conservation in equatorial guinea...equatorial guinea, the only spanish-speaking country in tropical...

ORYX VOL 26 NO 2 APRIL 1<

Conservation in Equatorial Guinea

John E. Fa

Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking country in tropical Africa, isan important enclave for wildlife. Because of its dire economic situation, theoutcome of the withdrawal of colonial paternalism and 11 years of ruthlessmilitary dictatorship, the country sees the exploitation of its naturalresources as the panacea to its financial deficit. The consequences for faunaand flora of the unchecked exploitation and uncontrolled opening of forestland for commercial logging will be enormous. Some protected areas havebeen decreed, but effective action to enforce new laws needs to be taken andthe country lacks trained personnel and infrastructure.

The republic of Equatorial Guinea consists ofthree geographical entities: (a) a continentalzone, Rio Muni (or Mbini) region, limited tothe north by Cameroon, to the east and southby Gabon and to the west by the AtlanticOcean; (b) Bioko Island (formerly FernandoPo) on 3 °30' N within the Gulf of Guinea; and(c) Annobon Island (Pagalu) to the south ofSao Tome and Principe in the Atlantic Ocean(Figure 1). The country has been facing severeeconomic conditions for the past two decades.Rising payments deficit, growing dependenceon external financial sources, mounting exter-nal debt arrears and excessive short-term capi-tal flight have contributed to the fall of thecountry's gross domestic product. The econo-my is based on agriculture, forestry and, to alesser extent, on fisheries; the manufacturingindustrial sector is insignificant. Exports con-sist almost totally of cacao, timber and coffee.A drop in international cacao market priceshas led to a loss of income, which has been off-set somewhat by a rise in coffee and timberexports.

Equatorial Guinea is one of the poorestcountries in Africa. Annual income per capitawas estimated at $US350, infant mortality 144per 1000, gross mortality 22 per 1000 and lifeexpectancy only 44 years (UNDP, 1987). About78 per cent of the country's population is ruraland, therefore, significantly dependent on theland. Against such a backdrop, forest conser-vation and protection of biological diversity

can only be achieved in line with the rationaluse of natural resources.

Forests and wildlife

The vegetation in Equatorial Guinea is mostlyGuineo-Congolian lowland rain forest.Because of the considerable complexity of thecountry's terrain and especially because ofhuman action, there is a mosaic of types foundirregularly throughout the territory, ofteninterdigitating and forming complex ecotones.Bioko's vegetation is conditioned by itsruggedness and steep elevations from sealevel to over 3000 m. The extreme variation inprecipitation, from 2000 mm at Malabo in thenorth to 11,000 mm at Ureka in the south, con-tributes also to the vast range of types. Theseoccur as discrete belts characterized by alti-tude, but with differences related to precipita-tion levels. In general, lowland rain forest issucceeded by montane forest, a tree-fern zone,scrub and subsequently subalpine meadowson the summits. This pattern is unmodifiedalong the north-facing slopes of the Basile andLuba massifs, but changes to a monsooniccomponent along the lower south-facing ele-vations.

Vegetation types in Rio Muni form well-defined belts with palm and Terminalia catappacommunities along the coast, succeeded by asavannah corridor not more than 2 km wide

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ORYX VOL 26 NO 2 APRIL 1992

and tropical rain forest communities inland. from disturbed vegetation Cbicoro'). OtherClimax formations in Equatorial Guinea are forest types, namely mangroves, are foundknown locally as 'afan' and distinguished primarily on the Rio Muni and Rio Uolo estu-

(a)

— Sao

0

xBioko ^

Principe

TomeQ

V• Annobon *

km

300

CAMEROON

I Mbini

ri

vsGABON

r_ -

9

(b)

..'AtkCaldera de Luba

Malabo

(c)

Ebebiyin-j-

Mb

0 30 km

«••» Roads - v ^ ~ Rivers

Figure 1. Location and geographical entities in Equatorial Guinea.

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CONSERVATION IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Secondary forest of value to wildlife is common throughout the country (John Fa).

aries and riparian palm forests along someparts of the coast and bordering the majorriver systems. 'Cerros cupulas', or graniticinselberg domes, which emerge from the trop-ical forest covered with grassland, are com-mon in the east.

A very large proportion of EquatorialGuinea, both on the continent and on Bioko, isstill covered with forest (Fa, 1991). Primaryand secondary formations in both regionscould cover about 70 per cent of the total land

area (Malleux, 1987; Lepitre et al, 1988). Forestcover in Bioko has not changed much sincereported by Ocana Garcia (1962), but themajority of lowland moist forest is now tallsecondary forest due to the abandonment ofcacao plantations. Forest land in the Rio Muniregion is greater at around 15,350 sq km(Lepitre et al., 1988). There is primarily denseforest within the Niefang chain, south of RioNtem and in a northwest-southeast belt fromNsoc to Micomeseng. Pristine primary forest

Table 1. Changes in forest cover (sq km) in Rio Muni and Bioko

I9602 19803 19854

Forest type1

Intact forestExploited forestProductive forestNon-productive forestDense primary forestSecondary forestOpen forestSavannah

Rio Muni

_

-

1475

10

Bioko

_

-

11801130

10

Rio Muni

780220

1000180115351.40

Bioko

51015

10011671145

1210

Rio Muni

74021798718011335

0

Bioko

49

13

1 1

1

O

^FAO (1981) classification;2 Mapa Forestal de Guinea Ecuatorial, Ejercito Espanol;3 & 4 FAO, 1981

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is still found in the Centre Sur province, butthe Litoral province has large expanses of sec-ondary forest. Although the areas of sec-ondary forest vegetation have changedthrough agriculture, a 1960 Spanish Armyforestry map is still probably the most accu-rate for depicting the extent of forest types inthe region. Changes in actual forest land inBioko and Rio Muni are hard to calculate accu-rately because of differences in classification.However, a comparison of forest classified asdense and open in the 1960 forestry map withexploited and unexploited forest from FAOestimates for the end of 1980 (Table 1) suggestthat there has been a 20 per cent reduction inforest cover. Further loss of forest has takenplace since that date.

Biological diversity

Knowledge of the biological diversity of thecountry is still patchy given that no completespecies lists of even the vertebrates are avail-able. Mammalian diversity is best known,while birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishesare still poorly documented. Only a full list ofvertebrates for Bioko as of 1973 is provided byEisentraut (1973). It seem likely that a smallnumber of species is still to be added; in all,336 vertebrates had been collected on theisland. No lists of vertebrate species have yetbeen compiled for the continental region.Equally, there is a lack of inventory data onthe flora of the entire country. Despite thedearth of information it has been recognized(Adams, 1957; Davis et al., 1986) that the floraof the islands, namely Bioko and Annobon,harbour important endemics.

Basilio (1962) documented the presence of182 mammals in Equatorial Guinea during the1960s but this is now known to be an underes-timate. Recent studies and inventory workundertaken in the continental region by theCooperacion Espafiola Conservation andResearch Programme have come up with anumber of unrecorded bats and other mam-mals (J. Juste Ballesta, pers. comm.).

Like Gabon (McShane, 1990) EquatorialGuinea is an important country for large

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mammals such as chimpanzee, gorilla and for-est elephant. The country harbours one of thehighest number of primate species in Africawith 21 taxa: five are subspecies endemic toBioko. Preuss's guenon Cercopithecus preussi,which is found on the two peaks in Bioko(Butynski and Koster, 1988) is one of the rarestprimates in Africa (Lee, Bennett andThornback, 1988).

Conflict between resource use andwildlife conservation

Equatorial Guinea's largely rural populationsurvives on a basic itinerant agriculture sup-plemented by hunting of a variety of animals(Fa, 1991). The exploitation model is based onthe family and its manual labour. Forest iscleared, usually incompletely, debris burntand land cultivated for less than five yearsand then allowed to revert to forest or othersecondary vegetation before being clearedagain. This type of agriculture uses a naturalfallow system, which, if undertaken by a smallpopulation of agriculturalists, presents no realproblems for the forest in the long term. Long-fallow shifting cultivation is the most ecologi-cally sound, leaving small openings similar tonatural ones caused by landslides or fallingtrees. Regeneration following abandonmentcan take place fairly rapidly. When field sizesare enlarged or fallow times shortened, a situ-ation generally related to a high population ofagriculturalists, large forest areas can bedestroyed beyond recovery. Vanniere (1969)claims that the main cause of forest degrada-tion in Equatorial Guinea is itinerant agricul-ture. Most of this kind of destruction hasoccurred in the Micomeseng-Ebebiyin region,but more than 44 per cent of the Litoralprovince has been degraded in this way. Ratesof forest conversion by shifting agricultureaccording to FAO (1981) indicate that 23,000families in Rio Muni and 1000 in the islandspractising this cultivation annually disturbed14,000 and 1000 ha of forest, respectively.Similarly, Lepitre et al. (1988) calculated that1425 sq km of the land was affected by agri-culturalists each year, 80 per cent being forest



https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300023395



land. They estimate a conversion rate of 7.3 haper inhabitant per year (calculated from con-verted forest area/rural population).

Of the 26,000 sq km that make up the entireterritory, 3000 sq km (11.5 per cent) is underagriculture. According to international agri-culture programmes (Cooperation Franchise,1982), another 5000 sq km, or 19.2 per cent ofthe entire country, are potentially exploitable.During colonial times, around 25,000 ha werededicated to coffee, cacao, oil palm andcoconut. Only 75 plantations are now left inthe continental region, 7 per cent of which arelarger than 100 ha. Cacao plantations, whichwere originally one of the prime land holders,are at present reduced to 3 per cent of theirformer extent. Thus, whereas in 1969 morethan 36,000 tons of cacao were produced, by1979 this figure had been reduced to less than7000 tons. Despite the halt in this downwardtrend and a significant increase in exportsbetween 1980 and 1983, production fell againdue to a combination of adverse climatologicalconditions and a decline in market prices. This

The russet-eared guenon is one among fiverecognized primate subspecies endemic to Bioko(John Fa).

represented a reduction of income of approxi-mately $US4 million. There was also a sharpreduction in coffee exports in 1986, the totalexport value being maintained due to priceincreases. On the other hand, there was a con-

Wild animals are important as bush meat for the rural populations in Equatorial Guinea (John Fa).

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siderable increase in timber exports; theexported volume reached 138,000 cu m in1988, and, together with an improvement ofprices, accounted for an increase of approxi-mately US$6.5 million.

Whilst there is potential to increase produc-tion in agriculture as well as forestry, there isno doubt that forestry offers the best possibili-ties for expansion both in the short and medi-um term. It is unlikely that the cacao industrycould be restored to its pre-independencestate, even if old cacao plantations were reha-bilitated. It would be too costly in view of theexpected low prices in international marketsand the high input costs. A similar situation oflow market prices due to an increase in world-wide production affects the coffee trade.

Future trends

High taxation and the excessive costs of road-building (vehicles transporting wood are notallowed to use public roads) are considered tobe the two main obstacles for the expansion ofthe timber industry in the country. Taxation is27 per cent for roundwood and 18 per cent forsawnwood, but taxes on petrol, handling andport facilities are also high. For okoume

Aucoumea klaineana, the major timber exportedfrom this part of Africa, tax is 1.36-fold higherthan in neighbouring Gabon. Timber exportfrom Rio Muni takes place exclusively fromBata, thus any increment in the timber tradewould also necessarily entail expansion ofthese port facilities or the opening of anotherport at Cogo as suggested by the EC (Lepitreet al., 1988).

The country's reliance on timber to boost itsgross national product has been translatedinto an expected production rise of 87.5 percent for roundwood, 7.4 per cent for sawn-wood and 5.1 per cent for board wood by 1989(Malleux, 1987). According to figures from theInternational Monetary Fund, the participa-tion of timber in the nation's economy wouldhave to increase from 35 per cent in 1984 to 54per cent in 1991 (Lepitre et al., 1988). Afterstudying the tax system, Taupiac (1988) rec-ommended the substantial lowering of taxeswhile Lepitre et al. (1988) concluded that theenlargement of the forest road network wouldaccommodate the necessary increase in traffic.

Conservation of the country's biologicaldiversity has been recently promoted in thedecree of five protected areas in Rio Muni,another two on Bioko Island as well asAnnobon Island in its entirety, as proposed by

Figure 2. Decreed protected areas in Equatorial Guinea. Bioko: 1. Pico Basile; 2. Gran Caldera de Luba;Rio Muni: 3. Rio Ntem Estuary; 4. Monte Alen; 5. Montes Mitra; 6. Rio Muni Estuary; 7. Nsoc Highlands.

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Capture of chimpanzees and gorillas for sale todealers may be having a significant impact on theseprimates in Rio Muni {John Fa).

Castroviejo et al. (1986) and Fa (1991) (Figure2). However, this exercise remains a nominalattempt in protection although it opens waysfor future action.

Solutions

Equatorial Guinea's legal framework for con-servation is still in its incipient stages. Twoordinances now exist that relate to naturalresources, a forestry law enacted in 1985 forthe protection and regulation of the use of for-est products, and the other for the protectionof wildlife in December 1988.

The Direction General de Bosques atMalabo, through its Ministerio de Agricultura,Ganaderia, Pesca y Forestal, is the ultimateauthority responsible for the administration ofnatural resources in Equatorial Guinea. Itsrepresentative office in Rio Muni, at Bata,

guides all action pertaining to forest exploita-tion and conservation. Yet, the entire DirectionGeneral has 35 persons working in the sectionout of which only five are trained at a higherlevel (1 in economic forestry, 2 in civil engi-neering and 2 others as technicians). No tropi-cal forestry training is undertaken and on theground wardening is absent. Any attempt toconserve Equatorial Guinea's important natu-ral resources should lead to a system of sus-tainable use of its forest resources, for whichtraining of personnel becomes vital.Immediate conservation action needs to bebased on the following main recommenda-tions:

Forest exploitation and management

1. It may be premature to advance extensiveexploitation strategies based on the existinginventory information. Resource inventoriesthat consider general aspects of the forest(water availability, soil fertility, importantspecies) as well as the abundance of timber areurgently needed.2. Application of information from neighbour-ing countries on conservation problems oflogged and unlogged forests is required.Attention must be paid to ways of makingtimber extraction compatible with the conser-vation of biological diversity. Monitoring andimprovement of regeneration is needed todetermine sustainable felling cycles, extractionintensities etc.

Protected areas

3. It is important to gazette the designatedprotected forest areas in the December 1988Wildlife Conservation Law. These are valuableas representative sites for the conservation ofthe country's flora and fauna. Local popula-tions must be integrated in the management ofthese areas. Plant and animal conservation,use of natural resources by local human popu-lations and exploitation of timber by loggingcompanies can be managed jointly.4. Human activities within the protected areasshould be kept to a minimum in core sites, butshould be managed in buffer zones. Rare

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species should be protected from exploitationbut sustained-yield harvesting of commonerspecies must be tolerated.

Personnel training and rural development

5. The Direccion General de Bosques is under-staffed and requires personnel trained inforestry and resource conservation. Everyeffort should be invested in the training ofexisting officers and in fostering the integra-tion of new persons for future training in situ.

6. The field centre proposed for the area ofMonte Alen (Fa, 1991) as part of the demon-stration project for the EC ForestryProgramme for West Africa should be seen asthe first of a number to be set up in the coun-try. These will be significant as training centresin forest ecology and practical forest manage-ment, including cooperation with local com-munities.

7. Conservation education programmes, espe-cially those which focus on sustainable use ofthe forest for the long-term benefit of the localpopulations, must be started within demon-stration areas that are also focusing onexploitation and wildlife conservation.

Acknowledgmen ts

This study was carried out as part of theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature andNatural Resources programme, Conservation etUtilisation Rationelle des Ecosystemes Forestiers enAfrique Centrale and funded by the EuropeanCommunity. I am most grateful to Luis ArranzSaavedra, Javier Juste Ballesta, Encarnation GomezMarin, Laureano Merino Cristobal, Manuel Fidalgode Carvalho and Xavier Marchal for assistance andsupport in the field. Jeffrey Sayer, Director of theIUCN/EC Central Africa Forest ConservationProgramme, provided most valuable guidancethroughout the project.

de Invesrigaciones Cientificas, Madrid.Butynski, T.M. and Koster, S.H. 1988. The Status and

Conservation of Forests and Primates on Bioko Island(Fernando Po), Equatorial Guinea. Report to theWorld Wildlife Fund.

Castroviejo, J., Juste, J. and Castelo, R. 1986. Proyectode Investigation y Conservation de la Naturaleza enGuinea Ecuatorial. Ministerio de AsuntosExteriores, Espana, Secretaria de Estado para laCooperacion Internacional y para Iberoamerica-Oficina de Cooperacion con Guinea Ecuatorial.

Cooperation Francaise. 1982. Analyse de la SituationAgro-Pastorale de la Region Continentale (Rio Muni).Propositions d'actions.

Davis, S.D., Droop, S.J.M., Gregerson, P., Henson, L.,Leon, C.J., Villalobos, E., Synge, H. and Zantovska,J. 1986. Plants in Danger: What Do We Know?IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Eisentraut, M. 1973. Die Wirbeltierfauna vonFernando Poo und Westkamerun. BannerZoologische Monographien, 3.

Fa, J.E. 1991. Guinea Ecuatorial—Conservation yManejo Sostenible de los Ecosistemas Forestales.IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

FAO. 1981. Guinea Ecuatorial. Projet d'evaluation desResources Forestieres Tropicaies, Les RessourcesForestieres de VAfrique Tropicaies, Deuxieme Parte:Resumes par Pays. Rome.

Lee, P.C, Bennett, E. and Thornback, J. 1988.Threatened Primates of Africa. IUCN, Gland,Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Lepitre, C, Mille, G. and de Royer, G. 1988.Programme d'Appui au Secteur Forestier en GuineeEquatoriale. Fond Europeen de Developpement.

Malleaux, J. 1987. Informe de la Mision de Inventario yOrdenacion Forestal. FAO, Rome.

McShane, TO. 1990. Conservation before the cri-sis—an opportunity in Gabon. Oryx, 24, 9-14.

Ocafia Garcia, M. 1962 Factores que influencian ladistribution de la vegetation en Fernando Poo.Archivos del Instituto de Estudios Africanos, XIV(55), 67-85.

Taupiac, M. 1988. Estudio sobre los Impuestos sobre laMadera en Guinea Ecuatorial. CooperationFranchise.

Vanniere, B. 1969. Mission d'Inventaire Forestier, 20Juin-29 Juillet 1969, Guinea Equatoriale. FAO,Rome.

References

Adams, CD. 1957. Observations on the fern flora ofFernando Po. Journal of Ecology, 45,479-494.

Basilio, A. 1962. La Vida Animal en la Guinea Espanola.Instituto de Estudios Africanos, Consejo Superior

John E. Fa, Centra de Ecologia, UniversidadNacional Autonoma de Mexico, 04510 DF. Presentaddress: MEDAMBIOS and Institute ofMediterranean Ecology, PO Box 438, Gibraltar.

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conservation in equatorial guinea...equatorial guinea, the only spanish-speaking country in tropical...

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