Climate variability, biodiversity dynamics and perceptions of local populations in Waza National Park (Far North Region, Cameroon)

Climate variability is one of the major ecological challenges of the 21st century in Waza Logone Plain in the Far North region of Cameroon. The physical environment in this area has almost completly deteriorated as a result of declining rainfall and rising temperatures. A study was carried out to understand the dynamics of biodiversity in terms of climate variability in the Waza National Park. This study was based on both the trends of climatic parameters on biodiversity and perceptions of local populations over the last forty years. The adapted approach combines (i) the modeling of climate data through MINITAB 17 Software, (ii) the analysis of wildlife census data and (iii) the digital analysis of satellite images using ENVI 4.5 and QGIS 2.17 Software. The results showed a negative evolution of climatic parameters during the last forty years. The general negative trend of biodiversity evolution of both fauna and flora is a result of the continuous degradation of the Waza National Park. The results of different wildlife census, the spatial analysis and the perceptions of local people confirmed the trend to the degradation of the park and biodiversity losses. Concrete measures of management of the Park should be taken by stakeholders in order to hinder the biodiversity losses, including the construction of water ponds and cartesian wells as well as the enrichment of the park with woody species.   Key words: Climate variability, land degradation, biodiversity dynamics, biodiversity losses, Waza Logone Plain, Cameroon.