| dc.description.abstract | In light of global human population growth and increased spatial overlap between human and wildlife populations, effective conservation must increasingly incorporate the patterns of and threats to human-wildlife coexistence. Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) is the largest area of the Upper Guinean Forests of West Africa remaining in Sierra Leone and is of vital conservation importance. However, there has been limited research to examine the interactions between wildlife and the human populations that inhabit this landscape. This thesis aims to inform conservation management strategies at GRNP to mitigate the potential negative impacts of interactions between humans and wildlife. Firstly, in light of investment in the cocoa industry at GRNP, a cross-disciplinary approach was used to investigate wildlife crop foraging at GRNP, a major conservation and development concern. Semi structured interviews (n=71) and participatory risk mapping were used to determine the perceptions of local farmers. It was found that wildlife cocoa foraging was the main concern of GRNP farmers, with other factors such as climate of less importance. To compare perceptions to measured crop damage by three major groups, western chimpanzees, monkeys and squirrels, crop foraging traces were counted at 24 plantations. Monkeys were found to cause more damage than chimpanzees and squirrels, yet tolerance towards chimpanzees was disproportionately negative, suggesting the need for specific knowledge sharing amongst farmers to protect this critically endangered species. Investigation of the spatial characteristics and crop defence strategies that impact the susceptibility of plantations to crop foraging revealed variation between species groups in the most appropriate plantation management initiatives, including land use planning. A local cocoa farming and development initiative was also evaluated, with member farmers found to experience reduced crop foraging and show increased acceptance of wildlife. Our findings suggest community engagement is vital to the success of local conservation. Secondly, the presence and distribution of wildlife across GRNP and the impacts of proximity to human infrastructure and activities, including hunting, deforestation and agriculture, were explored. A camera trap survey conducted over 13 months resulted in detections of 26 medium to large bodied size mammals, forming the most recent assessment of the GRNP mammal community. Detected species included five globally threatened species, including critically endangered western chimpanzees, and one previously unconfirmed at the national park, giant forest hog. Species richness was found to be similar within two protected forest blocks and in the surrounding community-managed multi-use landscape. Variation between camera trap sites in ecological characteristics and proximity to anthropogenic infrastructure (roads and villages) showed no impact on site species richness, but an occupancy modelling approach revealed different responses between the 11 most detected species. The occupancy of six species was impacted by anthropogenic covariates, highlighting the varied abilities of species to occur in human-impacted environments. This study provides a vital contribution to conservation planning and management, including land use planning and prioritisation of species for continued monitoring in light of changing threats at GRNP. This body of work contributes vital information about the patterns and impacts of human-wildlife coexistence at GRNP from both ecological and human perspectives, providing management suggestions that promote both the long-term preservation of biodiversity and the needs of local people. | en_GB |
