Forest elephant distribution and habitat use in the Bossematie Forest Reserve, Ivory Coast

Abstract

An August 1993-April 1994 study on the influence of human presence and habitat structure on the distribution and habitat use of forest elephant in the heavily exploited Bossematie FR in southeastern Ivory Coast. The distribution of elephants was estimated by dung counts on transects, and the habitat use was documented by trail mapping. Dung density incresed with the distance to the forest border and to the nearest village. Elephant appeared to use about 60% of the forest regularly, the rest they avoided because of foresty operations and human presence. The main influence on the spatial distribution of elephants in the study area was human presence, followed by ahbitat structure. Forest roads, regardless of usage, seemed to have no influence on elephant distribution. Elephant avoided coffee and cocoa plantations in all seasons. During the dry season they walked more often through forest parts with greater tree canopy cover than during the wet season, when they avoided valley bottoms.