International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-3, Issue-2, Mar -Apr- 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/3.2.42 ISSN: 2456-1878 Status of Blue Duiker (Cephalophus monticola) and Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) in Kom - Wum Forest Reserve, North West Region, Cameroon Akwo Christian Ebua1, TSI Evaristus Angwafo1, 2, Mvo Denis Chuo1 1Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA), P. O. Box 222 Dschang, University of Dschang, Cameroon 2Department of Fundamental Science Higher Technical Teacher Training College (H.T.T.T.C.) P.O. Box 39 Bambili University of Bamenda – Cameroon Abstract— The study titled “Status of Blue duiker from exploiting them. A majority (80%) of the (Cephalophus monticola) and Bushbuck (Tragelaphus respondents however agreed that the reserve is owned scriptus) in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North West and controlled by the government. Though plagued by Region-Cameroon, was realized from the 15th of January human interference, the reserve still harbours some st to March 31 , 2015. The general objective was to Bushbuck and Blue duiker. We therefore recommend that contribute to the conservation of Blue duiker and the council, government, NGOs and the local community Bushbuck by establishing a baseline data in Kom-Wum to step up conservation efforts. Forest Reserve which will serve as guide for management Keywords— Anthropogenic activities, Bushbuck, Blue decisions. The methodology used was “reconnaissance duiker, Conservation, Encounter rate. walk, questionnaires, semi structured interviews and focused group discussions. Results obtained indicated I. INTRODUCTION that twelve species of mammals were recorded through Following the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in direct and indirect bio-indicators. The family of Brazil in 1992, and the recommendation to its parties for Cercopithecidae was the most represented (41.7%) (Putty tracking progress towards the 2010 target of halting nosed (Cercopithecus nictitans), Vervet (Cercopithecus biodiversity loss, the number of protected areas in aethiops), Patas (Erythrobus patas), Mona Cameroon increased substantially (Mesmin, 2001). In (Cercopithecus mona) monkeys and Olive Baboon (Papio 2010, 10.6 percent (5 million hectares) of the area of Anubis). The results equally revealed that Chimpanzees Cameroon were covered by protected areas. Of these, 45 (Pan troglodytes ellioti), Red duiker (Cephalophus percent (2.2 million hectares) of protected areas coverage dorsalis), Blue duiker and Bushbuck were the most were designated after Cameroon signed the CBD. abundant animals with encounter rates of 3.8, 2.91, 2.41 National parks cover 3.1 million hectares corresponding and 1.93signs per km respectively. The GIS distribution to 61 percent of the area protected with 11 of the 20 parks maps showed that Blue duikers and Bushbucks were more classified under IUCN category II (IUCN, 2010). Forest in the North East and South West potions of the reserve and wildlife reserves comprise 940242 and 869428 respectively. The mean encounter rate of anthropogenic hectares or 18 percent and 17 percent of land protected activities (hunting, agriculture and logging) stood at 0.94 respectively. However, insufficient financial support and sign per kilometer. Hunting was most preponderant with weak law enforcement have resulted in encroachment of an E.R of 1.41 sign per km (50%), followed by agriculture those protected areas by human activities (illegal logging, 1.0 sign per km (36%) and lastly logging 0.41 sign per km poaching unsustainable agriculture) and settlements (14%). Encounter rates of anthropogenic activities (COMIFAC, 2005). Bush meat trade, wildlife medicine plotted against those of mammals gave a coefficient of and habitat loss are considered as the biggest threats to determination (R2) =0.058 hence, mammal distribution is wildlife in tropical forests. For example, it is the root only slightly affected by human activities. Up to 65% of cause of the decreasing of African ape populations the respondents expressed negative attitudes towards (Pearce & Ammann, 1995), the commerce of bush meat is conservation of resources in the reserve for the fact that it particularly critical in Centre Africa. In the Congo Basin, is their natural heritage and they should not be restrained between 1 million and 3.4 million tons of wild meat are www.ijeab.com Page | 619 International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-3, Issue-2, Mar -Apr- 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/3.2.42 ISSN: 2456-1878 consumed each year (Wilcox & Nambu, 2007). In West secondarily triggered by the conversion of forest to and Central Africa, the amount of antelopes killed for pasture and agriculture (Chuo and Tsi, 2017e). This bush meat is widely recognized as unsustainable (Bowen- conversion has been dramatic and the landscape has Jones, 2002). The blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola) changed considerably over the last century, with just a especially represents a very high percentage of animal few fragmented forests remaining that hold remnants of species killed for meat across West and Central Africa flagship species like the Nigerian- Cameroon chimpanzee (Nasi and Vliet, 2011). In his Review of the Commercial (Pan tronglodytes ellioti) and antelope species (CAEPA, Bush meat Trade on Central/West Africa, Bowen-Jones 2014). As such, Reconciling development and (1998) listed Cameroon as the country with the most biodiversity conservation remains a hard nut to crack. references, representing 21% of the literature out of nine Since the inhabitants in and around the reserve depend on countries. the forest for their livelihoods (Chuo and Tsi, 2017c). The Bamenda Highlands is the most diversed This therefore means that, sustainable management of and important area in Western Cameroon after mount such a reserve must involve the support of the local Cameroon and mount Kupe (Sedlacek et al., 2007). communities through their active involvement in wildlife Within the eco-region of the Cameroonian Highlands, management operations and hence decision making several taxa are endemic to the Bamenda Highlands (Hulme and Taylor, 2000). Despite the fact that research (Ingram and Nsom, 2007; Ndenecho, 2009) and has not been done on medium size mammals like the blue particularly to its highest peak: Mt Oku. These mountains duiker and bushbuck in this reserve and incomplete are well-known for their richness in birds (Ndenecho, knowledge on their abundance and distribution exist. The 2011) with several endemic species (Ingram and Nsom, blue duiker and bushbuck are over hunted for subsistence 2007), including the banded wattle-eye (Platysteira and commercial purposes by local hunters in and around laticincta) and the Bannermans turaco (Tauraco this reserve does the need to adopt necessary means to bannermani) an emblematic bird for local communities conserve the remaining species around the study areas. but highly localized and threatened by hunting (Ingram and Nsom, 2007). Several species of primates, including II. MATERIALS AND METHOD Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees and Preuss’s guenons 2.1. Description of Study Area (Cercopithecus preussi), (both taxa considered as The Kom –Wum forest reserve is located between endangered by the International Union for the latitude 6° N and 7° N and longitude 9° E and 10°E and is Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and endemic to the Bight situated in Wum Subdivision in Menchum Division and a of Biafra: IUCN, 2013), live in the remaining patches of reasonable potion extends to Boyo Division of the North sub-montane forests of the Bamenda Highlands (Ingram West Region of Cameroon. Bounded by Wum to the and Nsom, 2007). North West, Bafut to the South West and Fundong to the The Kom-Wum forest reserve which is a South East and North East. This reserve was created in biodiversity hot spot recently handed to the councils of 1951, and has a surface area of about 17000 hectares Fundong and Wum by MINFOF and being an integral (Morgan et al., 2011). It has an altitude of about 900m to part of the Bamenda high lands will certainly habour 2140m above sea level in the mountains and about 200m some of these important species. The Kom-Wum forest to 600m in the valleys. It is situated towards the western reserve (17000 ha) is one of the largest remaining patches boundary of the region which stretches along the of the Bamenda highland montane forest. It is predicted to international border between Cameroon and eastern have the largest population density of chimpanzees and Nigeria. The main rivers that flow through this area are antelopes in the region (Chuo and Tsi, 2017e). It has been the rivers Ivin, Menchum, Nzele and Kimbi. All of these described as an exceptional priority conservation site for join the Kasina-la, which flows into Kasina-la State, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Morgan et al., 2011). Nigeria. Figure 5 shows the map of Kom–Wum forest Despite the importance of this reserve, over hunting and reserve in Cameroon. habitat loss are the major causes of fauna loss which are www.ijeab.com Page | 620 International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-3, Issue-2, Mar -Apr- 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/3.2.42 ISSN: 2456-1878 Fig.1: Location of the KWFR in the North West Region of Cameroon (COMINSUD,2011) 2.2. Data collection 23 quadrates. Inside each quadrate, data was collected on Data collection in the Kom-Wum forest reserve recces of 2km long oriented in the East-West direction. A was carried out from the 15th of January 2015 to 20th of total of 23 recces of 2km each were covered giving a total March 2015. During this period, the “recce walk” was distance of 46km as shown on the sampling plan on figure used. A recce is a path of least resistance through an 2. Recces were oriented to cut across major vegetation area following a compass bearing (e.g. north-south, types (, primary forest, secondary forest, gallery forest southeast-northwest, east-west).