One of iconic Africa's Big Five, the African buffalo is the largest African bovine or antelope that occurs throughout most of sub-Sahara and in a wide range of ecosystems from savanna to rainforest. The African buffalo is also one of the most successful large African mammals in terms of abundance and biomass. This species thus represents a powerful model to enhance our understanding of African biogeography and wildlife conservation, ecology and management. Edited by four researchers experienced in different aspects of the African buffalo's biology, this volume provides an exhaustive compilation of knowledge on an emblematic species that stands out as an important component of African natural and human ecosystems. It delivers a global view of the African buffalo and all known aspects of its ecology and management. This book will appeal to students, scholars, scientists and wildlife managers as well as those enthusiastic about the charismatic species. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
1. African buffalo and the human societies in Africa: social values and interaction outcomes B. Mukamuri, E. Wichatitsky, E. Gandiwa, A. Perrotton, O. L. Kupika and L. Monin; Part I. Conservation D. Cornélis: 2. The evolutionary history of the African buffalo: is it truly a Bovine? H. H. T. Prins, J. F. de Jong and D. Geraads; 3. Taxonomic status of the African buffalo J. Michaux, N. Smitz and P. Van Hooft; 4. Conservation status of the African buffalo: a continent-wide assessment D. Cornélis, P. C. Renaud, M. Melletti, D. Fonteyn, H. Bonhotal, M. Hauptfleisch, A. Asefa, T. Breuer, L. Korte, P. Scholte, P. Elkan, E. Kohi, S. Mwiu, S. Ngene, P. Omondi, S. P. Tadjo, T. Prin, A. Caron, H. H. T. Prins and P. Chardonnet; 5. Habitat, space use and feeding ecology of the African buffalo R. Taylor, E. Bennitt, R. Fynn, L. Korte, R. Naidoo, A.Roug and D. Cornélis; Part II. Ecology H. H. T. Prins: 6. African buffalo social dynamics: what is a buffalo herd? A. Caron, E. Bennitt, E. Wielgus, D. Cornélis, E. Miguel and M. de Garine-Wichatitsky; 7. Population dynamics of buffalo: the effects of droughts and non-equilibrium dynamics J. W. Hearne, M. J. S. Peel and H. H. T. Prins; 8. The environments of the African buffalo, with different selection forces in different habitats H. H. T. Prins, J. Ottenburghs and P. Van Hooft; 9. Infections and Parasites of free-ranging African buffalo R. G. Bengis, F. Gakuya, M. Munyeme, S. D. Fekadu, R. A. Kock and P. Chardonnet; Part III. Diseases A. Caron: 10. Characterisation of buffalo/cattle interactions for assessing pathogen transmission A. Caron, F. Rumiano, E. Wielgus, E. Miguel, A. Tran, M. T. Bah, V. Grosbois and M. de Garine-Wichatitsky; 11. Host-Parasite interactions in African buffalo: a community-level perspective B. Beechler, E. Gorsich, C. Glidden, A. Jolles and V. O. Ezenwa; 12. African buffalo and colonial cattle: is 'systems change' the best future for farming and nature in Africa? R. A. Kock, R. G. Bengis, F. D. Shiferaw, F. Gakuya, D. Mdetele, H. H. T. Prins, A. Caron and M. Kock; Part IV. Management P. Chardonnet: 13. African buffalo production systems D. Furstenburg, E. Gandiwa, Pa. Oberem and Pe Oberem; 14. Management aspects of the captive-bred African buffalo (Syncerus Caffer) in South Africa L. Hoffman, C. Shepstone, K. Robertson and T. Tersia Needham; 15. Handling and moving the African buffalo M. La Grange, N. J. La Grange, J. Mostert, J. Mostert-La Grange, R. Hoare, M. Kock, I. Lekolool and P. Chardonnet; 16. Buffalo hunting: from a commodity to a high-value game species P. Chardonnet, R. Taylor, W. Crosmary, S. P. Tadjo, F. A. Ligate, R. Baldus, W. Siege and D. Cornélis; 17. Knowns and unknowns on African buffalo ecology and management H. H. T. Prins, D. Cornélis, A. Caron and P. Chardonnet; 18. Futures of the African buffalo A. Caron, R. Bourgeois, P. Chardonnet, D. Cornélis and H. H. T. Prins.
Alexandre Caron is a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and wildlife ecologist specializing in the ecology of infectious disease transmission at the wildlife/livestock interface in the African landscape. For the past 20 years, he has coordinated projects linked to Health Ecology, One Health and Sustainability Science in Southern Africa. He is a permanent researcher at CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development). Daniel Cornélis is a Senior Ecologist specializing in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Over the past 25 years, he has conducted and coordinated projects and studies on wildlife and natural resource management, including the African buffalo. He is a permanent researcher at CIRAD (Montpellier) and scientific advisor for the Foundation François Sommer (Paris). Philippe Chardonnet is a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine specialising in tropical animal health and production. He is a Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (ASG) and has over 40-years of experience in wildlife conservation and sustainable use in Africa, Asia, South America and South Pacific. He has co-authored more than 200 publications. Herbert H. T. Prins is Emeritus Professor of Resource Ecology at Wageningen University and Research (WUR), The Netherlands. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at Princeton University, USA; Foundation Fellow at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia; and Honorary Professor in Computational Ecology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has co-authored over 500 publications, co-edited 14 books, and wrote Ecology and Behaviour of African Buffalo (Chapman & Hall, 1996).
