Fish Communities, Habitat Use, and Human Pressures in the Upper Volta Basin, Burkina Faso, West Africa

Paul Meulenbroek, Sebastian Stranzl, Adama Oueda, Jan Sendzimir, Komandan Mano, Idrissa Kabore, Raymond Ouedraogo and Andreas Melcher
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Paul Meulenbroek: WAU Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, IHG Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, BOKU—University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Sebastian Stranzl: Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, NORCE Norwegian Research Center, Nygårdsgaten 112, 5008 Bergen, Norway
Adama Oueda: Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Animales, UFR/SVT, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso
Jan Sendzimir: WAU Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, IHG Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, BOKU—University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Komandan Mano: Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Animales, UFR/SVT, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso
Idrissa Kabore: Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Animales, UFR/SVT, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso
Raymond Ouedraogo: Département Environnement et Forêts, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 04 BP 8645 Ouagadougou 04, Burkina Faso
Andreas Melcher: CDR Centre for Development Research, BOKU—University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Dänenstrasse 4, 1190 Vienna, Austria

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: Human pressures and loss of natural fish habitats led to a decline in fish populations in terms of abundances, biodiversity, and average size in sub-Sahelian Burkina Faso. Little knowledge exists about fish assemblages regarding their composition, their habitat preferences, or their sensitivity to or tolerance of human pressures. This research provides the first data-driven basis for sustainably managing fish and associated aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Surveys in four different regions sampled 18,000 specimens from 69 species during the dry season. Fish communities, available abiotic habitat conditions, habitat use, and human pressures were assessed and analyzed. Fish communities cluster into four distinct types, each dominated by either Cichlidae , Clariidae , Cyprinidae , or Alestidae and accompanied by specific other families and genera of fish. Habitat preferences of four key species ( Labeo coubie , Bagrus bajad , Chelaethiops bibie , and Lates niloticus ) were linked to ecological habitat conditions. Results show that physical parameters influence fish community composition and abundances and, when indexed according to pressure type, are linked to responses in fish metrics. Relative abundance either dropped ( Mormyridae ) or increased ( Cichlidae , Cyprinidae ) with rising pressure intensity, and some sentinel taxa ( Auchenoglanis , Hydrocynus ) were only found in low-pressure sites. The outcomes of this study provide basic knowledge of habitat availability, habitat use by fish, species associations, and human pressures and therefore provide the basis for effective conservation and management of fish populations.

Keywords: habitat preferences; temperature; human pressures; fish assemblages; freshwater; reservoir; river (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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