Using Camera Trapping to Assess the Status of the Mammalian Community in the Mafou Fully Protected Area, Upper Niger National Park (Guinea)

The Upper Niger National Park (UNNP) is the oldest park and one of the most promising conservation areas in Guinea; yet, its mammalian fauna remains poorly documented. Camera trapping has become an essential tool for revealing the diversity and assemblage structure of such communities. This study employed camera traps to improve knowledge about terrestrial and semi-terrestrial mammals with body mass > 0.5 kg (Sciuridae and heavier) in the Mafou Fully Protected Area (Mafou FPA), the principal core zone of the UNNP. The survey was conducted during the dry season, from January to May 2025. Sampling targeted animal trails within forest habitats in the Mafou FPA and involved the deployment of 53 camera traps with an average inter-trap distance of 2 km. Across 4239 camera-days of sampling effort, we collected 10,334 usable images and videos, yielding 2634 independent detection events. Thirty taxa across 15 families and five orders, including six species of high conservation concern according to the IUCN Red List (version 2025-1) were recorded. The mammal assemblage consists of species from the three known trophic levels (prey, mesopredators, and apex predators), with predominance of medium-sized prey species. Our results demonstrate a remarkable richness in frugivorous seed-dispersing species, ecosystem-engineering species, and the presence of a megaherbivore, which all contribute to its ecological dynamics. Despite a notable human activity index of 0.42, occupancy models revealed broad spatial distribution of medium-sized mammals within this protected area. The occupancy patterns demonstrated that occurrence of some species might be sensitive to human disturbances in the area. These findings are an important contribution to Guinean and West African biodiversity assessments. They highlight the critical conservation value of the UNNP within the subregion.