Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve: Difference between revisions
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= Site characteristics = | = Site characteristics = | ||
The site is located in southwestern Cameroon and it is contiguous with Korup National Park. The name Nkwende means "a water source for animals" in Ejagham (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015). The highest peak at the site is about 737 m above sea level. Part of the reserve extends to the Okoroba village, where rock formations, commonly known as "chimpanzee stone" to the locals, are alleged to be a refuge to chimpanzees. The forest around the villages is secondary forest due to logging and agricultural activities, but primary forests still exist in higher altitudes (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015). | The site is located in southwestern Cameroon and it is contiguous with Korup National Park. The name Nkwende means "a water source for animals" in Ejagham ([[#R01412|Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015]]). The highest peak at the site is about 737 m above sea level. Part of the reserve extends to the Okoroba village, where rock formations, commonly known as "chimpanzee stone" to the locals, are alleged to be a refuge to chimpanzees. The forest around the villages is secondary forest due to logging and agricultural activities, but primary forests still exist in higher altitudes ([[#R01412|Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015]]). | ||
'''Table 1. Basic site information for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | '''Table 1. Basic site information for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | ||
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= Ape status = | = Ape status = | ||
A 2002-2004 survey recorded the presence of chimpanzees; gorillas were not encountered (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). According to a later study, chimpanzees are locally extinct (Bobo, Ntumwel & Aghomo 2013). | A 2002-2004 survey recorded the presence of chimpanzees; gorillas were not encountered ([[#R01413|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007]]). According to a later study, chimpanzees are locally extinct ([[#R01411|Bobo, Ntumwel & Aghomo 2013]]). | ||
'''Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | '''Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | ||
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|Reconnaissance walk | |Reconnaissance walk | ||
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|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 | |[[#R01413|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007]] | ||
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|Reconnaissance walk | |Reconnaissance walk | ||
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|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 | |[[#R01413|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007]] | ||
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|5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | |5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | ||
|High (more than 70% of population affected) | |High (more than 70% of population affected) | ||
|Cartridges, snares and hunting trails found during a survey in 2002-2004 (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). Hunting is an ongoing threat (Bobo K S pers. comm. 2026). | |Cartridges, snares and hunting trails found during a survey in 2002-2004 ([[#R01413|Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007]]). Hunting is an ongoing threat (Bobo K S pers. comm. 2026). | ||
|2007-Ongoing (2025) | |2007-Ongoing (2025) | ||
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= Exposure to climate change impacts = | = 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. | As part of a study on the exposure of African great ape sites to climate change impacts, [[#R02287|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 ( | 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 ([[#R02287|Kiribou et al. 2024]]). | ||
'''Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | '''Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve''' | ||
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= References = | = References = | ||
Bobo, K. S., Ntumwel, C | <span id="R01411"></span>Bobo, K. S., Ntumwel, B. C., & Aghomo, M. F. F. (2013). Local Perception on Wildlife uses and related loss of cultural values around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve, South-West Cameroon. ''Life Sciences Leaflets'', 5, 1-8. [https://petsd.org/ojs/index.php/lifesciencesleaflets/article/view/532 link] | ||
Bobo, K. S., Aghomo, F. F. M., & Ntumwel, B. C. (2015). Wildlife use and the role of taboos in the conservation of wildlife around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve; South-west Cameroon. Journal of | <span id="R01412"></span>Bobo, K. S., Aghomo, F. F. M., & Ntumwel, B. C. (2015). Wildlife use and the role of taboos in the conservation of wildlife around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve; South-west Cameroon. ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'', 11(1), 1-24. [https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-11-2 doi:10.1186/1746-4269-11-2] | ||
Forboseh, P. F., Sunderland, T. C. H., & Eno-Nku, M. (2007). Priority setting for conservation in south-west Cameroon based on large mammal surveys. Oryx, 41(2), 255-262. | <span id="R01413"></span>Forboseh, P. F., Sunderland, T. C. H., & Eno-Nku, M. (2007). Priority setting for conservation in south-west Cameroon based on large mammal surveys. ''Oryx'', 41(2), 255-262. [https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605307001743 doi:10.1017/s0030605307001743] | ||
<span id="R02287"></span>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. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000345 doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000345] | |||
Latest revision as of 17:54, 15 October 2026
Central Africa > Cameroon > Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
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Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) may be present in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve; Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are no longer present.
- The population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 409.82 km².
- Hunting is a major threat in the site.
- Conservation activities are not reported.
Site characteristics
The site is located in southwestern Cameroon and it is contiguous with Korup National Park. The name Nkwende means "a water source for animals" in Ejagham (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015). The highest peak at the site is about 737 m above sea level. Part of the reserve extends to the Okoroba village, where rock formations, commonly known as "chimpanzee stone" to the locals, are alleged to be a refuge to chimpanzees. The forest around the villages is secondary forest due to logging and agricultural activities, but primary forests still exist in higher altitudes (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015).
Table 1. Basic site information for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Species | Pan troglodytes ellioti |
| Area | 409.82 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 5.410812 , Lon: 9.270493 |
| Type of site | Protected area (Forest Reserve) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes), Agricultural land, Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
A 2002-2004 survey recorded the presence of chimpanzees; gorillas were not encountered (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). According to a later study, chimpanzees are locally extinct (Bobo, Ntumwel & Aghomo 2013).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 ellioti | 2002 | 0.72 | Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve | Reconnaissance walk | Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 | ||||||
| Gorilla gorilla diehli | 2002 | 0 | Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve | Reconnaissance walk | Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Cartridges, snares and hunting trails found during a survey in 2002-2004 (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). Hunting is an ongoing threat (Bobo K S pers. comm. 2026). | 2007-Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Logging is one of the main threats at the site (Bobo K S pers. comm. 2026). | 2010-Ongoing (2025) |
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | 6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Security issues impede research and conservation activities in the site (Bobo K S pers. comm. 2026). | 2010-Ongoing (2025) |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site is a Forest Reserve; the establishment year is unknown but likely in the 1930s. | Ongoing (2026) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Safety and stability | 6.2 Insecurity | APES Atlas team pers. comm. 2026 | 2016-Ongoing (2026) |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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] | 25.3 | 26.3 | 26.3 | 26.5 | 27.5 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 2769 | 2828 | 2868 | 2900 | 2853 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 33 | 29 | 30 | 26.4 | 31.3 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 7 | 6.6 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 | 0.01 | 5.5 | 0.01 | 3.5 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heatwave | 8 | 100 | 10.5 | 100 | 9.5 | 100 | 9 | 100 |
| River flood | 1.25 | 0.37 | 0.5 | 0.15 | 1.5 | 0.95 | 4.5 | 0.82 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.7 | 30 | 0.73 | 29 | 0.71 | 29 | 0.76 |
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Precipitation anomaly in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve -
Temperature anomaly in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
External links
References
Bobo, K. S., Ntumwel, B. C., & Aghomo, M. F. F. (2013). Local Perception on Wildlife uses and related loss of cultural values around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve, South-West Cameroon. Life Sciences Leaflets, 5, 1-8. link
Bobo, K. S., Aghomo, F. F. M., & Ntumwel, B. C. (2015). Wildlife use and the role of taboos in the conservation of wildlife around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve; South-west Cameroon. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11(1), 1-24. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-11-2
Forboseh, P. F., Sunderland, T. C. H., & Eno-Nku, M. (2007). Priority setting for conservation in south-west Cameroon based on large mammal surveys. Oryx, 41(2), 255-262. doi:10.1017/s0030605307001743
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 Date: 2026-02-17
Page updated by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2026-02-26