Density and characteristics of tree cavities inside and outside Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

Tree cavities, formed by animal excavation or processes of fungal decay and mechanical damage, may provide nesting, roosting, or resting opportunities to many invertebrate and vertebrate species. Although cavity availability has been linked to patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning elsewhere, there have been few such studies in the Afrotropics. Here, we present a baseline survey of cavity availability inside the high elevation (2200-3714 m) Afromontane forest ecosystems of Volcanoes National Park (VNP), Rwanda.