|
Full Name of Site |
La Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango |
|
Country |
Gabon, Oogoué Maritime, Africa |
|
Location of base camp |
2° 15′ S 9°30′ E |
|
Status |
Faunal Reserve |
|
Area- study area |
Study area approximately 20 km²; Reserve approximately 500 km² |
|
Study Period |
August 1997 – December 1998; April – June 1999 |
|
Focus of Project |
Research |
|
Altitude |
0 m |
|
Rainfall |
Total rainfall over 1 year (December 1997-November 1998) was 2376mm. Minimum 0.2mm (June), maximum 466.8mm (October). |
|
Research Presence |
Now vacant |
|
Habituation |
none |
|
Types of questions? |
Large mammal censuses, tree densities, fruit availability (fruitfall and tree monitoring), herb density, forest elephant diet (from faecal samples), forest elephant group composition and group size, forest elephant stature |
|
Conservation Projects? |
Extremely limited – informal training for one Gabonese student, some collaboration with WWF park management. |
|
Species studied in addition to WLGs |
Forest elephants, chimpanzees, forest buffalo, duiker, monkeys, red river hogs |
|
Distance to closest village in km |
Sette Cama, approximately 40 km |
|
Types of vegetation present at Site |
|
| savanna | present |
| gallery forest | present |
| previously logged secondary forest | present |
| streambed | present |
| open understory forest (Primary) | present |
| monodominant (Gilbertiodendron) | absent (present: monodominant Sacoglottis gabonensis) |
| Light gaps | present |
| Marantaceae forest | absent |
| Swamp Forest | present |
| Bais | absent |
|
Mammalian community |
|
| chimpanzees | present (0,39 ind./km²) |
| elephants | present (1.26-1.55) |
| buffalo | present (1.49) |
| monkeys | |
| Cercocebus galeritus | absent |
| Lophocebus albigena | present (5.23) |
| Cercopithecus cephus | present (13.33) |
| Cercopithecus nictitans | present (3.71) |
| Cercopithecus pogonias | present (5.64) |
| Cercocebus torquatus | present (15.89) |
| Piliocolobus badius | absent |
| Colobus guerza | absent |
| red river hog | present (7.48) |
| blue duiker | present (10.62 individuals/ km²) |
| red duikers | present (3.39 individuals/ km²) |
| squirrels | present (6.71 individuals/ km²) |
|
Human Influence |
|
| selective logging | during 1950s – 1970s |
| hunting (snares. Traces, shots fired) | Snares – never encountered (within study area) |
| human traces – yearly | |
| shots heard – never | |
| gorillas a target? | no |
| agriculture- distance to nearest field | > 5 km |
| tourism | Limited to driving along beach, monthly |
|
predators |
Not known |
|
Methods Used |
|
| Indirect evidence (trail, feces) | faecal analysis, feeding signs, nests. Opportunistic observations |
| Nest to nest tracking | no |
| Direct behavioral sampling | no |
| focal subject sampling | no |
|
Contact Information |
20. Dr Bethan J Morgan, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Peabody Museum, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge 02138 USA |
|
Bibliography |
Morgan, B.J. Fruitfall phenology in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. |
| Morgan, B.J. Sacoglottis gabonensis – a keystone food for forest elephants in the Reserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon? | |
| Morgan, B.J. Density and biomass of large mammals in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. | |
| Morgan, B.J. Elephant group composition and diet in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. | |
| Morgan, B.J. Low incidence of elephant debarking in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. | |
| Morgan, B.J. Elephant dung decay in a coastal ecosytstem in Gabon. | |
| Morgan, B.J. & Lee, P. C. Forest elephant stature in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. |