Prosper People, Rules and Organizations Supporting the Protection of Ecosystem Resources
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PROSPER PEOPLE, RULES AND ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THE PROTECTION OF ECOSYSTEM RESOURCES BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT REPORT Prepared by Fauna and Flora International November 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of a rapid biodiversity assessment of five forests in Liberia, which have been selected by the USAID PROSPER project for the development of community forestry: the Sayee Community Forest (CF), Gblor CF and Big Gio CF in Nimba County, and the Barconnie CF and Kortor CF in Grand Bassa County. The Big Gio Forest is under jurisdiction of four clans (Gblor, Sehzuplay, Quilla and Beatuo), but forms one contiguous forest block and therefore was assessed as a single unit. The biodiversity assessment intended to identify conservation values in the proposed CF sites and to set a baseline as reference for the evaluation of the project’s impact and achievements during and by the end of the project. The assessment focused on forest condition, 40 faunal indicator species (31 mammals, 7 birds, 2 reptiles) and the identification of main threats. Rapid assessment tools included participatory mapping, interviews of local hunters, one-day forest walks and a desk review. An Ecological Integrity Index (EcoIntex) was calculated for three taxonomic groups (primates, duikers and hornbills) and used for the comparison of the ecological intactness of the CF sites with that of other forest blocks in Liberia: Sapo National Park, Cestos- Senkwehn, Cestos-Gbi, Grebo and Nimba-Northeast. Sayee Community Forest The Sayee CF lies within the Liberian part of Mount Nimba Range, an area of significant conservation value within the Upper Guinean Rainforest. The site of interest is a comparatively small piece of 600-700 hectares of Primary Forest that remains on a mountain called Mount Dehton. The forest is encircled by a belt of farms and Young Secondary Forest on the lower slopes and in the lowland areas. Twenty-four of 39 potentially occurring faunal indicator species (61.54%) are still present in Dehton Forest; among them 10 of conservation concern (2 Endangered, 2 Vulnerable, 6 Near Threatened). Twenty-one of the 24 species (87.50%) were reported to show decreasing trends over the past ten years, due to hunting. The overall ecological integrity of Dehton Forest is relatively low compared to other forest blocks in Liberia. Its small size and isolated character decrease its wildlife carrying capacity and value as suitable habitat. The biodiversity is mainly threatened by farming, chainsawing and hunting. Barconnie Community Forest The Barconnie CF is located in the wider Buchanan area and has an estimated size of less than 2,000 hectares. It comprises mangroves in the coastal areas and patches of Mature Secondary Forest in the “upland”. The beach is known as a sea turtle nesting site. While the mangroves are largely intact, the upland forest is highly fragmented and in part degraded. Thirteen of 39 potentially occurring key animal species (33.33%) were reported present in the Barconnie CF. These include 1 Vulnerable and 2 Near Threatened species. Five of the 13 species occur both in the upland forest and the mangroves. Reasons given for the disappearance of other species which were present in the past included hunting and habitat loss. Due to the absence of a number of species in Barconnie CF, the Ecological Integrity Indices of the three assessed taxa are very low compared to the other forest sites in Liberia. The high degree of fragmentation of the remaining forest into numerous, comparatively small and in part degraded patches decreases its overall carrying capacity and animal abundance. The continuous destruction and degradation of the upland forest by farming, chainsawing and charcoal production were identified as main threats to Barconnie’s biodiversity, and to a lesser extent hunting. Kortor Community Forest The Kortor CF is located in District 4 in Grand Bassa County and extends over an area of at least 10,000 hectares. It consists mainly of Primary Forest and offers a variety of habitats, including rivers, swamps and hilly areas. The overall contiguity of the forest is largely intact, but disturbed by human activities around three permanent settlements within the forest. Thirty-two of the 38 potentially occurring faunal indicator species (84.21%) were reported to be present in Kortor Forest. These include 16 species of conservation concern (4 Endangered, 5 Vulnerable and 7 Near Threatened). Thirteen of the 32 species still occur in relatively high numbers, nine species were classified as intermediate abundant, and ten (mainly large species) as scarce. Decreasing population trends over the past 10 years were reported for at least 18 species, mainly due to hunting, habitat loss and the impacts of adjacent logging companies. The overall Ecological Integrity of Kortor CF is relatively high and comparable to those of Cestos-Senkwehn, Cestos-Gbi, Grebo and Nimba-Northeast. Further, Kortor Forest shows the highest Indices of all five PROSPER CF sites. The biodiversity however is threatened mainly by commercial chainsawing, farming and hunting. The chainsaw business was of specific concern, as apart from encroaching and destroying the forest, the community is not satisfied with the benefit sharing mechanism among the community members. Gblor Community Forest The Gblor CF lies southeast of the Big Gio Forest in the Tappita area in Nimba County and covers an area of at least 12,000 hectares. Continuous commercial selective logging operations over the past 40 years have shaped the forest profile, which is best described as disturbed Mature Secondary Forest. Further, the forest is degraded by human activities around human settlements within its borders. Twenty- five of 38 potentially occurring species (65.79%) were reported present in the Gblor CF. These include 10 species of conservation concern (2 Endangered, 4 Vulnerable and 4 Near Threatened). Fifteen of the 25 species were reported to occur in comparatively high numbers, while the population of 4 was considered as intermediate, and 6 species were rated as scarce. Eighteen of the 25 present animal species showed decreasing trends over the past ten years, mainly due to hunting. Due to the absence of high-forest depending primate species, the Gblor CF has the lowest primate EcoIntex of all compared sites, while the duiker and hornbill Indices rank intermediate. Farming and hunting were identified as the main threats to Gblor’s biodiversity. Big Gio Community Forest The Big Gio Forest comprises at least 32,930 hectares. It is located in the Tappita area in Nimba County and surrounded by the Gblor Clan in the south, the Sehzuplay Clan in the west, the Quilla Clan in the north and the Beatuo Clan in the east. The Big Gio Forest was demarcated as National Forest in the 1960s and is currently classified as an unallocated Forest Management Concession. However, FDA is not currently managing it and has expressed interest in reclassifying it as a Community Forest. The Big Gio Forest is a hilly area and comprises one large mountain range. Due to continuous logging operations over the past 50 years most of the original Primary Forest has been depleted, and today might only be found in the most inaccessible areas, such as mountain tops and swamps. The remaining area has to be considered as disturbed Mature Secondary Forest, which is further degraded by farming activities. The most destroyed part was found in the Quilla Clan area, with numerous permanent villages inside Big Gio, while the most undisturbed area of the forest appears to be around the Beatuo Clan. Thirty of 38 potentially occurring faunal indicator species were reported present (78.95%), among them 13 of conservation concern (2 Endangered, 4 Vulnerable, 7 Near Threatened). At least 13 species still occur in relatively high numbers, 5 species were classified as intermediate, while eleven species have become rare in Big Gio today. The wildlife is threatened by a high hunting pressure, and also facing habitat loss. In total 20 of the remaining 30 species were reported as decreasing by the communities over the past ten years. Compared to other forest sites, the overall Ecological Integrity of the Big Gio Forest is considered intermediate. The EcoIndices reflect a higher hunting pressure on primates and duikers as compared to hornbills, as well as the degradation and disturbed ecological integrity of the forest by other human impacts, such as logging and farming. The species composition at Big Gio Forest, both in diversity and relative abundance, shows a bias towards species able to cope with degraded, secondary vegetation, while the ones depending on undisturbed, high-canopy, intact primary forest are either rare or locally extinct. Main threats include farming, rubber plantations and excessive hunting. The communities further complained that some forest resources are also exploited by people from outside. Conclusions The overall assessment showed that the communities around the forests heavily depend on the forest resources, and all five CF sites are of conservation importance on a community level. Finally, the conservation value of theses forests was further evaluated in a broader context, based on seven criteria: forest size, forest type, forest intactness, degree of forest fragmentation, potential connectivity to adjacent forest blocks, presence of key species and ecological integrity. Due to its small size and isolation, Dehton Forest of the Sayee CF is of no significant conservation value from a regional, national and global perspective. The same applies for the degraded and highly fragmented upland forest in the Barconnie Community, while the mangroves, including the beaches are of particular importance, both on a regional and national, and probably even on an international level. The Gblor CF by itself is of no significant conservation value in a wider context. However, given its vicinity and potential connectivity to the Big Gio Forest rises its importance on a regional level.