Abstracts are provided in the language submitted.

African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) are Critically Endangered yet, research on resource use is limited in Central Africa. We assessed the influence of fruit availability, land use and anthropogenic activity on forest elephants’ presence and relative abundance in the Campo-Ma’an Conservation Area (CMCA) in order to better understand elephant habitat use in human-dominated systems and inform elephant management strategies. We used 17 camera trap stations and transects to monitor forest elephant presence and relative abundance across the CMCA as a function of seasonality, proximity to perennial water sources, fruit tree density, and tree species richness. Our study area spanned a gradient of human disturbance and included the National Park, Forest Management Unit, and Community Land. Forest elephants were more likely to occur in areas with increased fruit availability, tree species richness and distance to perennial water sources. Also, their presence increased along the human accessibility gradient of land use types. Elephant relative abundance was not affected by human activities, seasonality, or land use types. However, the relationship between forest elephant relative abundance and fruit availability differed between land use types and seasons. Forest elephant habitat use varied with fruit availability across land use in the CMCA but was not related to human disturbance. Continued monitoring of elephant responses to food availability in CMCA is warranted, to track changes in elephant habitat use. Knowledge of the distribution of fruiting trees consumed by forest elephants may allow managers to predict hotspots of habitat use, and thereby, develop appropriate and effective management strategies.

Isaac Blaise Djoko