Paper short abstract:

The study aims to identify the primary wild plants used mutually by local people and two endangered primates (western red colobus and western chimpanzee) in contrasting ecosystems of West Africa, a disturbed protected area in Guinea-Bissau, and a pristine national Park in Sierra Leone.

Paper long abstract:

At a time that human population is rapidly growing and the natural habitat is declining at unprecedented rates, it is essential to understand how humans continue to coexist with some of the most threatened species on Earth. Forests not only are the primary habitat for several non-human primates, but they also play a central role in people’s livelihood. Our study identifies the primary wild plants used mutually by local people and two endangered primates in a disturbed forest in Guinea-Bissau - Cantanhez National Park, and a pristine forest in Sierra Leone - Gola Rainforest National Park. We used DNA metabarcoding on non-invasive samples to characterise the diet of western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius, N=331) and western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus, N=62). In addition, we conducted 108 semi-structured interviews in 27 forest communities to assess people’s use of plants collected in protected grounds. Around 80% of the interviewees rely on wild plants and claimed to use on average 6.5 plant items. We inferred that more than 60% of the wild plants listed by people are consumed by western chimpanzees and only a third is co-used by red colobus. However, behavioural observations indicate likely higher degrees of co-use in wild plants for shelter and movement. This multidisciplinary approach aims to understand dietary flexibility in forest-dwelling primates and inform the Parks’ conservation management teams, which is crucial to assure the primates long-term persistence in altered landscapes, and contribute to a growing body of research that supports the co-existence between humans and wildlife.