Monts Birougou National Park: Difference between revisions
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Central Africa > Gabon > Monts Birougou National Park
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Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Monts Birougou National Park.
- It has been estimated that 501-1000 apes occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 536.8 km².
- The main reported threats include poaching, illegal logging, zoonotic diseases, and urban expansion.
- The main reported conservation interventions include regular anti-poaching patrols, implementation of monitoring and surveillance strategies, research projects, and awareness-raising and education initiatives.
Site characteristics
Monts Birougou National Park was established in 2002. The park comprises forests, swamps, savanna, valleys, and mountainous zones up to 900 m asl, which are the source of the Nyanga and Ngounié rivers and their main tributaries (Ramsar 2007). About 20 different primate species are found in the site, including the endangered western lowland gorilla and chimpanzee (Ramsar 2007). Portions of the park have been designated as a Ramsar site since 2007.
Table 1. Basic site information for Monts Birougou National Park
| Species | Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
| Area | 536.8 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: -1.801520 , Lon: 12.303327 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Savanna, Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
Based on a 2006-2007 survey, the park has an abundance class of 501-1000 great apes (Sop et al. 2015).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Species | Year | Occurrence | Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Survey area | Sampling method | Analytical framework | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2006-2007 | 1.56 | 1 (0.66-1.49) | 690 (455-1028) | Monts Birougou National Park (690 km²) | Line transects | Aba'a R. and Bezangoye A. 2007 | Observers could not discriminate between the nests of gorillas and chimpanzees; they could therefore not estimate the densities for each species. | GAB0007, GAB0008 | ||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla | Monts Birougou National Park |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Residential areas | Present (unknown severity) | Increasing settlements and resource use around protected areas generate disturbance, edge effects, and hunting pressure on great apes (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014, Ramsar Secretariat 2007). | 2007-Ongoing (2014) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.3 Commercial bushmeat trade | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Illegal hunting for bushmeat reported (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014, Ramsar Secretariat 2007). | 2007-Ongoing (2014) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Rapid logging expansion and road access in the Chaillu landscape increase human presence, fragment habitats, and raise hunting risks for great ape (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | 8.4 Pathogens | Present (unknown severity) | Zoonotic disease events have caused catastrophic great-ape die‑offs elsewhere in Gabon (Walsh et al. 2003, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014). | 2003-Ongoing (2014) |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols | Use of the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) across Gabon’s national parks system to strengthen planning, monitoring, and decision‑making (ANPN 2014). | ANPN (Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux) | Ongoing (2014) |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Routine ranger patrols and surveillance to deter bushmeat hunting and illegal activities in and around the park (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014). | ANPN (Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux) | Ongoing (2014) |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | Raise awareness and engage communities near protected areas to reduce bushmeat demand and promote coexistence with wildlife (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group 2014). | ANPN | Ongoing (2014) |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | Officially classified as a national park on 30 August 2002 | 2002-Ongoing (2026) | |
| 8 Permanent presence | 8.1 Run research project and ensure permanent human presence at site | Establishing baseline data for great apes and other large mammals in Monts Birougou NP and surroundings to inform long‑term monitoring (State of the Apes 2020). | ANPN, State of the Apes | Ongoing (2020) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 4 Institutional support | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Monts Birougou National Park
| Category | Behavior | Observation type | Prevalence | Observation dates | Source | Habituation | Species | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
As part of a study on the exposure of African great ape sites to climate change impacts, Kiribou et al. (2024) extracted climate data and data on projected extreme climate impact events for the site. Climatological characteristics were derived from observation-based climate data provided by the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP, www.isimip.org). Parameters were calculated as the average across each 30-year period. For 1981-2010, the EWEMBI dataset from ISIMIP2a was used. For the two future periods (2021-2050 and 2071-2099) ISIMIP2b climate data based on four CMIP5 global climate models were used. For future projections, two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) were used. RCP 2.6 is a scenario with strong mitigation measures in which global temperatures would likely rise below 2C. RCP 6.0 is a scenario with medium emissions in which global temperatures would likely rise up to 3C by 2100. For the number of days with heavy precipitation events, the 98th percentile of all precipitation days (>1mm/d) was calculated for the 1979-2013 reference period as a threshold for a heavy precipitation event. Then, for each year, the number of days above that threshold was derived. The figures on temperature and precipitation anomaly show the deviation from the mean temperature and mean precipitation for the 1979-2013 reference period.
The estimated exposure to future extreme climate impact events (crop failure, drought, river flood, wildfire, tropical cyclone, and heatwave) is based on a published dataset by Lange et al. 2020 derived from ISIMIP2b data. The same global climate models and RCPs as described above were used. Within each 30-year period, the number of years with an extreme event and the average proportion of the site affected were calculated (Kiribou et al. 2024).
Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Monts Birougou National Park
| Value | 1981-2010 | 2021-2050, RCP 2.6 | 2021-2050, RCP 6.0 | 2071-2099, RCP 2.6 | 2071-2099, RCP 6.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature [C] | 23.4 | 24.5 | 24.5 | 24.7 | 25.7 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 3595 | 3849 | 3795 | 3914 | 3834 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 41.9 | 20.8 | 17.4 | 23 | 19.9 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 6 | 8.6 | 8 | 9.1 | 9.8 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Monts Birougou National Park
| Type | No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop failure | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7.5 | 0 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heatwave | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| River flood | 1 | 0.32 | 0.5 | 0.03 | 1 | 0.98 | 2 | 0.25 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.54 | 30 | 0.54 | 29 | 0.56 | 29 | 0.5 |
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Precipitation anomaly in Monts Birougou National Park -
Temperature anomaly in Monts Birougou National Park
External links
References
Aba'a, R., & Bezangoye, A. (2007). Estimation de la densité, de l’abondance et de la distribution relative des grands mammifères et l’impact des activités anthropiques au Parc National des Monts Birougou et ses environs: Établissement d’une ligne de base pour le monitoring. Rapport final. WCS-Gabon.
IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature (2014). Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Western Lowland Gorillas and Central Chimpanzees 2015–2025. International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.ch.2005.ssc-rap.1.en
Maisels, F., Strindberg, S., Blake, S., Wittemyer, G., Hart, J., Williamson, E. A., …, & Warren, Y. (2013). Devastating Decline of Forest Elephants in Central Africa. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e59469. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059469
Morgan, D., & Sanz, C. (2007). Best practice guidelines for reducing the impact of commercial logging on great apes in Western Equatorial Africa. IUCN. doi:10.2305/iucn.ch.2007.ssc-op.34.en
Sop, T., Cheyne, S. M., Maisels, F., Wich, S. A., & Williamson, E. A. (2015). Ape population abundance estimates (Online-only annex).
UNEP-WCMC. (2007). Lopé-Okanda World Heritage Site datasheet. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved from https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/
UNESCO World Heritage Committee. (2016–2018). State of conservation reports for Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (Gabon). UNESCO. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1147/documents/
Walsh, P. D., Abernethy, K. A., Bermejo, M., Beyers, R., De Wachter, P., Akou, M. E., …, & Wilkie, D. S. (2003). Catastrophic ape decline in western equatorial Africa. Nature, 422(6932), 611-614. doi:10.1038/nature01566
Kiribou, R., Tehoda, P., Chukwu, O., Bempah, G., Kühl, H. S., Ferreira, J., …, & Heinicke, S. (2024). Exposure of African ape sites to climate change impacts. PLOS Climate, 3(2), e0000345. doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000345
Page created by: APES Atlas Team & Tene Sop Date: 2022-03-01
Page updated by: Aime Mizero Date: 2025-08-15