Editorial 



Wildlife in forest management in Africa 



Robert Nasi' 



Importance of wildlife for the maintenance of functional forest ecosystems 



Human activities in tropical forests are disruptive processes and can trigger numerous, yet not 

 completely understood, mechanisms or effects which will in turn alter, in a more or less significant way, 

 the overall fiinction, structure and composition of the ecosystem. Plant regeneration (loss of pollinators, 

 seed dispersers and seed predators), food webs (loss of top predators or of their prey), and plant diversity 

 (change in herbivory patterns, increased pests) are amongst the various processes dependent upon the 

 presence of wild fauna. Some species or fiinctional groups matter more than others in maintaining 

 ecosystem processes and integrity. "Keystone species", "ecosystem engineers" or organisms with high 

 "community importance values" refer to species whose loss has a disproportionate impact on the 

 ecosystem when compared to the loss of other species. Conventional wisdom predicts that the reduction 

 or extirpation of these animals will result in dramatic changes to the ecosystems. 



The importance of considering these keystone species in forest management is illustrated by the many 

 examples. Large cats' extirpation triggers an uncontrolled growth of the prey population which in turn 

 dramatically increases browsing or grazing intensity to the point where forest regeneration can be totally 

 prevented. Elephants have a tremendous role in modifying vegetation structure and composition 

 through their feeding habits (differential herbivory, seed dispersal) and movements in the forest (killing 

 a large number of small trees). Wild pigs (Sus spp., Potamochoerus sp, etc.) and some antelopes are 

 among the most active seed predators. A significant change in their population densities will have a 

 major effect on seedling survival and forest regeneration. Many key forest tree species such as Milicia 

 excelsa (Iroko) are disappearing or are not regenerating properly because the role of fruit bat, {Eidolom 

 helvum), in seed dispersal, survival, and germination has not been considered in forest management. 



Importance of wildlife for the livelihoods of local people 



Wildlife has important livelihood aspects and serves multiple roles. Wildlife products are often major 

 items of consumption or display and have high medicinal and spiritual values in many human cultures. 

 Bushmeat and other wildlife products offer a number of benefits to forest dwelling populations. These 

 are easily traded resources: transportable with a high value/weight ratio and easily preserved at low cost. 

 It often represents both the primary source of animal protein and the main cash-earning commodity for 

 the inhabitants of the humid forest regions of the tropics. Cash income from the sale of wildlife products 

 can be highly variable, even when the same resource category is considered. While those products 

 destined for international markets fetch much higher prices (a breeding pair of Lear's Macaw is worth 

 around $100,000 on the black market) than locally consumed goods and the unit value of wild meat is 

 low, the returns from hunting are generally higher than average local wages. The maintenance of healthy 

 wildlife populations is therefore essential for local livelihoods and cultures. The main threat to wildlife 

 is generally poaching or overhunting, both in humid and dry Afiica. 



If current levels of hunting persist in Central Afiica, bush meat protein supplies will fall dramatically and 

 a significant number of forest mammals will become extinct in less than 50 years. However, if bush meat 

 harvests are reduced to a supposedly sustainable level, millions of people will be seriously affected by 

 the immediate loss of wild protein supply in a region where poverty and malnutrition are already rife. 

 This is exacerbated by the fact that wildlife is fiirther impacted by the industrial exfractive sector 



' Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), P.O. Box 0113 BOCBD 

 Bogor 16000, Indonesia. Courrier électronique : r.nasi(3),csiar.org 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 iii 



