Use of woody and feeding preferences of the African elephant in the Mare aux Hippopotames Biosphere Reserve in Burkina Faso
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64707/revstsna.v45i01.2321Keywords:
Loxodonta africana, woody species, damage, branch breaking, Burkina Faso, Biosphere ReserveAbstract
African elephants (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797) exert considerable
pressure on woody vegetation in protected areas across sub-Saharan Africa. The
“Mare aux Hippopotames” Biosphere Reserve (MHBR), located in the Guiriko region
of Burkina Faso, represents one of the last elephant refuges in the country. This study
analyses woody species utilisation and the feeding preferences of the elephant in this
reserve, based on a survey of 195 damaged trees belonging to 29 species. Four damage
types were characterised: branch breaking (50.8%), stem breaking (28.2%), uprooting
(19.0%) and bark stripping (2.6%). Vitellaria paradoxa (20.0%), Detarium
microcarpum (12.8%) and Combretum collinum (7.2%) were the most affected
species. Chi-square analysis revealed a highly significant association between species
and damage types (χ² = 242.88; df = 54; p < 0.001). Mann-Whitney tests showed that
tree circumference significantly influences uprooting (U = 4642; p < 0.001) and bark-
stripping damage (U = 924; p < 0.001). These findings highlight the dietary selectivity
of elephants and provide key data for the sustainable management of the MHBR.
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