Browsing by Author "Kitegile, A."

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Conservation leadership programme: Project Reporting
(Save Our Spicies, 2011) Byamungu, R. M.; Kitegile, A.; Muganda, M.
Our study focused on endangered bird species, Sokoke pipit, which has a very small range, and its habitat is declining owing to clearance for cultivation, intensive charcoal production and logging. Our aim was to generate information relevant for conservation of Sokoke pipit in Zaraninge forest. We collected data for density estimation using distance sampling techniques, alongside recording habitat data. We also collected data regarding familiarity of species among surrounding local communities, which was followed by awareness-rising on missing knowledge. Result showed that S. pipit preferred least disturbed habitats with tall trees that are less influenced by human activities. Analysis using DISTANCE program revealed that the pipit population is very low in Zaraninge forest (1.6 individuals/km2). Furthermore, in this forest, the species is only restricted in the forest core habitats. Although some members of the local community claimed to know the species, results showed that there were confusion of our species with other birds especially House sparrow and other species of pipit. We concluded that S. pipit in Zaraninge forest avoided areas that experienced frequent human interference including places next to pineapple and maize fields. Overall, the findings appeared to suggest that local communities in the study area had little knowledge about the study species.
The critically endangered kipunji Rungwecebus kipunji of southern Tanzania: First census and assessment of distribution conservation status assessment
(Library and Archives, 2008) Davenport, R. B.; De Luca, D. W.; Jones, T; Mpunga, N. E.; Machaga, S. J.; Kitegile, A.; Phillipps, G. P.
We present the first assessments of the population, distribution and conservation status of the recently described kipunji Rungwecebus kipunji in forests in the Southern Highlands and Udzungwa Mountains of southern Tanzania. Surveys totalling 2,864 hours and covering 3,456 km of transects were undertaken to determine distribution and group numbers, following which 772 hours of simultaneous multi-group observations in Rungwe-Kitulo and Ndundulu forests, in the Southern Highlands and Udzungwa Mountains respectively, enabled 209 total counts to be carried out. We estimate there are c. 1,042 individuals in Rungwe-Kitulo, with 25–39 individuals per group (mean 30.65 ± SE 0.62, n = 34), and 75 individuals, with 15–25 per group (mean 18.75 ± SE 2.39, n = 4) in Ndundulu. We estimate a total kipunji population of 1,117 in 38 groups, with 15–39 per group (mean 29.39 ± SE 0.85, n = 38). The Ndundulu population may no longer be viable and the Rungwe-Kitulo population is highly fragmented, with isolated sub-populations in degraded habitat. We recorded areas of occupancy of 1,079 and 199 ha in Rungwe-Kitulo and Ndundulu, respectively, giving a total of 1,278 ha. We estimate the species’ extent of occurrence to be 1,769 ha, with 1,241 and 528 ha in Rungwe-Kitulo and Ndundulu, respectively. We believe the kipunji faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and recommend the species and genus be categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Primates decline rapidly in unprotected forests: Evidence from a monitoring program with data constraints
(PLOS ONE, 2015-02) Rovero, F.; Mtui, A.; Kitegile, A.; Jacob, P.; Araldi, A.; Tenan, S.
Growing threats to primates in tropical forests make robust and long-term population abundance assessments increasingly important for conservation. Concomitantly, monitoring becomes particularly relevant in countries with primate habitat. Yet monitoring schemes in these countries often suffer from logistic constraints and/or poor rigor in data collection, and a lack of consideration of sources of bias in analysis. To address the need for feasible monitoring schemes and flexible analytical tools for robust trend estimates, we analyzed data collected by local technicians on abundance of three species of arboreal monkey in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania (two Colobus species and one Cercopithecus), an area of international importance for primate endemism and conservation. We counted primate social groups along eight line transects in two forest blocks in the area, one protected and one unprotected, over a span of 11 years. We applied a recently proposed open metapopulation model to estimate abundance trends while controlling for confounding effects of observer, site, and season. Primate populations were stable in the protected forest, while the colobines, including the endemic Udzungwa red colobus, declined severely in the unprotected forest. Targeted hunting pressure at this second site is the most plausible explanation for the trend observed. The unexplained variability in detection probability among transects was greater than the variability due to observers, indicating consistency in data collection among observers. There were no significant differences in both primate abundance and detectability between wet and dry seasons, supporting the choice of sampling during the dry season only based on minimizing practical constraints. Results show that simple monitoring routines implemented by trained local technicians can effectively detect changes in primate populations in tropical countries. The hierarchical Bayesian model formulation adopted provides a flexible tool to determine temporal trends with full account for any imbalance in the data set and for imperfect detection.