Shared Landscapes: The human-ape interface within the Mone-Oku Forest, Cameroon

Abstract

In this thesis, I examine the complex entanglements among humans, Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) within the unprotected Mone-Oku Forest, Cameroon. I apply a dual ethnoprimatological and political ecology framework to examine the multifaced interconnections between humans and primates that approaches the Mone-Oku landscape as a combination of social, political and ecological systems. I aim to step away from the ‘crisis’ conservation narrative that labels the local people as the largest threat to these endangered apes and strive for a reflexive ethnographic ethnoprimatology. Through a combined use of botanical surveys, analyses of nesting sites, participant observation and semi-structured interviews, I obtained nuanced ecological and ethnographic insight into the human-ape interface. I found that the chimpanzees and gorillas selected distinct nesting ranges within the Mone-Oku Forest. Plant species preferences in the construction of night nests were also observed for both taxa. Anthropogenic activities within the forest, therefore, have different impacts on the nesting behaviour of the apes. Through ethnography and semi-structured interviews, the importance of cacao (Theobroma cacao) to people quickly became apparent. This was reflected in perceptions that held the Mone-Oku Forest to be more important than the individual species within. In contrast, local perceptions of the apes were often contradictory and context dependant ranging from fear to tolerance, some of which stems from power imbalances with conservation organisations. A reconsideration of the conservation narratives for these apes found them to be incomplete and potentially biased, as they neglect some aspects of human-ape interactions, wider community ecology and the microscales of time. This research highlights the complexity of human, gorilla and chimpanzee intraactions at a specific site. While perfect solutions to conservation problems are not always possible, conservation programs that acknowledge the importance of cocoa and incorporate the variety of knowledge about cacao farming have the potential to foster positive relationships with these communities, furthering the conservation of these endangered apes.