CRUCIAL ROLE OF VULTURES IN THE LIVES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF COMOÉ NATIONAL PARK, NORTHEASTERN COTE D IVOIRE

In the context of the preservation of vultures in the Comoé National Park of Côte d’Ivoire, an ethnozoological study was carried out from August 1st to August 30, 2022, among 255 people living in the sideline of the park. The aim was to document local knowledge of vultures for the development of inclusive conservation programs. Based on a survey, a list of five vulture species was drawn up. Five categories of use were inventoried, with different frequencies of citation: traditional medicine (FC = 90.43%), magic (FC = 28.72%), food (FC = 28.72%), economy (FC = 2.31%) and ornament (FC = 1.06%). In all, thirteen parts of these vultures\' organs are used in various ways by the populations. Ten of these organs are used to treat disease, and eleven for magical purposes. The most used parts are the head (VU=0.27), legs (VU=0.25) and beak (VU=0.21). These results reveal the importance of vultures for the populations living around the Comoé National Park. They shed light on some of the factors that threaten vultures, and alert managers to the need to take the needs of the populations into account in biodiversity conservation measures.