Rodents damage crops more than wildlife in subsistence agriculture on the northern periphery of Dja Reserve, Cameroon

Abstract

Crop-raiding is a significant problem in small-scale farming, both for the people who depend on their crops and the success of conservation projects. Here, we present the results of a survey on subsistence agriculture, describing crop damage and methods to prevent them, in three communities (35 households) at the northern periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, in Cameroon. A total of 96.7% of fields experienced crop damage, 13 species were responsible for this damage, and small mammals, such as cane rat, were the most severe (73% fields affected). None of the methods to prevent damage to crops was negatively correlated with damage. Cumulative damage was negatively correlated with the distance from the forest only on the peanut fields. Distance of a field to the forest was negatively correlated with crop-raiding by only one of the 13 species: the agile mangabeys. Species that were the subject of conservation efforts were responsible for a small proportion of the damage.

Keywords:

• Crop damage
• Cameroon
• rodents
• tropical forest
• wildlife

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Colin Chapman and Mark Grote for their valuable comments on the manuscript. We would like to thank the participating households and our guides: Bibem, Simon and Liboire, for their kind cooperation, Projet Grands Singes and in particular Cecile Neel for the logistic support and hospitality, and Manfred Epanda Aimé and Sandrine Istas for their valuable help in the field. This study was made possible through financial support of the Schure-Beijerinck-Popping Fonds (MEA), Gerard Molleman and Janny Tuinenga.