Camera trapping for the critically endangered Red-bellied Monkey Cercopithecus erythrogaster spp. erythrogaster in Togbota forests within the Biosphere Reserve of Ouémé

Camera trapping for the critically endangered Red-bellied Monkey Cercopithecus erythrogaster spp. erythrogaster in Togbota forests within the Biosphere Reserve of Ouémé

This study is part of the project “Human–Primate Coexistence: Case of the Critically Endangered Red-bellied Monkey (Cercopithecus erythrogaster erythrogaster) in the Biosphere Reserve of Ouémé”, funded by the Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Stiftung Artenschutz. Camera trapping is used to improve knowledge of the distribution, activity patterns, and habitat use of the species within the Togbota forest, Ouémé Biosphere Reserve. Six camera traps were deployed over a three-month period in both the upper and lower forest strata to capture vertical variation in wildlife activity and better understand habitat use across forest layers. The study aims to document the presence and relative activity of the Red-bellied Monkey, assess its habitat preferences in a human-impacted landscape, and provide baseline data for conservation planning. It also records other wildlife species to better understand community composition and ecological interactions within the forest ecosystem.