Assessing Local Knowledge to Support Vulture Conservation in Northern Cameroon, Central Africa

Background: African vulture populations has fallen drastically, with some species declining by over 90%. In Cameroon, these declines remain unquantified due to a critical shortage of structured baseline data on distribution, status and demographic trends, often hindered by logistics and safety in remote zones. To bridge
this gap, this study leverages ethno-biological sighting patterns to evaluate vulture dynamics around abattoirs and the Bénoué and Bouba-Ndjida National Parks.

Methods: Ethno-ornithological surveys were conducted across 67 villages using semi-structured questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions. This involved 118 respondents: 81 from abattoir interviews and 37 from focus group discussions near the National Parks.

Results: While vultures still occur in these areas, 91.5% of surveyed residents reported massive population declines. Additionally, 63.3% of respondents have not seen a vulture recently, with historical memories of abundance stretching back to 1985. The most frequently observed species were the Hooded Vulture (57.5%) and White-backed Vulture (33.3%). Sighting frequencies were significantly higher at abattoirs (67.2%) than in Vicinities of National Parks, occurring mostly during the dry season when birds were eating (71.6%) or resting (20.7%). Statistically, vulture sighting frequencies and reported counts were heavily driven by sociodemographic factors: older, long-term residents (51–75 years) and primary-educated individuals reported significantly higher historical counts and deeper ecological knowledge than younger or unschooled peers. 

Conclusion: Designing appropriate conservation efforts to safeguard vulture populations requires careful consideration of community socio-demographic factors.

Keywords: Vultures’ decline, Local ecological Knowledge, Sighting pattern, Time Elapsed Since Last Sighting (TELS), Cameroon.