African Honeyguides

Research on a remarkable
human-animal relationship

Prudence Tegueu

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Prudence Tegueu

Biography

I am an interdisciplinary conservationist from Cameroon, often called “Africa in miniature” for its rich biodiversity and cultural diversity, now increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities. I grew up in Douala, where I completed my primary and secondary education, and later earned my BSc and MSc in Environmental Sciences, specialising in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), at the Higher Institute of Environmental Sciences (HIES/IBAYSUP) in Yaoundé. Encouraged by my father to pursue environmental studies, my coursework and fieldwork nurtured a deep love for nature and sparked critical questions about conservation, sustainability, and my role in creating positive change.

 

Research focus

My academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of conservation biology, sustainable development, and human well-being. My (first) MSc thesis examined the importance of traditional ecological knowledge of the Baka people in environmental assessments within the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. To strengthen my capacity as a conservation leader, I completed an online course in conservation science, undertook English language training, and participated in the Tropical Biology Association field course in Kenya. I have also worked with the Cameroon Biodiversity Association (CAMBIO) as an administrative and research assistant and volunteered with several NGOs.

In 2025 I moved to Cape Town, to pursue a second MSc, this time in Conservation Biology at University of Cape Town, with support from the Max Planck—University of Cape Town Centre for Behaviour and Coevolution. For my MSc thesis, I am investigating the honey-hunter-bird interactions among the Indigenous Baka People of Cameroon.

 

Peer-reviewed publications

Tegueu Kemeni, A.P., Tsabang, N., Kuate, J., Ba’ane, M., Nana, E.D., Borokini, I.T. (2025). Integrating traditional ecological knowledge in environmental assessment of socio-economic infrastructure projects in South Eastern Cameroon. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies ;13(2):126-135. https://doi.org/10.22271/plants.2025.v13.i2b.1813

Tegueu, K.A.P., Ngansop, T.E., Nkengbeza, S.N. & Nana, E.D. (2021) Impacts des conditions de stockage sur la qualité de la conservation des échantillons botaniques à l’Herbier National du Cameroun [Impacts of storage conditions on the quality of preservation of botanical samples at Cameroon National Herbarium]. Scientific and Technical Journal Forest and Congo Basin Environment 17: 37-43. https://www.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5550357

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News

New study shows that honey-hunter calls vary regionally like dialects

Jan 22, 2026

We have published a new study in People and Nature showing that people in northern Mozambique use regionally distinct “dialects” when communicating with honeyguides. Led by Jessica van der Wal, the paper shows that human–honeyguide communication varies across landscapes in ways that mirror regional variation in human languages. Despite these differences in calls, cooperation between people and honeyguides remains successful and important for human livelihoods across the Niassa Special Reserve, suggesting that both species adjust to one another across their shared landscape.

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New paper on honey-hunting with honeyguides in western Africa

Dec 4, 2025

We are pleased to share our new paper on honey-hunting with honeyguides, in western Africa this time. Led by Wiro-Bless Kamboe as part of his MSc project, and co-authored with Claire Spottiswoode and Timothy Khan Aikins, with Jessica van der Wal as senior author, the study documents honey-hunting practices in northern Ghana and explores the involvement of greater honeyguides. We found that while mutualism persists, it occurs at lower levels than those documented in eastern and southern Africa. Honey-hunters in Ghana often visit known bees’ nests without honeyguides’ help, and discarded beeswax continues to supplement the birds’ diet. We found no clear evidence that socio-economic changes, such as increased access to motorised transport, have disrupted this relationship.

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Dr David Lloyd-Jones graduates with his PhD

Sep 9, 2025

Dr David Lloyd-Jones graduated with his PhD from the University of Cape Town, entitled “Cooperation, ecology and behaviour in the honeyguide-human mutualism” – congratulations, David, on this wonderful outcome of many happy years of fieldwork in the Niassa Special Reserve together with our honey-hunter collaborators and friends, supported by the Mariri Environmental Centre.

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