Ecological characteristics of Elephant (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797) Habitat within Protected Areas Network Oti-Keran-Mandouri in Togo

Abstract

The complex of protected areas Oti-Keran-Mandouri (OKM) is a key biodiversity area in Togo. It is listed as Ramsar site, as International Bird Area and considered as conservation corridor for the African savanna elephant. However, its habitats are under increasing anthropogenic pressure. Therefore, social survey, remote sensing, geographic information system and vegetation sampling were combined to assess the occurrence frequency of elephant from 2010 to 2013, the potential elephant habitat, the dynamics of different land cover within this habitat from 1987 to 2013 and its vulnerability to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Presence of elephants (one to three or four and even eleven) was reported to occur in villages surrounding OKM with some located more than 10 km away from the borders of OKM. However, the potential elephant habitat is about 30 % the current area of OKM and it is 81.81% fragmented. From 1987 to 2013, natural habitats regressed to the profit of croplands with wetlands being the main contributor. Three main habitat change processes leading to landscape anthropization were identified. These are attrition in forests and savannas, dissection in wetlands and creation in croplands. Two ecological gradients influencing the distribution of plant species and seven plant communities were identified. The analysis of the socio-ecological system revealed that some adaptive strategies to climate change like recessional agriculture are detrimental to biodiversity conservation. Moreover, resident communities expressed no interest in the conservation of this area and suggested its release for them to increase their agricultural land. Population growth, former and current management inadequacy and climate change appeared to be the main drivers of habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss in this region. The restoration of this complex of protected areas will be only successful if resident communities are put at the heart of the conservation system.