This thesis investigates the efforts of the West Indian Church to establish and run a fascinating Mission in an area of West Africa already influenced by Islam or traditional religion. It focuses mainly on the Pongas Mission’s efforts to spread the Gospel but also discusses its missionary hierarchy during the formative years in the Pongas Country between 1855 and 1863, and the period between 1863 and 1873, when efforts were made to consolidate the Mission under black control and supervision. Between 1873 and 1900 when more Sierra Leonean assistants were hired, relations between them and African-descended West Indian missionaries, as well as between these missionaries and their Eurafrican host chiefs, deteriorated. More efforts were made to consolidate the Pongas Mission amidst greater financial difficulties and increased French influence and restrictive measures against it between 1860 and 1935. These followed an earlier prejudiced policy in the mission that was strongly influenced by the hierarchical nature of nineteenth-century Barbadian society, which was abandoned only after successive deaths and resignations of white superintendents and the demonstrated ability of black pastors to independently run the Mission. Instrumentalism aided the conversion process and the increased flow of converts threatened both the traditional belief systems and social order of the Pongas Country, resulting in confrontation between the Mission and traditional religion worshippers, while the lack of more legitimate trade in the Pongas Country and allegations of black missionaries’ illicit sexual relations and illegal trading caused the downfall of John Henry A. Duport, the Mission’s first black Head Missionary. In the late 1800s, efforts to establish a self-supporting, self-generating, and self-propagating church together with initiatives toward African agency in the Pongas Country failed. However, it was French activities and eventual consolidation of their interests in the Pongas Country from 1890 and their demand that Mission schools teach in French, together with successful recruiting of Mission students by the Roman Catholics and Muslim clerics in Guinea, that finally crippled it. Thus, by 1935 when the Gambia-Pongas Bishopric was established in the hope of rescuing the Mission, this gender-biased Christian enterprise in West Africa was already a spent force.

This thesis investigates the efforts of the West Indian Church to establish and run a fascinating Mission in an area of West Africa already influenced by Islam or traditional religion. It focuses mainly on the Pongas Mission’s efforts to spread the Gospel but also discusses its missionary hierarchy during the formative years in the Pongas Country between 1855 and 1863, and the period between 1863 and 1873, when efforts were made to consolidate the Mission under black control and supervision. Between 1873 and 1900 when more Sierra Leonean assistants were hired, relations between them and African-descended West Indian missionaries, as well as between these missionaries and their Eurafrican host chiefs, deteriorated. More efforts were made to consolidate the Pongas Mission amidst greater financial difficulties and increased French influence and restrictive measures against it between 1860 and 1935. These followed an earlier prejudiced policy in the mission that was strongly influenced by the hierarchical nature of nineteenth-century Barbadian society, which was abandoned only after successive deaths and resignations of white superintendents and the demonstrated ability of black pastors to independently run the Mission. Instrumentalism aided the conversion process and the increased flow of converts threatened both the traditional belief systems and social order of the Pongas Country, resulting in confrontation between the Mission and traditional religion worshippers, while the lack of more legitimate trade in the Pongas Country and allegations of black missionaries’ illicit sexual relations and illegal trading caused the downfall of John Henry A. Duport, the Mission’s first black Head Missionary. In the late 1800s, efforts to establish a self-supporting, self-generating, and self-propagating church together with initiatives toward African agency in the Pongas Country failed. However, it was French activities and eventual consolidation of their interests in the Pongas Country from 1890 and their demand that Mission schools teach in French, together with successful recruiting of Mission students by the Roman Catholics and Muslim clerics in Guinea, that finally crippled it. Thus, by 1935 when the Gambia-Pongas Bishopric was established in the hope of rescuing the Mission, this gender-biased Christian enterprise in West Africa was already a spent force.

Il est clairement établi que les forêts à caractère sacré ne sont pas que des créations socioculturelles émanant de sociétés traditionnelles comme cadre privilégié d'accomplissement de diverses cérémonies rituelles, mais représentent aussi des formes locales de conservation de la biodiversité. C'est ce dernier rôle qui attire toute l'attention des institutions internationales, des états et des scientifiques. Bien que de telles forêts aient été largement étudiées en Asie et dans d'autres parties de l'Afrique, notre compréhension des forêts sacrées de la Guinée reste pauvre. En effet, ces forêts sont placées, en raison de leur statut sacré, sous l'entière responsabilité des communautés locales et non l'état. Dans ce travail de thèse, quatre cas représentatifs ont été retenus en Haute Guinée, dans les localités proches de Kankan. C'est l'une des régions dont les écosystèmes sont les plus anthropisés par l'agriculture et les activités minières. Les villages de Diankana, Tintioulenkoro et Dossori font partie des rares où des forêts à caractère sacré sont encore maintenues. L'objectif de cette thèse est de diagnostiquer les valeurs socioculturelles et écologiques de ces forêts, dans un contexte local fort d'anthropisation, en vue de leur documentation et de l'élaboration des stratégies d'une gestion durable. Plusieurs approches méthodologiques ont été utilisées : enquêtes sociologiques et ethnobiologiques, inventaires écologiques et botaniques. L'étude révèle un mode de gestion des forêts sacrées qui connaît une évolution chez les Malinkés, reposant à la fois sur des ''codes mythiques'' et des lois définies par la législation traditionnelle. La rigueur dans la gestion et le rôle des forêts pour les populations sont des atouts. Toutefois, les mutations sociales relativement récentes, l'agriculture et l'urbanisation fragilisent le système et pénalisent la conservation. L'analyse diachronique démontre qu'au cours de ces trois dernières décennies, le couvert forestier de l'ensemble des sites sacrés étudiés a connu un recul moyen d'environ 40 % de leur superficie initiale par l'agriculture et l'urbanisation. [...] / It has been widely reported that sacred forests are not just socio-cultural creations emanating from traditional societies as a privileged setting for ritual ceremonies, but that they also represent important local forms of biodiversity conservation. In recent decades, it is this latter role that has attracted the attention of international institutions, states and scientists. Although such forests have been widely studied in Asia and other parts of Africa, our understanding of Guinea's sacred forests remains poor because local communities, not the state, manage them. In effect, because of the sacred status of these forests, the state favours local management strategies by individual communities. In this thesis, four representative case studies of the sacred forests of Upper Guinea, located near Kankan, are studied. The region's ecosystems have been profoundly affected by human impacts, notably agriculture and mining. The villages of Diankana, Tintioulenkoro and Dossori, where these forests are amongst the few areas to conserve sacred forests. The aim of this thesis is to probe the socio-cultural and ecological values of the forests, in a local context of strong human pressures, with a view to their documentation and the elaboration of sustainable management strategies. Several methodological approaches have been used: sociological and ethno biological surveys, ecological and botanical inventories. The study elucidates a mode of management of these sacred forests by an ethnic group, the Malinkés, which is based on both "mythical codes" and laws defined by traditional legislation. The rigor of this management system, and the socio-cultural importance of these forests for local populations, favours their conservation in the wider context of profound human pressures on the environment. However, social changes in recent years appear, agriculture and urbanisation to have weakened this management system and exposed the area's sacred forests to factors that preclude their effective conservation. The diachronic analysis shows that over the last three decades, the forest cover of all sacred sites studied has decreased by just over 40% of their initial area by agriculture and urbanization. [...]

Amphibienpopulationen sind weltweit bedroht. Für fundierte Entscheidungen im Naturschutz ist ein wissenschaftliches Hintergrundwissen notwendig. Eine wichtige Komponente ist die Verbreitung der Arten und die Gründe hierfür. Dies setzt auch Klarheit bezüglich des taxonomischen Status voraus. Vernachlässigte Regionen liegen meist in den Tropen. Um diese Lücke zu füllen, untersucht die vorliegende Arbeit die Makroökologie westafrikanischer Amphibien. Eine neue Art der Familie Phrynobatrachidae wird beschrieben. Anschließend werden die taxonomischen Unterschiede zweier Mitglieder der Familien der Hyperoliidae und der Arthroleptidae untersucht. Dies ebnet den Weg für die Makroökologie. Es wird analysiert, ob Westafrika eine einzigartige biogeographische Region ist. Die Untersuchung zeigen, dass Westafrika in der Tat einzigartig ist. Die Ähnlichkeiten innerhalb der Region sind größer als die innerhalb ähnlicher Habitate aus unterschiedlichen Regionen. Der Cross River ist die wichtigste Barriere. Mehrere geographische Zonierungen innerhalb Westafrikas werden entdeckt. Es wird untersucht, ob der Chytrid Pilz, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, (Bd), ein wichtiger Faktor beim Rückgang der Amphibien Populationen, in West Afrika vorkommt. Bisher gibt es keinen positiven Nachweis westlich Nigerias. Dennoch sagen Modelle geeignete Habitate für Bd vorher. Die wahrscheinlichste Erklärung ist, dass die Dahomey Gap als natürliche Barriere die Ausbreitung von Bd verhindert. Als letztes werden die Nischen westafrikanischer Amphibien eruiert. Für die meisten Arten werden Nischenmodelle berechnet. Dies bestätigt bereits bekannte Gebiete hoher Alpha Diversität und zeigt bisher unbekannte Gebiete auf. Des Weiteren werden Erklärungen für unterschiedliche Verbreitungsgebietsgrößen gesucht. Generell wird die Nischenbreite hierfür verantwortlich gemacht. Die vorliegenden Daten lassen allerdings auch den Schluss zu, dass das Ausbreitungsvermögen das beobachtete Muster ebenfalls erklären kann. / Amphibian populations are declining globally. For informed conservation decisions a sound scientific background is needed. One major component is species distribution and the underlying causes. This also requires clarity on the taxonomic status. Often neglected regions are located in the tropics. In order to fill this gap, the present thesis examines the macroecology of West African amphibians. A new species of the family Phrynobatrachidae is described. Afterwards, the taxonomic differences between morphologically similar members of the families Hyperoliidae and Arthroleptidae are discussed. Beside other studies, this sets the field for macroecology. It is tested whether West Africa is a unique biogeographic region. The similarity of amphibian assemblages from Sub-Saharan Africa is analysed and it is shown that West Africa contains unique assemblages. Similarities within the region are higher than similarities between habitats across different regions. The main barrier towards Central Africa is the Cross River. Several geographic divisions within West Africa are detected. It is examined whether the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), one important factor for amphibian population declines in many other regions, occurs in West Africa. So far there is no positive record west of Nigeria. However, models predict that environmental suitability for Bd is high. The most plausible explanation for the absence is that the Dahomey Gap acted as a natural barrier against the spread of the Bd. Finally, the niches of West African amphibians are investigated. For most species environmental niche models are calculated. This confirms previously known areas of high alpha diversity and so far unknown species rich areas are detected. In a further study, explanations for differing range sizes are searched for. Niche breadth is commonly assumed to be the general cause. However, the analysed data also suggests that dispersal ability can also explain the observed pattern.