The lizard fauna of Togo, a country situated within a natural gap in the rainforest zone of West Africa, is reviewed and updated. In this article, we summarize all available data on the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of the 43 lizard species of Togo. Species richness is uneven between vegetation zones. The submontane forest (ecological zone IV), despite being the smallest, houses the greatest number of species (n = 27), followed by dry forest (ecological zone II, n = 21). Currently none of the Togolese lizard species appears to be immediately threatened. However, several species are subjected to exploitation for the international pet trade and in-country use (bush-meat, fetish market), and could become threatened in the next decades. The intensity of this trade should be carefully monitored in the years to come. RÉSUMÉ Liste commentée des lézards du Togo (Afrique de l'ouest) avec des remarques sur la systématique, la distribution, l'écologie et la conservation des espèces. La faune de lézards du Togo, un pays situé dans la zone d'interruption de la forêt tropicale d'Afrique de l'Ouest, est revue et mise à jour. Dans cet article, nous résumons toutes les données disponibles sur la distribution, l'écologie et la conservation des 43 espèces de lézards du Togo. La richesse spécifique est inégale entre les zones de végétation. La zone de forêt sub-montagnarde (zone écologique IV), bien qu'étant la plus petite, abrite le plus grand nombre d'espèces (n = 27), suivie par la forêt sèche (zone écologique II, n = 21). Actuellement, aucune des espèces de lézards togolais ne semble être immédiatement menacée. Cependant, plusieurs espèces sont exploitées pour le commerce international des animaux de compagnie et pour des usages locaux (viande, marchés aux fétiches) et pourraient devenir menacées dans les prochaines décennies. ...

La bioaccumulation du cadmium, du plomb et de l’arsenic par les poissons et bivalves couramment pêchés dans le système lagunaire togolais a été évaluée afin d’en estimer les risques sanitaires liés à leur consommation. Il ressort des résultats que tous les poissons analysés sont pollués. Les moyennes des teneurs en cadmium (0,33 mg/kg pour Caranx hippos à 0,98 mg/kg pour Hemichromis fasciatus), en plomb (1,17 mg/kg pour Liza falcipinnis à 2,89 mg/kg pour Lutjanus goreensis) et en arsenic (9,41 mg/kg pour C. hippos à 22,54 mg/kg pour Pomadasys jubelini) sont supérieures aux normes fixées par l’OMS. Les Facteurs de Bioconcentration (FBC) varient de 6,94 à 20,36 pour le Cd, de 9,58 à 23,67 pour le Pb et de 2,30 à 5,52 pour l’As. Quant aux bivalves les teneurs moyennes indiquent une forte concentration en Arsenic (56,06 mg/kg pour Senilia senilis et 47,76 mg/kg pour Crassostrea gasar) suivie du plomb (2,83 mg/kg pour S. senilis et 2,95 mg/kg pour C. gasar) et enfin le cadmium (0,97 mg/kg pour S. senilis et 0,83 mg/kg pour C. gasar). Les FBC varient de 16,6 à 19,14 pour le Cd, de 39,86 à 41,55 pour le Pb et de 19,10 à 34,42 pour l’As. En outre, il a été montré que la bioaccumulation de ces trois éléments varie en fonction de l’espèce considérée ainsi que de son habitat. La consommation de ces poissons et bivalves pourrait avoir des impacts négatifs sur la santé humaine en général et celle des enfants en particulier.

Protected areas are crucial for the conservation of West Africa’s increasingly imperiled wildlife, but are under unprecedented pressure associated with exponential human population growth in the region. Using birds as biodiversity indicators, we investigated the conservation status of Togo’s Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, which was managed by a private foundation from 1990 to 2015, and since 2015 has been managed by the state. Between 2022 and 2024, we conducted 90 days of bird surveys in the park and documented a total of 240 bird species. Our findings include 34 species new to the park, including the first record of Emin’s Shrike (Lanius gubernator) in Togo, the first sightings of the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) since 1990, and first observations of the Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) since 2019. Many such species survive in Togo only in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, but its exceptional biodiversity has come under increasing assault from illegal activities, including poaching, logging, road construction, charcoal production, cattle grazing, and land clearance to establish agricultural plantations. We were unable to document 91 bird species previously reported for the park during our surveys, suggesting a possible ~31% decline in avian species richness in the park compared to historical records. Apparent extirpations of globally-threatened raptors such as the Critically Endangered White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) and Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), and declines of the Endangered Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) and Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) further indicate that current conservation strategies are failing to adequately protect wildlife in the park. Togo’s two other historical national parks have already been almost entirely destroyed by human activities, and unless urgent conservation action is taken, there is a high risk that Fazao-Malfakassa National Park will share the same fate. We urgently recommend improving support for law enforcement capacity and park staff, conducting community conservation outreach, and ongoing monitoring of wildlife in the park to assess its conservation success.

Protected area management plays a crucial role in conserving biodiversity, especially in areas where increasing demand for natural resources is associated with fast-growing human populations, such as West Africa. Investigating the perceptions of people with first-hand knowledge of protected area management provides important insights about biodiversity conservation, wildlife law enforcement, and human activities to inform adaptive management. Using 442 semi-structured interviews, we assessed the perceptions of park rangers and local residents in and around Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in Togo, West Africa, which was managed by the non-profit Franz Weber Foundation from 1990 to 2015, and since 2015 has been managed by the government of Togo. Both rangers and residents reported significant economic concerns following the park’s transfer from private to state management, with salary declines negatively affecting rangers and declines in community development projects and income-generating activities negatively affecting residents. Law enforcement capacity and resources also declined under state management, severely undermining the ability of rangers to curb illegal activities in the park, especially poaching and the destruction of trees to harvest wild honey and produce commercial charcoal. All rangers and most residents who had experience with both private and state park management preferred private management. There is an urgent need to increase surveillance and law enforcement capacity in the park to combat poaching and other illegal activities, and to engage local communities in the park’s long-term protection. To this end, rangers and residents are calling for change, and specifically recommend returning the park to competent private management to safeguard Togo’s last large refuge for nature and wildlife.