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Preserving Biodiversity on Bioko Island
By Dorothy Wright
Biodiversity is in steep decline: over the past few hundred years, humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times over rates typical of Earth's history, according to findings released in March by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Indeed, up to 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction.
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Gail W. Hearn '64 |
Gail W. Hearn '64 is doing what she can to change this global trend in one little corner of the planet: Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, Africa. Hearn, professor of biology at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa., is director of the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (BBPP). A joint initiative of Arcadia University and Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial in Equatorial Guinea, BBPP's objective is to protect Bioko Island's wildlife, promote the island as a site for biodiversity research and education, and identify and advocate sound enterprises for local people.
"There is no doubt that the biggest issue for our planet today is the unprecedented loss of biodiversity," Hearn says. "It's as though we've been hit by a meteor. It's not just the loss of individual organisms; it's also the connections among them. Even if we can save the DNA of a particular organism, we will not have a record of their numbers and their importance as a food source or a predator.
"Many people have a notion that technology will enable us to recreate these ecosystems," Hearn continues, "but I don't think modern technology is going to bring them back."
Into Africa
So Hearn is doing conservation the traditional way: on the ground. Bioko Island is an 800-square-mile island situated 20 miles off the coast of Cameroon in west-central Africa. The island is home to seven species of monkeys and four species of galagos, or bushbabies, which are small nocturnal arboreal primates. Bioko has more species of rare monkeys than any other place in Africa; of the seven monkey species living on the island, four are among the continent's 10 most-endangered monkeys.
Of particular concern is the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), sometimes considered Africa's most endangered primate. On the mainland, the drill's range has been devastated by forest clear-cutting, human settlements and the bushmeat market, according to BBPP. The population on the southern tip of Bioko is one of only three known remaining drill populations.
Hearn and her colleagues, including an Arcadia economist, Wayne A. Morra, have developed a broad approach to conservation on Bioko — sponsoring an annual research expedition, coordinating undergraduate study on the island, and conducting ongoing surveys of large forest mammals, marine turtles and the bushmeat market.
Hunting is a major factor in the drill's decline even though the government restricts gun ownership. "Shotguns are not permitted for the native people who live on the island," Hearn explains, "so virtually all the hunters are from the mainland. It's a way to make a living. The attitude here is pretty much the same as in a supermarket in the United States when someone buys swordfish, which is in decline: 'It's already dead; so why not eat it?'"
BBPP hired local villagers as forest monitors to discourage hunting, which has been effective. However, obtaining ongoing funding has been a struggle. Hearn is hopeful that the government of Equatorial Guinea, working with larger international conservation organizations, will soon see the wisdom of providing park rangers to protect Bioko's wildlife.
About Turn
Hearn's first trip to Africa was in 1990, with Philadelphia Zoo's then-curator of mammals, Dietrich Schaaf. "We went to Cameroon," she recalls. "Even with the best research scientists, field biologists and guides, all we saw in three weeks were leaves moved by drills."
Then Hearn visited Bioko Island. "I fell in love with the place," she says. "There were drills, and you could see them easily. Also, there is something very manageable about Bioko Island. It's not too big, and the country is also small. You feel that you might be able to have an impact."
It all started when Hearn, who earned her Ph.D. in protein biochemistry at Rockefeller University, New York City, offered to teach a course in animal behavior at Arcadia. She required each student to observe a particular animal at the Philadelphia Zoo. The zoo requested that her students study its three drills, which were not reproducing. "I did some research and realized no one was studying the drill," she recalls, "and yet it is Africa's second-largest-sized monkey, it doesn't breed well in zoos, there are very few in the wild, and it is headed for extinction."
Hearn remains optimistic about Bioko's future. "I think we are way ahead of most conservation initiatives because we recognize the importance of economics," she observes. "People on Bioko Island need to put food on the table and educate their kids — they have the same concerns as anybody else. They'd rather work for us as forest monitors than support the market for bushmeat. But you can't expect them to suffer deprivation for the sake of the animals."
She also remains committed: "I just can't stand by and do nothing. I can't solve the whole world's problems, but there is one little corner of the planet where I might be able to change the possible outcome."
Dorothy Wright contributes news and feature articles on science, technology, engineering and general-interest topics to a variety of publications, including Civil Engineering and Engineering News Record .
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