Lebialem Complex

Central Africa > Cameroon > Lebialem Complex

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Summary

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• Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Lebialem Complex.
• The population sizes are unknown.
• The population trends are unknown.
• The size of the site is unknown.
• Key threats to great apes are expansion of slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting.
• Conservation activities have focused on environmental education and efforts to increase protected areas in the landscape.

Site characteristics

The Lebialem Complex (also known as the Lebialem Highlands) is situated in southwestern Cameroon, between Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary to the south and the Mone-Oko Complex to the north. It consists of a series of forests located directly to the west of some of the highest human population densities in the region (Morgan et al. 2011). The site was identified as a "chimpanzee conservation planning unit" (CCPU) in the IUCN Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee. The site was identified as an area with relatively high chimpanzee density and high potential chimpanzee habitat (Morgan et al. 2011). Lebialem contains some of Africa’s most threatened primate species, including the Cross River gorilla, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drill and Preuss’s guenon (Wright & Priston 2010).

Table 1. Basic site information for Lebialem Complex

Species	Pan troglodytes ellioti, Gorilla gorilla diehli
Area
Coordinates	Lat: 5.624129 , Lon: 9.659034
Type of site	Non-protected area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest
Type of governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

In March 2018, 20 chimpanzees were recorded in a single group in the area (survey method unknown; ERuDeF).

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Lebialem Complex

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						Lebialem Complex
Gorilla gorilla diehli						Lebialem Complex

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Main threats to wildlife in the area include forest conversion to farmland, corridor fragmentation and poaching (ERuDeF).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Lebialem Complex

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Forest clearance for agriculture (Morgan et al. 2011). Widespread slash-and-burn agriculture within and on the periphery of protected areas (Nkemngu 2017).	2011-Ongoing (2017)
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	Present (unknown severity)	Overgrazing has exacerbated habitat loss (Nkemngu 2017).	Ongoing (2017)
3 Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	Present (unknown severity)	Mining (Nkemngu 2017).	Ongoing (2017)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Hunting, mainly for income generation (Wright & Priston 2010, Nkemngu 2017). Displaced people by militia terror are turning to foraging, hunting, and snaring to survive. Due to gun confiscations, trapping has soared, which degrades small mammal populations (Sunday 2026).	2010-Ongoing (2026)
5 Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Present (unknown severity)	Unsustainable exploitation of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) (Nkemngu 2017).	Ongoing (2017)
6 Human intrusions & disturbance	6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Militias converting protected areas into strategic bases, cutting down trees for shelter/cooking/defenses, and actively killing wildlife in the forest (Sunday 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Heavy deforestation caused by agricultural encroachment and militia occupancy for shelter, cooking, and defensive structures (Sunday 2026; ERuDeF 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)

Threats

Conservation activities

The Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) is a central NGO in the implementation of conservation efforts in the Lebialem highlands since 2004 (ERuDeF, Nkemngu 2017). In 2010, with funding from Taiwan, the ARCUS Foundation and Flora and Fauna International, a process was launched to assist the Government of Cameroon to create the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (Nkemngu 2017).

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Lebialem Complex

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	ERuDeF have been conducting environmental education in the areas with support from Tusk trust, Taiwan government, Man and Nature and other partners. ERuDeF has also donated books to schools and supports school fees for orphans and children around the area to be protected.	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	2010-Ongoing (2026)
4 Education & awareness	4.4 Regularly play TV and radio announcements to raise ape conservation awareness	Community radio programs supported by ERuDeF.	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	2010-Ongoing (2026)
4 Education & awareness	4.5 Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	ERuDeF with support from partners has supported public information system through the green vision news paper, online publication and flyers.	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	2010-Ongoing (2026)
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	Ongoing projects include the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mount Bamboutos Integral Ecological Reserve, and the Tofala-Mone Forest Corridor. ERuDeF is also assisting the government in protecting apes in the Mak/Betchou Forest, Nkingkwa Hills and Tofala-Mone Forest Corridor (Nkemngu 2017).	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), and Government of Cameroon	2014-Ongoing (2026)
7 Economic & other incentives	7.2 Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., better education, infrastructure development)	ERuDeF constructed permanent toilets for two schools around the proposed Mak-Betchou wildlife sanctuary.	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	2014

Conservation activities

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Lebialem Complex

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.1 Lack of capacity/training	ERuDeF
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 General lack of funding	ERuDeF 2026	Ongoing (2026)
4 Institutional support	4.1 Lack of law enforcement	Nkemngu 2017
4 Institutional support	4.2 Lack of government support	ERuDeF
6 Safety and stability	6.2 Insecurity	Sunday 2026	2016-Ongoing (2026)

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Lebialem Complex

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
1 Site management
2 Resources and capacity	2.6 External partnerships that add expertise or resources	ERuDeF 2026	2014-2018
3 Engaged community
4 Institutional support
5 Ecological context
6 Safety and stability

Enablers

Research activities

The Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) conducts targeted bio-monitoring initiatives to gather essential quantitative data on great ape populations, general wildlife status, and species distribution. As part of this comprehensive effort, field teams track and document long-term changes in anthropogenic activities within the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary and the Njoawi-Fotabong III-Essoh-Attah area. This sustained tracking directly informed the 2010 development of the first comprehensive great apes distribution map for the broader Lebialem Highlands landscape (ERuDeF 2026).

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Lebialem Complex

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Not reported

Behaviours

External links

ERuDeF

References

ERuDeF. (2026, May 13). Cross River Gorilla Conservation Program: Reconnecting fragmented populations. https://erudef.org/cross-river-gorilla-conservation-program-reconnecting-fragmented-populations/

Morgan, B., Adeleke, A., Bassey, T., Bergl, R., Dunn, A., Fotso, R., …, & Williamson, E. (2011). Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Zoological Society of San Diego. link

Nkemngu, A. (2017, January 31). NGO takes action to save great apes in Cameroon’s Lebialem Highlands. Retrieved from Mongabay. Online: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/01/ngo-takes-action-to-save-great-apes-in-cameroons-lebialem-highlands/

Sunday, O. (2026, March 3). Cameroon's decade of conflict leaves apes and conservationists in peril. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cameroons-decade-of-conflict-leaves-apes-and-conservationists-in-peril/

Wright, J., & Priston, N. (2010). Hunting and trapping in Lebialem Division, Cameroon: bushmeat harvesting practices and human reliance. Endangered Species Research, 11(1), 1-12. doi:10.3354/esr00244

ERuDeF. https://erudef.org/lebialem-highlands/

Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2022-07-04

Page updated by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2026-07-11