Local perceptions of elephant-Borassus aethiopum Mart (Arecaceae) interactions in the Pendjari National Park in Benin

Abstract

Elephants are reported to have a dramatic impact on woody vegetation in protected areas. Careful control of elephant and wood species populations is therefore crucial to successful biodiversity management in such ecosystems. The perceptions of local people and protected areas managers could very usefully supplement classic ecological surveys and monitoring to achieve this goal. This study assessed the perceptions of managers and local people regarding the causes, damage, consequences and management options of elephant pressure on the declining dioecious palm Borassus aethiopum. The study was conducted in the Pendjari National Park, which is part of the W-Arly-Pendjari transboundary complex of reserves in West Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 respondents belonging to three socio-professional categories: administrators, ecoguards and local professional hunters. Relative frequency of citation and the Pearson correlation were used to assess the consensus and concordance of their perceptions, respectively. The respondents reported a steep increase in the number of elephants in the Pendjari National Park, which they attributed to significant elephant migration from transboundary parks where poaching pressure was perceived as high. This has resulted in high pressure on tree species including B. aethiopum. Despite differences in professional outlook, consensual and concordant opinions were noted among administrators, ecoguards and local professional hunters on the relationship between B. aethiopum and elephants. A regional approach aiming to protect the elephant population (low poaching) in the W-Arly-Pendjari complex and other neighbouring reserves was suggested in order to limit elephant migration.