Potential effects of prescribed savannah burning on the diet selection of forest buffalo ( Syncerus caffer nanus ) in Lopé National Park, Gabon

Seasonality and management are factors that may affect the diet selection of the forest buffalo ( Syncerus caffer nanus ). Fire is considered a major driving force in savannah systems and prescribed burning is a commonly applied conservation tool in protected areas such as Lopé National Park, Gabon. Prescribed annual fires contribute to the maintenance of open areas and provide high‐quality forage for forest buffalo, a major herbivore in the park. We used microhistological faecal analysis to determine the diet selection of forest buffalo and measured the extent of variation between a dry season, preburn and a wet season, postburn sampling period. The buffalo diet comprised mainly of monocotyledons, primarily grasses ( Poaceae ) and sedges ( Cyperaceae ). Intake of open‐area‐associated plant species was higher in the wet season, postburn treatment sampling period (97%) than the dry season, preburn sampling period (87%), which corresponded conversely to a reduction in forest‐associated Marantaceae plants (10% versus 1%). High proportions of grasses and sedges in the diet signify the importance of open areas for forest buffalo. Controlled burning as tool for maintenance of open areas may play a key role in the meta‐population management of the forest buffalo.