies in the interval 0.25 ≤ r < 0.75, which means that there is an average relationship between the number of elephants and the number of projects implemented, demonstrating that the variation in the number of elephants in the park is a function of the number of development projects implemented around the park and therefore negatively affects the elephant population within CMNP. Thus, according to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of elephants per year and the number of cumulative projects is r = -0.211, which lies in the interval 0 ≤ r < 0.25, meaning that there is a weak relationship between the number of elephants and the number of projects. This indicates a weak influence between the number of cumulative projects and the number of great apes at CMNP, highlighting a weak negative impact on the great ape population. According to this table, the correlation coefficient between mandrill IKA per year and the cumulative number of projects is r = -0.377, which is in the range 0.25 ≤ r < 0.75, which means that there is an average correlation between mandrill IKA and the number of projects deployed, demonstrating that the variation in mandrill IKA at the CMNP is a function of the number of development projects deployed in the vicinity, and therefore may have a negative impact on the mandrill population. Table 2 Correlation between cumulative number of projects and wildlife abundance indicators in the CMNP Nbr_Ind_Elp Nbr_Ind_GSg Ind_Abd_Mdll Nbr_Prj Nbr_Ind_Elp Pearson Correlation 1 ,800 ,951 -,620 Sig. (2-tailed) ,200 ,049 ,380 N 4 4 4 4 Nbr_Ind_GSg Pearson Correlation ,800 1 ,791 -,211 Sig. (2-tailed) ,200 ,209 ,789 N 4 4 4 4 Ind_Abd_Mdll Pearson Correlation ,951 ,791 1 -,377 Sig. (2-tailed) ,049 ,209 ,623 N 4 4 4 4 Nbr_Prj Pearson Correlation -,620 -,211 -,377 1 Sig. (2-tailed) ,380 ,789 ,623 N 4 4 4 4 Dependency analysis of human activity indicators and project deployment Table 4 below shows the correlation between changes in the number of poaching incidents and the number of development projects in the area: Table 3 Correlation between the number of poaching offences and the cumulative number of projects deployed Ind_Act_Anth Nbr_Prj Ind_Act_Anth Pearson Correlation 1 ,871 Sig. (2-tailed) ,129 N 4 4 Nbr_Prj Pearson Correlation ,871 1 Sig. (2-tailed) ,129 N 4 4 Nbr_Prj : the cumulative number of projects deployed Ind_Act_Anth: the number of poaching offences N : Sample size Sig : Significance According to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of poaching offences per year and the number of cumulative projects is r = 0.871, which lies in the interval 0.75 ≤ r < 1. This means that there is a strong, positive correlation between the average number of poaching offences and the number of projects deployed, demonstrating that the variation in the number of poaching offences in CMNP is an associative function of the number of development projects deployed in the vicinity, and therefore positively influences the poaching offences indicator. Discussion The results of the analysis of the evolution of the state indicators within the CMNP and the evaluation of the degree of dependence with the cumulative number of projects deployed around it showed that, despite the average correlation existing between these indicators and the cumulative number of projects per inventory year, that the CMNP is under strong pressure manifested by the decrease of the critical components elephants, great apes and mandrills in terms of density of presence and an increase in the indices of presence of anthropogenic activities. Indeed, the indicators of wildlife abundance have shown that their changes have gone from 335 in 2008 to 114, from 1304 in 2008 to 718 in 2020 and the IKA from 0.1 in 2008 to 0. 012 in 2020 for elephants, great apes and mandrills respectively, and that those related to the presence of anthropogenic activities have gone from 523 in 2008 to 1284 in 2020, so that these components represent a high risk of extinction, leading to the same conclusion as the work of Young et al ( 2016 ) that large and medium-sized mammals are threatened with extinction in most terrestrial ecosystems, confirming his hypothesis that their immediate environment may be the main cause. Regarding the evaluation of the dependency between the state indicators and the cumulative number of projects implemented, the results show that the cumulative presence of development projects could contribute to the variability of the indicators observed within the park, which translates into a medium association for the indicators of faunal abundance and a strong association for the indicators of the presence of anthropogenic activities, highlighting the fact that the CMNP could be affected by development projects in terms of the correlation values obtained. These results are in close agreement with those obtained by Newbold et al ( 2015 ), according to which approximately 70% of ecosystems are modified by anthropogenic activities in their surroundings. However, unlike the study by Salomon, Sikuzani et al ( 2021 ), which drew important conclusions based on satellite images showing the influence of human activities on the landscape of a park, the results of this study do not allow us to state that the changes observed within CMNP are due to the cumulative presence of the projects implemented, However, it does provide a basis for reflection on the factors that need to be taken into account to ensure the full protection of the CMNP, given its importance for conservation as a result of development projects Nunes et al ( 2021 ). These results are in close agreement with those obtained by Newbold et al ( 2015 ), according to which approximately 70% of ecosystems are altered as a result of anthropogenic activities in their vicinity. However, unlike the study by Salomon, Sikuzani, et al. ( 2021 ), which drew important conclusions based on satellite images showing the influence of human activities on the landscape of a park, the results of this study do not allow us to state that the changes observed in CMNP are due to the cumulative presence of the projects implemented, However, it does provide a basis for reflection on the factors that need to be taken into account to ensure the full protection of the CMNP, given its importance for conservation as a result of development projects Nunes et al ( 2021 ). The results of this study show that the presence and development of projects in the vicinity of protected areas has an influence that may contribute to the disappearance of certain critical species in terms of changes in wildlife abundance indicators. In addition, the presence of development projects is at the root of the increase in indicators of poaching activity within protected areas. There is therefore a need to better control the deployment of these projects in the localities where protected areas are located, if these areas are to play their full role. The application within the CMNP has allowed us to understand this, despite the lack of data. Conclusion An analysis of changes in wildlife abundance and human activity indicators within CMNP, and an assessment of their dependence on all cumulative projects implemented since 2008, has shown that the main critical components, elephants, great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) and mandrills, are under threat from the increasing deployment of development projects around them, The main critical components, elephants, great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) and mandrills, are threatened as a result of the increased deployment of development projects around them, as evidenced by a decline in wildlife abundance indicators and an increase in indicators of the presence of human activities. The dependency assessment shows that the correlation between the number of projects deployed in the CMNP is moderate in terms of wildlife abundance indicators and strong in terms of human activity presence indicators, suggesting that the CMNP could be subject to a cumulative influence of development projects, based on the analyses carried out. Although the small amount of data available does not allow these conclusions to be confirmed, it does provide some insights into the way in which areas adjacent to protected areas are managed. To this end, the various actors and stakeholders must assume their responsibilities to ensure that protected areas are fully protected in order to fulfil their conservation role. The Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) process, which is one of the tools that could provide a framework for the planning of sites where protected areas are located, and which is often carried out prior to any development project in order to integrate the interaction between the project and its immediate environment, should be studied in greater detail. Particular attention to the integration of cumulative aspects should be of greater interest in the light of the results of this study, as it is likely to be the cause of cumulative changes within protected areas, thereby undermining their integrity and management objectives. Declarations Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Minister of Forests and Fauna, the Campo-Ma'an National Park conservation team and their partners WWF and AWF for providing data for the large and medium-sized mammal inventories, and the Director of the National Higher Polytechnic School of Douala for tools and guidance. 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F., Lopes, P. M., & Gonçalves, R. (2021). Monkeying around Anthropocene : Patterns of human-nonhuman primates ’ interactions in Brazil. Ethnobiology and Conservation , 22 (May). https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2021-05-10.23-1-32 Salomon, W., Sikuzani, Y. U., Akoua, T. M. K., Barima, Y. S. S., Joseph, K. H., Theodat, J. M., & Bogaert, J. (2021). Dynamique paysagère du Parc National Naturel de la Forêt des Pins en Haïti ( 1973- 2018 ). Tropicultura , 39 (June), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.25518/2295-8010.1831 Salomon, W., Useni, Y., Tamia, A., & Kouakou, M. (2021). Monitoring of antropogenic effects on forest ecosystems within the municipality of Vallières in the Republic of Haiti from 1984 to 2019. Trees, Forests and People , 6 (August), 100135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100135 Solly, B., EL Hadji, B. D., & Oumar, S. (2018). Suivi de la déforestation par télédétection Haute résolution dans le département de Médina Yoro Foulah ( Haute-Casamance , Sénégal ). Journal International Science et Technique de l’Eau et de l’Environnement , 3 (August), 38–41. Young, H. S., Mccauley, D. J., Galetti, M., & Dirzo, R. (2016). Patterns , Causes , and Consequences of Anthropocene Defaunation. Annual Review Of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics , 333–358. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054142 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4800293","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":335487465,"identity":"8dd17981-7d4e-4a73-9e3f-c5abaa9d71e8","order_by":0,"name":"Gareth Martinien ZO'OBO ENGOLO","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"National Polytechnic School of Douala, University of Douala","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gareth","middleName":"Martinien ZO'OBO","lastName":"ENGOLO","suffix":""},{"id":335487467,"identity":"1ee2761e-525c-4ec6-9c9c-fc000c94132c","order_by":1,"name":"Charles Innocent MEMVI 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1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":74671,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLocation of the Campo-Ma'an National Park\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/35a353aa1e12c025e9fccfcb.jpg"},{"id":63014513,"identity":"fb9555e3-a886-4e2d-98a9-482d6eb912e8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-22 06:26:59","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":88893,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDiagram of the Selection of Valued Components\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/0e1f02c753e1202b2671213a.jpg"},{"id":63014515,"identity":"811adb9b-4d71-4403-a689-94dfbfcc0539","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-22 06:26:59","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":26570,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChanges in elephant numbers in CMNP from 2008 to 2022\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/972190179fff89cf4b836d2f.jpg"},{"id":63014517,"identity":"d02ccc0e-28db-4a1c-9d0e-6ad09456af2b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-22 06:26:59","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":32135,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvolution of great apes in CMNP from 2008 to 2020\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/09ce4de03dfb84f4ce71dd1c.jpg"},{"id":63014514,"identity":"18d0080a-cd58-422e-96c9-edd44ed857ec","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-22 06:26:59","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":30637,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eChanges in mandrill KIA between 2008 and 2020\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/3b1e8be9fe367d3e382ce64f.jpg"},{"id":63014516,"identity":"8704511b-ef31-4cb4-ae11-98d5c82db844","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-22 06:26:59","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":30350,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTrend in the number of poaching offences in the CMNP from 2008 to 2020\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/16ca8c8cf36b8b384bac37ce.jpg"},{"id":64125134,"identity":"c706eff8-2400-4fb3-997c-b0828208827a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-09-08 00:46:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1034397,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4800293/v1/a1c00256-6ef3-4781-9056-32fe54999433.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAssessment of wildlife abundance indicators, human activities and their dependence on development projects in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Southern Cameroon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eHuman activities are known to be the cause of certain environmental changes that ecosystems in general, and protected areas in particular, are undergoing (Solly et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Indeed, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 report, an estimated 47\u0026nbsp;million hectares of forest cover will be lost between 2010 and 2020 (FAO 2020). The main causes of this loss of forest resources can be a range of human activities adjacent to ecosystems or protected areas, including industrial and subsistence agriculture, logging and mining, large development projects (including dams, industrial port complexes, bridges, etc.), road projects, forest resource development projects, industrial sawmills, etc. (FAO 2020; Munyemba \u0026amp; Bogaert \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Salomon, Sikuzani et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Salomon, Useni et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the context of protected area management, indicators are tools that make it possible to represent a phenomenon, factor or quantity using a measurable variable and provide the most accurate overview of the phenomenon under consideration (Constant et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). They also make it possible to report on the evolution of a phenomenon, a process or a valued component of the environment that organisations help to influence through their actions, but sometimes in a very partial way (Jiao et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). These indicators allow us to see whether trends are moving in the direction of the valued components of protected areas in response to environmental pressures.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA number of authors have worked on the development of indicators, such as Dennis et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) who used abundance indicators to show changes in the density of certain species in Scotland and concluded that the overall abundance of species in protected areas is decreasing and recommended further work on the factors responsible for these changes. Young et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) used wildlife abundance indicators to demonstrate the extinction threat faced by some important species in protected areas around the world, and recommended that attention be paid to the link between activities adjacent to protected areas and declines in abundance indicators. The work of Jones et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) shows that the use of pressure indicators within protected areas makes it possible to show the level of pressure a protected area is under. However, he points out that identifying the associated causes is a way of understanding the phenomenon. For their part, Newbold et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) show that there is a link between the level of pressure within protected areas and the activities carried out around them, and that in most cases this is manifested by a change that leads to a rapid decline in species. However, very few studies have analysed the links between changes in protected area status indicators and the presence of development projects in the vicinity of these areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this article, we propose an analysis of the dependence between ecosystem indicators (abundance density and kilometre abundance indices) and the pressure indicator (indicator of the presence of anthropogenic activities) as a function of the cumulative evolution of projects. The approach adopted is based on the hypothesis that critical components are rapidly declining within protected areas and that the accumulation of development projects is a factor in this rapid decline.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Campo-Ma'an National Park (CMNP), which is of particular interest for biodiversity in Cameroon due to its creation, status and location within the Campo-Ma'an TOU, was selected. The general objective of this study was to analyse the evolution of ecosystem and pressure indicators within the CMNP and to assess their dependence on the implementation of projects in the surrounding area. Specifically, the objectives were to (i) select the components of wildlife diversity to be included in the study, (ii) analyse changes in ecosystem and pressure indicators within the CMNP, and (iii) assess the dependencies between ecosystem and pressure indicators and the accumulation of projects deployed over the period 2008\u0026ndash;2020.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy area\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Campo Ma'an National Park (CMNP), with an area of 264,064 ha, represents 34.3% of the Campo Ma'an Technical Operational Unit (TOU), which covers an area of 771,668 ha, or about 16.3% of the Southern Cameroons Region. This protected area covers 4 arrondissements, including Campo, Akom II and Ni\u0026eacute;t\u0026eacute; in the Ocean Department and the arrondissement of Ma'an in the Ntem Valley Department. In recent years, the area of the TOU has come under enormous pressure due to the implementation of structuring projects, in particular the Kribi Industrial Port Complex (KIPC), the Memve'\u0026eacute;l\u0026eacute; Hydroelectric Dam (MHD), the agro-industrial development of HEVECAM SA, the development and mining exploration of SINOSTEEL and the project to build the Kribi-Mbalam railway on the northern edge of the park, the project for the construction of an industrial complex for the production and processing of palm oil by the company CAMVERT SARL in the Campo district, the project for the construction of a second hydroelectric dam on the NTEM river, without forgetting the project for the construction of the Lolab\u0026eacute;-Campo motorway with the bridge over the Ntem river for trade between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (Memvi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e below shows the geographical location of CMNP and some of the development projects adjacent to the park:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMaterial and Methods\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe methodology of this study was based on a content analysis of the documentation available from the CMNP's Conservation Department and its partners, including the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). The secondary data used in this study came from the following documents :\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eMINEF. (2002). Projet d\u0026rsquo;am\u0026eacute;nagement et de conservation de la biodiversit\u0026eacute; de Campo-Ma\u0026rsquo;an : Rapport semestriel Juillet-D\u0026eacute;cembre 2001. Rapport Technique ;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eMINEF; TROPENBOS INTERNATIONAL and SNV, (2002). Sch\u0026eacute;ma directeur pour le d\u0026eacute;veloppement de l\u0026rsquo;Unit\u0026eacute; Technique Op\u0026eacute;rationnelle de Campo-Ma\u0026rsquo;an : Projet d\u0026rsquo;am\u0026eacute;nagement et de conservation de la biodiversit\u0026eacute; de Campo-Ma\u0026rsquo;an. Rapport Technique ;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eFORM Ecology Consultants SARL. (2004). Plan d\u0026rsquo;am\u0026eacute;nagement durable UFA 09\u0026ndash;021. Rapport Technique ;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eEtoga, G. and D. Foguekem. (2008). \u0026Eacute;valuation des potentialit\u0026eacute;s fauniques du Parc National de Campo Ma\u0026rsquo;an: Statut des grands mammif\u0026egrave;res et menaces anthropiques. Rapport Technique, WWF CCPO, 72p.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eEtoga, G. and C. Fondja Hendji. (2011). \u0026Eacute;valuation des potentialit\u0026eacute;s fauniques du Parc National de Campo Ma\u0026rsquo;an: Statut des grands mammif\u0026egrave;res et menaces anthropiques. Draft de Rapport Technique, WWF CCPO, 72p.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eMINFOF. (2014). Plan d\u0026rsquo;am\u0026eacute;nagement du parc national de Campo-Ma\u0026rsquo;an et de sa zone p\u0026eacute;riph\u0026eacute;rique p\u0026eacute;riode 2015\u0026ndash;2019. Rapport Technique MINFOF;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNzooh Dongmo, Z. L., K. P. N\u0026rsquo;Goran, C. Fondja and J. Nkono. (2015). Evaluation de la dynamique des populations de grands et moyens mammif\u0026egrave;res dans le domaine forestier permanent de l\u0026rsquo;Unit\u0026eacute; Technique Op\u0026eacute;rationnelle Campo Ma\u0026rsquo;an. Rapport Technique MINFOF-WWF, 103 p.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeukou Choumbou Ghislain Brice; Nzooh Dongmo Zacharie Laurent; Sombambo Marius; Njal Njock Simon; Mbiapa Tchoumi Tatiana; Ekane Humphrey; Mounga Abana Albert; Nzitouo Urbain; Sambou Mambala Patrick And N\u0026rsquo;goran Kouam\u0026eacute; Paul. (2020). Dynamique de la population des grands et moyens mammif\u0026egrave;res dans le parc national de Campo-Ma\u0026rsquo;an et sa zone p\u0026eacute;riph\u0026eacute;rie. Rapport Technique MINFOF-WWF.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe methodology adopted for the various large mammal inventories within the CMNP was based on linear transects of variable width, combined with knowledge walks (recces) between transects.This is the most reliable method in forest areas, according to Barnes (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e) and Buckland et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e), and also because it is required by the Cameroonian regulations for population inventories of medium and large mammals (MINFOF 2019). The survey plans carried out allowed a survey effort of 255 km for 102 transects, 265 km for 106 transects, 538 km for 515 transects and 552 km for 501 transects for the years (2008), (2011), (2014) and (2020) respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe content of the reports was analysed in terms of\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe park, its components, problems and management objectives;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe indicators for monitoring the density of the selected species;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe development and industrialisation plan for the site since the creation of the Park.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) analysis was used to select the species to be included in the study, following the guidelines established by Gedda (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The phases considered ranged from data collection to the selection of species to be included in the study. The following inclusion criteria were applied\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ebe a species present in the CMNP;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ebe a species classified A according to Decree N\u0026deg;0053/MINFOF of 1 April 2020, which establishes the modalities for the classification of animal species in protection classes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe species selected at the end of this phase were sorted according to the availability of data contained in the various wildlife inventory reports analysed at the CMNP, and those for which data were available and in sufficient quantity were included in the statistical summary. The data obtained made it possible to plot changes in the various parameters over the period 2008\u0026ndash;2020.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe databases required for the analysis were compiled from the inventory results for the above-mentioned years and the reports of the various management plans of the Campo-Ma'an TOU, as well as from the reports of technical studies to corroborate the various results on the number of projects per inventory year. A cumulative addition between two inventory periods is the origin of the data on the number of projects implemented in this period.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe statistical method used to describe the dependencies between the values of the indicators and the number of projects grouped together is Pearson's correlation, as it allows to perform a bivariate analysis describing the degree of associativity between two random variables (Ly et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). It was carried out by component and by theme for all the inventory periods, in order to facilitate the analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSPSS software was used to analyse the data for the study of dependencies. The following formula was used to calculate the correlation coefficients:\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:r=\\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}XY-\\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}X*{?}_{i}^{n}Y}{n}}{\\sqrt{\\left({?}_{i}^{n}{X}^{2}-{\\left(\\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}X}{n}\\right)}^{2}\\right)*\\left({?}_{i}^{n}{Y}^{2}-{\\left(\\frac{{?}_{i}^{n}Y}{n}\\right)}^{2}\\right)}}$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEquation 1: Calculation of the correlation coefficient\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe following criteria were used to characterise and interpret the strength and direction of the dependencies:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0, then there is no correlation between the average values of the indicators and the cumulative value of the number of projects;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf 0\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.25, there will be a weak correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf 0.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.75, there will be a medium correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf 0.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1, then there will be a strong correlation between the average values of the indicator and the cumulative value of the number of projects;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1, there is a perfect correlation between the average values of the indicators and the cumulative value of the number of projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSelection des esp\u0026egrave;ces\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelection of species\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe literature review revealed that there are just over 2,500 species in CMNP:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,500 plant species;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e80 mammal species, 23 of which are endangered;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e302 bird species, of which 24 are rare or endangered;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e122 species of reptiles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e80 species of amphibians;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNesting sites for four (04) sea turtle species.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter a documentary analysis, the qualitative summary of the data is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e below, which gives an inventory of the components threatened with extinction, classified according to the regulations, present and documented in the CMNP :\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThus, according to Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, almost 282 species of animals, excluding birds, were identified within the CMNP and 17 species of Class A were selected in relation to Decree N\u0026deg;0053/MINFOF of 1 April 2020, which establishes the modalities for the classification of animal species in protection classes. From this selection of 17 species and after analysing the reports, four (04) species were retained due to the presence of documentation and were therefore included in the qualitative summary.:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSummary of the reduced PRISMA analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u0026deg;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelected species\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies present in the CMNP\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies classified A by MINFOF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2008 inventory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2011 inventory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2014 inventory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2020 inventory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgile Cercocedbus\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazza's Cercopithecus\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAquatic buckthorn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChimpanzee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack colobus\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDwarf crocodile\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eForest elephant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGalago d'Allen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGorilla\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManatee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMandrill\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong-tailed Pangolin\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiant pangolin\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePanther\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBushpig\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSitatunga\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSea Turtle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this table, the critical species documented within CMNP are\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eForest elephant ;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eGorilla;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe chimpanzee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe mandrill.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAnalysis of changes in status indicators within CMNP\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvolution of elephants in CMNP\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the documentation analysed, the evolution of elephants is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e below, which shows their evolution in terms of numbers of individuals within the park since 2008, the date of the first documented inventory of large and medium-sized mammals:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis figure shows that elephant numbers were relatively stable between 2008 and 2014, with an estimated average of 320 elephants spread across CMNP. However, the averages for 2011 and 2020 are diametrically opposed. In fact, while the 2011 values reached a maximum, with an average number of individuals estimated at 596, the 2020 values return a relatively low value ever recorded, with 114 elephants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvolution of the great apes in CMNP\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the documents analysed, the evolution of the great apes is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e below, which shows the evolution of the number of individuals in the park since 2008, the date of the first inventory of large and medium-sized mammals:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis figure shows that in 2008, the average number of great ape individuals (gorillas and chimpanzees) in the entire CMNP was estimated at 1304 individuals; in 2011, this number increased relatively and was estimated at 2326 individuals; in 2014, this number decreased again to 1956 individuals; and finally, the latest inventory to date shows that the number has decreased again to 718 individuals in 2020.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvolution of mandrills in the CMNP\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the documentation analysed, the evolution of mandrills is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e below, which shows their evolution in terms of Kilometre Index of Abundance (KIA) within the park since 2008, the date of the first survey of large and medium-sized mammals:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe figure shows that the IKA for mandrills was relatively stable in 2008 and 2014, with an estimated value of 0.101 presence index per kilometre, 2011 was the year with the highest IKA value, i.e. 0.45 presence index per kilometre, and finally the figure shows 2020 as the year with the lowest IKA, i.e. 0.012 presence index per kilometre.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvolution of human activity indicators\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe following figure shows the trend in the number of poaching offences recorded during the inventory periods. The offences considered are: number of camps identified and destroyed, animal remains (class A and B), weapons and ammunition seized, poachers transferred (number of fines) and number of traps destroyed:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis figure shows that the overall number of poaching offences has increased relatively steadily. In fact, the number of offences rose from 523 in 2008 to 1,284 in 2020, via 985 in 2014, and it should be noted that the lowest value was recorded in 2011, with 399 poaching offences. The figure also shows that the indices of poaching offences within the CMNP increase as the years go by.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAnalysis of dependency between state indicators in relation to the accumulation of projects\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the analysis of the dependence of the condition indicators in the park on the number of projects are presented in two parts, namely the dependence between indicators of wildlife abundance and indicators of human activity. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e below shows the number of projects identified during the different inventory periods.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of projects registered in the locality from 2008 to 2020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYear concerned\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProject title\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCumulative number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of elephants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of great apes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIKA Mandrills\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of poaching offences\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eY2008\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025 and SCIEB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e335\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e851\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e523\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eY2011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM and Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e596\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2326\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,450\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e399\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eY2014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM, Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam and ECOTOURISME\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e314\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1956\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,101\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e985\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eY2020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHEVECAM, SOCAPALM, UFA-09-021, UFA-09-024, UFA-09-025, SCIEB, BIOCAM, Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam, ECOTOURISME, PAK and CAMVERT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e718\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1284\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this table, 11 projects have been implemented within the study area that interact with the Park. Specifically, 06 projects were implemented between 2000 and 2008, 08 projects between 2008 and 2011, 09 projects between 2011 and 2014 and 11 projects between 2014 and 2020.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAnalysis of the dependence of wildlife abundance indicators on project accumulation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e below shows the dependency matrix between the indicators of wildlife abundance and indicators in the park and the number of projects implemented:\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj : \u003cem\u003ethe cumulative number of projects deployed\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Abd_Mdll: \u003cem\u003eKilometre Index of Abundance\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_GSg: \u003cem\u003eNumber of great apes\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_Elp: \u003cem\u003eNumber of Elephans\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eN : \u003cem\u003eSample size\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig : \u003cem\u003eSignificance\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of elephants per year and the number of cumulative projects is r = -0.62, which lies in the interval 0.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.75, which means that there is an average relationship between the number of elephants and the number of projects implemented, demonstrating that the variation in the number of elephants in the park is a function of the number of development projects implemented around the park and therefore negatively affects the elephant population within CMNP.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThus, according to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of elephants per year and the number of cumulative projects is r = -0.211, which lies in the interval 0\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.25, meaning that there is a weak relationship between the number of elephants and the number of projects. This indicates a weak influence between the number of cumulative projects and the number of great apes at CMNP, highlighting a weak negative impact on the great ape population.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this table, the correlation coefficient between mandrill IKA per year and the cumulative number of projects is r = -0.377, which is in the range 0.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.75, which means that there is an average correlation between mandrill IKA and the number of projects deployed, demonstrating that the variation in mandrill IKA at the CMNP is a function of the number of development projects deployed in the vicinity, and therefore may have a negative impact on the mandrill population.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation between cumulative number of projects and wildlife abundance indicators in the CMNP\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_Elp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_GSg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Abd_Mdll\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_Elp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,951\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,620\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,049\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,380\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Ind_GSg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,791\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,211\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,209\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,789\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Abd_Mdll\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,951\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,791\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,377\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,049\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,209\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,623\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,620\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,211\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-,377\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,380\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,789\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,623\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDependency analysis of human activity indicators and project deployment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;4 below shows the correlation between changes in the number of poaching incidents and the number of development projects in the area:\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation between the number of poaching offences and the cumulative number of projects deployed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Act_Anth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Act_Anth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,871\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,871\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e,129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNbr_Prj : \u003cem\u003ethe cumulative number of projects deployed\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInd_Act_Anth: \u003cem\u003ethe number of poaching offences\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN : \u003cem\u003eSample size\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig : \u003cem\u003eSignificance\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this table, the correlation coefficient between the average number of poaching offences per year and the number of cumulative projects is r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.871, which lies in the interval 0.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;r\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1. This means that there is a strong, positive correlation between the average number of poaching offences and the number of projects deployed, demonstrating that the variation in the number of poaching offences in CMNP is an associative function of the number of development projects deployed in the vicinity, and therefore positively influences the poaching offences indicator.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results of the analysis of the evolution of the state indicators within the CMNP and the evaluation of the degree of dependence with the cumulative number of projects deployed around it showed that, despite the average correlation existing between these indicators and the cumulative number of projects per inventory year, that the CMNP is under strong pressure manifested by the decrease of the critical components elephants, great apes and mandrills in terms of density of presence and an increase in the indices of presence of anthropogenic activities. Indeed, the indicators of wildlife abundance have shown that their changes have gone from 335 in 2008 to 114, from 1304 in 2008 to 718 in 2020 and the IKA from 0.1 in 2008 to 0. 012 in 2020 for elephants, great apes and mandrills respectively, and that those related to the presence of anthropogenic activities have gone from 523 in 2008 to 1284 in 2020, so that these components represent a high risk of extinction, leading to the same conclusion as the work of Young et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) that large and medium-sized mammals are threatened with extinction in most terrestrial ecosystems, confirming his hypothesis that their immediate environment may be the main cause.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding the evaluation of the dependency between the state indicators and the cumulative number of projects implemented, the results show that the cumulative presence of development projects could contribute to the variability of the indicators observed within the park, which translates into a medium association for the indicators of faunal abundance and a strong association for the indicators of the presence of anthropogenic activities, highlighting the fact that the CMNP could be affected by development projects in terms of the correlation values obtained. These results are in close agreement with those obtained by Newbold et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), according to which approximately 70% of ecosystems are modified by anthropogenic activities in their surroundings. However, unlike the study by Salomon, Sikuzani et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), which drew important conclusions based on satellite images showing the influence of human activities on the landscape of a park, the results of this study do not allow us to state that the changes observed within CMNP are due to the cumulative presence of the projects implemented, However, it does provide a basis for reflection on the factors that need to be taken into account to ensure the full protection of the CMNP, given its importance for conservation as a result of development projects Nunes et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). These results are in close agreement with those obtained by Newbold et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), according to which approximately 70% of ecosystems are altered as a result of anthropogenic activities in their vicinity. However, unlike the study by Salomon, Sikuzani, et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), which drew important conclusions based on satellite images showing the influence of human activities on the landscape of a park, the results of this study do not allow us to state that the changes observed in CMNP are due to the cumulative presence of the projects implemented, However, it does provide a basis for reflection on the factors that need to be taken into account to ensure the full protection of the CMNP, given its importance for conservation as a result of development projects Nunes et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). The results of this study show that the presence and development of projects in the vicinity of protected areas has an influence that may contribute to the disappearance of certain critical species in terms of changes in wildlife abundance indicators. In addition, the presence of development projects is at the root of the increase in indicators of poaching activity within protected areas. There is therefore a need to better control the deployment of these projects in the localities where protected areas are located, if these areas are to play their full role. The application within the CMNP has allowed us to understand this, despite the lack of data.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eAn analysis of changes in wildlife abundance and human activity indicators within CMNP, and an assessment of their dependence on all cumulative projects implemented since 2008, has shown that the main critical components, elephants, great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) and mandrills, are under threat from the increasing deployment of development projects around them, The main critical components, elephants, great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) and mandrills, are threatened as a result of the increased deployment of development projects around them, as evidenced by a decline in wildlife abundance indicators and an increase in indicators of the presence of human activities. The dependency assessment shows that the correlation between the number of projects deployed in the CMNP is moderate in terms of wildlife abundance indicators and strong in terms of human activity presence indicators, suggesting that the CMNP could be subject to a cumulative influence of development projects, based on the analyses carried out. Although the small amount of data available does not allow these conclusions to be confirmed, it does provide some insights into the way in which areas adjacent to protected areas are managed. To this end, the various actors and stakeholders must assume their responsibilities to ensure that protected areas are fully protected in order to fulfil their conservation role. The Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) process, which is one of the tools that could provide a framework for the planning of sites where protected areas are located, and which is often carried out prior to any development project in order to integrate the interaction between the project and its immediate environment, should be studied in greater detail. Particular attention to the integration of cumulative aspects should be of greater interest in the light of the results of this study, as it is likely to be the cause of cumulative changes within protected areas, thereby undermining their integrity and management objectives.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to thank the Minister of Forests and Fauna, the Campo-Ma\u0026apos;an National Park conservation team and their partners WWF and AWF for providing data for the large and medium-sized mammal inventories, and the Director of the National Higher Polytechnic School of Douala for tools and guidance.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData Availability\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data used to support the conclusions of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConflicts of Interest\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContribution Statement\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceived of the presented idea: GMZE, DB.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarried out the experiment: GMZE, CIMA.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarried out the data analysis: GMZE, BY, PPN.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWrote the first draft of the manuscript: GMZE, DB.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReview and final write of the manuscript: GMZE, SMM, DB.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSupervision: DB, CIMA, BY, SMM, PPN.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAjonina, G., \u0026amp; Amougou, J. 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Patterns , Causes , and Consequences of Anthropocene Defaunation. \u003cem\u003eAnnual Review Of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics\u003c/em\u003e, 333\u0026ndash;358. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054142\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Accumulation of projects, Classified species, Evolution, Pressure indicators, SPSS","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4800293/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4800293/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe accumulation of projects in the vicinity of protected areas can influence the density and abundance of the wildlife species they contain, thereby contributing to the failure to achieve management objectives. The aim of this study is to analyse changes in indicators of wildlife abundance and human activity within the Campo-Ma'an National Park and to assess their dependence on the development projects implemented, in order to take into account the pressures the park is experiencing as a result of their accumulation.To do this, an analysis of the content of 08 documents shows that variations in the number of individuals and kilometre index of abundance of critical species are decreasing, from 335, 1304, 16898 and 0. 1 in 2008 to 114, 718 and 0.012 in 2020 for elephants, great apes and mandrills respectively. Dependency analysis using SPSS shows that elephants, great apes and mandrills have dependencies of -0.722, -0.276 and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.596 respectively with the different projects implemented. Analysis of the changes in the human activity indicators shows that they are increasing and that there is a strong dependence on the number of projects, of the order of 0.913. It is therefore necessary to improve the implementation of projects in order for the Park to fulfil its role as a protected area.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessment of wildlife abundance indicators, human activities and their dependence on development projects in the Campo-Ma'an National Park, Southern Cameroon","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-22 06:26:54","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4800293/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"2ae0ff7e-1c75-40b6-b962-3c7e08692949","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 22nd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-10-08T07:23:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-22 06:26:54","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4800293","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4800293","identity":"rs-4800293","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}