The impacts of human activity on mammals in a community forest near the Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon

Abstract Human activity in African tropical rainforests continues to threaten wild mammals. Many rural communities are dependent on hunting, yet there is a widespread lack of baseline data ecology and the sustainability hunting. We investigated impacts human mammal species composition distributions within community forest surrounding village buffer zone Dja Biosphere Reserve south-east Cameroon. conducted camera-trap survey August–November 2017 detected 24 species, including Critically Endangered western lowland gorilla Gorilla , central chimpanzee Pan troglodytes tree pangolin Phataginus tricuspis . used occupancy analysis explore relationships between indicators (distance road Reserve), habitat quality river cover) species. found that local distribution threatened mammals was not apparently limited by activity, proximity did negatively influence for any However, most Reserve's large were detected, elephant Loxodonta cyclotis largest ungulates, two commonly hunted meat positively correlated with distance from village, indicating hunting may be unsustainable. Our results show provides outside close people. effective conservation management will require continued monitoring research determine whether current rates sustainable.