Environmental impact assessment for the conservation of terrestrial mammals at a granite quarry site at Lolobo, Côte d'Ivoire

Environmental impact studies are becoming a necessity for projects to guarantee sustainable development. This work aims to improve knowledge on the contribution of environmental impact studies for the conservation of mammalian fauna and its habitat at the level of the granite quarry of Lolobo, central Côte d'Ivoire. The data collection took place from 05 to 28 December 2019. It consisted, on the one hand, in carrying out surveys with the village populations and members of the quarry staff. In addition, reconnaissance marches were carried out in the vicinity of the quarry. The application of these methods made it possible to observe before the exploitation phase, 19 species distributed in 6 orders were present on the Lolobo quarry site. During the exploitation phase, 10 species distributed in 5 orders were present on the quarry site. Our survey results indicate the existence of three habitat types prior to the exploitation of the quarry, while five habitat types were identified during the exploitation. Five types of nuisance on the quarry including noise, aqueous discharges, dust emissions, vibrations and exhaust gases without forgetting the international route (Yamoussoukro-Bouaké) due to the movement of transport vehicles have been identified. We recommend other studies taking into account other wildlife taxa, plant diversity but also environmental monitoring at the level of granite quarries to guarantee the conservation of biodiversity.