The Ebo forest covers about 140,000 hectares of coastal forest in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. It is one of the most ecologically rich forests in the Gulf of Guinea biodiversity hotspot. This forest, which harbors many globally threatened and endemic plant species, is also home to various emblematic fauna species. Based on a literature review and informal discussions with local communities, this study aims to provide current knowledge on the Ebo primate population, discuss their major threats at landscape level, and present current conservation efforts and perspectives on human-wildlife coexistence. The Ebo forest is rich in primates, featuring four nocturnal species (Galagoides thomasi, Arctocebus calabarensis, Sciurocheirus alleni, and Perodicticus edwardsi) and ten diurnal species, including two African great apes (Gorilla gorilla spp. and Pan troglodytes ellioti), one Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus leucophaeus), one mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), one colobus (Piliocolobus preussi), and five guenons (Allochrocebus preussi, Cercopithecus nictitans, C. mona, C. erythrotis, and C. pogonias). The Black and White monkey (Colobus guereza) is nowadays considered locally extirpated, and five other species are becoming rare or very rare. Hunting, wood extraction, slash-and-burn agriculture, and unplanned community resettlement represent the main anthropogenic threats to the Ebo primate community. There is a need for an appropriate integrated conservation strategy on the ground based on biological research and community-led conservation initiatives to safeguard the survival of Ebo primate populations. Additionally, inclusive land-use planning in this key biodiversity hotspot is a way to strategize for the long-term coexistence of humans and the Ebo primate assemblage.
Mbouombouo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.