Science and Conservation in African Forests The Benefits of Longterm Research

About this book

Forests need apes as much as the apes need the forests. They are the gardeners of the forest - keystone species in the ecology of African and Southeast Asian forests, dispersing seeds, creating light gaps and pruning branch-tips whilst feeding. Their habitat comprises two of the planet's three major tropical forest blocks that are essential for global climate regulation. But the economic pressures that are destroying ape habitats are much greater than current available conservation finance.

This unique case study from the Kibale national park illustrates how biological research has had diverse consequences for conservation. It examines effects on habitat management, community relations, ecotourism and training. Lessons learned from this project over the last 20 years will inspire researchers and conservationists to work together to promote biodiversity through field projects.

Contents

Preface Richard Leakey; Foreword Ian Redmond and Melanie Virtue; 1. Why the link between long-term research and conservation is a case worth making Richard Wrangham; 2. Links between research and protected area management in Uganda Moses Mapesa; 3. The use of research: how science in Uganda's national parks has been applied William Olupot and Andrew J. Plumptre; 4. Long-term research and conservation in Kibale National Park Thomas Struhsaker; 5. Monitoring forest-savannah dynamics in Kibale National Park with satellite imagery (1989-2003): implications for the management of wildlife habitat Nadine Laporte, Wayne Walker, Jared Stabach, and Florence Landsberg; 6. Long-term studies reveal the conservation potential for integrating habit restoration and animal nutrition Colin A. Chapman, Lauren J. Chapman, Patrick A. Omeja and Dennis Twinomugisha; 7. Long-term perspectives on forest conservation: lessons from research in Kibale National Park Jeremiah S. Lwanga and G. Isabirye-Basuta; 8. Health and disease in the people, primates, and domestic animals of Kibale National Park: implications for conservation Tony L. Goldberg, Thomas R. Gillespie and Innocent B. Rwego; 9. The importance of training national and international scientists for conservation research Rosie Trevelyan and Clive Nuttman; 10. Community benefits from long-term research programs: a case study from Kibale National Park, Uganda John M. Kasenene and Elizabeth A. Ross; 11. Potential interactions of research with the development and management of eco-tourism Arthur Mugisha; 12. The human landscape around the island park: impacts and responses to Kibale National Park Abe Goldman, Joel Hartter, Jane Southworth and Michael Binford; 13. Conservation and research in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Masindi District, Western Uganda Fred Babweteera, Vernon Reynolds and Klaus Zuberbuhler; 14. Long-term research and conservation in Gombe National Park, Tanzania Anthony Collins and Jane Goodall; 15. Long-term research and conservation in the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania Toshisada Nishida and Michio Nakamura; 16. The contribution of long-term research by the Tai Chimpanzee Project to conservation Christophe Boesch, Hedwige Boesch, Zoro Bertin Gone Bi, Emmanuelle Normand and Ilka Herbinger; 17. The Green Corridor Project: long-term research and conservation in Bossou, Guinea Tetsuro Matsuzawa and Makan Kourouma; 18. Long-term research and conservation of the Virunga mountain gorillas Elizabeth A. Williamson and Katie A. Fawcett; 19. Long-term research and conservation of great apes: a global future Natarajan Ishwaran; 20. Long-term research and conservation: the way forward Richard Wrangham and Elizabeth Ross.

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Biography

Richard Wrangham is Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology and Wing Chair in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. He is the founder and co-director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Research Station in the forests of western Uganda near the town of Fort Portal.

Elizabeth Ross has been the Director of the Kasiisi Schools Project in western Uganda since 1996, which has built classrooms for more than 1500 students and currently operates in five schools. She has a BSc in Zoology and a Ph.D in Immunology from Edinburgh University and has conducted post-doctoral research at Oxford University.