- Client
- Plantation Forestière de la Mvoung (PFM)
- Sector
- Plantation forestry
- Location
- East of Libreville, Gabon
- Year
- 2023
Do plantations support wildlife? Comparing plantation and conservation areas in Gabon
We gave PFM objective evidence of how its plantations affect large mammals compared with its conservation areas.
Okala's Gabon field team at work. © Okala
20
mammal species recorded
2,079
camera-trap days
2
land uses compared
The challenge
Plantation Forestière de la Mvoung asked us to evaluate how its plantations and harvesting affect forest biodiversity. It needed objective evidence of how wildlife uses plantation areas compared with the conservation areas it sets aside.
What we did
We placed 36 camera traps, 21 in plantations and 15 in conservation areas, following Gabon's national 6 x 6 km grid so the results add to national monitoring. Around each grid point we added a 1 x 1 km cluster to catch cryptic species that avoid main animal paths. We then compared species richness, community make-up and daily activity between the two land uses.
The outcome
The survey recorded 20 mammal species. PFM now has objective, statistically sound evidence of how wildlife uses its plantations compared with its conservation areas. It can use this to shape management across its landscape, and because the data align with Gabon's national grid, they also add to national monitoring. The data are held in NatureCube, so PFM can revisit the results and add future surveys to track change.
