UFA 10-064 ZIC31

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Summary

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• Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in UFA 10-064_ZIC31.
• In 2018, it was estimated that 2,270 gorillas inhabit the site.
• The population trend is unknown.

Site characteristics

UFA 10-064/ZIC 31, part of the transboundary Sangha Trinational (TNS) UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a biodiversity hotspot that supports endangered species such as gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, duikers, buffaloes, pangolins, and various primates like colobus monkeys and gray-cheeked mangabeys, as documented in wildlife inventories from 2015 and 2018. This ecologically significant region provides critical habitat for species threatened by poaching and habitat loss, while its dense subtropical/tropical moist lowland forests play a vital role in carbon sequestration, helping to mitigate climate change. With over two decades of conservation efforts, including biodiversity monitoring and sustainable management of overlapping forest management units and hunting zones, the area also holds cultural value for Indigenous peoples and local communities who rely on it for traditional practices, subsistence activities, and sacred sites. As a buffer zone adjacent to Lobéké National Park, it enhances regional biodiversity conservation; however, it faces ongoing threats from illegal poaching, logging, mining, and the escalating impacts of climate change and human encroachment, underscoring the urgent need for continued conservation action (Beukou et al. 2019).

Table 1. Basic site information for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

Species	Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Area	1,159.17 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 1.955004 , Lon: 15.927939
Type of site	Logging concession and community managed hunting interest zone
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest
Type of governance	Shared governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

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	2018			2.20 (1.49-3.26)	2,556 (1,729-3,778)	UFA 10-064_ZIC31	Line transects	Distance sampling with adopted decay time	Beukou et al. 2019, WWF Cameroon	47 transects were covered and an effort of 94km was made.	CMR0058, CMR0128 CMR0132, CMR0135, CMR0138, CMR0150, CMR0153
Gorilla gorilla gorilla	2018			2.70 (1.64-4.45)	2,270 (1,378-3,738)	UFA 10-064_ZIC31	Line transects	Distance sampling with adopted decay time	Beukou et al. 2019, WWF Cameroon	The highest densities of great apes are found in ZIC 31. These increases in average values are due to the fact that great apes are not among the primary targets of poaching in the area. Additionally, they benefit from local customs and traditions that prohibit the consumption of gorilla and chimpanzee meat in the Lobéké area.	CMR0058, CMR0128 CMR0132, CMR0135, CMR0138, CMR0150, CMR0153
Gorilla gorilla gorilla	2015			2.04 (1.12-3.72)	2,365 (1,297-4,312)	UFA 10-064_ZIC31	Line transects	Distance sampling with adopted decay time	Beukou et al. 2019, WWF Cameroon		CMR0058, CMR0128 CMR0132, CMR0135, CMR0138, CMR0150, CMR0153
Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla	2015			2.14 (1.25-3.70)	2,491 (1,445-4,294)	UFA 10-064_ZIC31	Line transects	Distance sampling with adopted decay time	Beukou et al. 2019, WWF Cameroon	Between 2014 and 2015, 54 transects were covered with and effort of 147km.	CMR0058, CMR0128 CMR0132, CMR0135, CMR0138, CMR0150, CMR0153

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
3 Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Mining on the periphery of the park destroys or disturbs the natural wildlife habitats (Beukou et al. 2019).	2002-Ongoing (2018)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	Presence of sport hunting on the periphery of the park does not respect sustainable management principles (Beukou et al. 2019).	2002-Ongoing (2018
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	The illegal circulation of weapons in the TNS landscape intensifies the high poaching of elephants for ivory trade as well as gorilla andchimpanzees, although elephants remain the main target (Beukou et al. 2019).	2002-Ongoing (2018)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Logging on the periphery of the park, which destroy and/or disturb natural wildlife habitats (Beukou et al. 2019). The presence of human activities, such as logging, threatens the integrity of forest habitats of the Lobeke landscape (Beukou et al. 2019).	2014-Ongoing (2018)

Threats

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

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	Conservation efforts in UFA 10-064 (ZIC 31) include wildlife population surveys using transect sampling methods to estimate densities of gorillas and chimpanzees. These efforts also assess habitat use, pressures from human activities, and the impact of conservation strategies. The surveys focus on understanding species distribution and the effects of poaching and habitat degradation (Beukou et al. 2019).	WWF Cameroon - Jengi-TNS Program, Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF)	2002-Ongoing (2019)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
3 Engaged community	3.1 General lack of community engagement or support	Beuko et al. 2019	2014-Ongoing (2019)

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.6 External partnerships that add expertise or resources	Beuko et al. 2019	2014-Ongoing (2019)
3 Engaged community	3.2 Local taboos in favor of conservation	Beuko et al. 2019	2014-Ongoing (2019)
3 Engaged community	3.6 Local community engagement and support	Beuko et al. 2019	2014-Ongoing (2019)
4 Institutional support	4.2 Strong government support	Beuko et al. 2019	2014-Ongoing (2019)

Enablers

Research activities

Wildlife monitoring and research in the region focus on regular population assessments of gorillas and chimpanzees, including density estimation, habitat use, and the impact of human activities such as poaching and habitat degradation. Conducted by organizations like WWF Cameroon (Jengi-TNS Program), the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), and international partners such as USFWS and FTNS, these studies utilize methods like transect sampling and nest surveys to estimate population sizes and spatial distribution. Additionally, human-wildlife interaction studies, led by WWF Cameroon with support from local communities, assess the effects of activities like poaching, logging, and mining on great ape populations, aiming to develop management strategies that reduce human pressures and promote coexistence. Environmental and ecological research, carried out in collaboration with academic institutions, includes biodiversity surveys, analyses of gorilla and chimpanzee nest degradation rates, and habitat mapping to enhance understanding of ecosystem health and inform species conservation efforts (Beuko et al. 2019).

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for UFA 10-064_ZIC31

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Nest-Building Behavior Behavior: Both gorillas and chimpanzees construct nests for resting, primarily observed at night. These nests are built in trees (chimpanzees) or on the ground (gorillas) using branches and leaves.				Beuko et al. 2019
	Feeding Behavior Behavior: Gorillas and chimpanzees forage on a variety of fruits, leaves, and other plant materials. Feeding signs, such as discarded fruit parts and broken branches, were frequently documented.				Beuko et al. 2019
	Social Grouping and Interaction Behavior: Evidence of group activity, such as multiple nests in proximity and vocalizations, indicates social interactions within gorilla troops and chimpanzee communities.				Beuko et al. 2019
	Territorial and Vocal Communication Behavior: Vocalizations, including hoots, screams, and chest-beating (gorillas), were documented as part of communication and territorial displays.				Beuko et al. 2019

Behaviours

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 UFA 10-064_ZIC31

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]	24.1	25.5	25.3	25.7	26.8
Annual precipitation [mm]	1523	1557	1562	1594	1568
Max no. consecutive dry days (per year)	20.7	11.9	13.5	11.1	13.2
No. days with heavy precipitation (per year)	6.6	8.8	9	9	9.8

Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in UFA 10-064_ZIC31

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	12	0.01	13.5	0.02	7	0	27.5	0.02
Drought	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Heatwave	1	50	0	0	2.5	50	7	100
River flood	0.5	0.26	1.5	0.13	1.5	0.44	1	0.27
Tropical cyclone	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wildfire	30	0.43	30	0.49	29	0.39	29	0.41

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  Precipitation anomaly in UFA 10-064_ZIC31

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  Temperature anomaly in UFA 10-064_ZIC31

References

Beukou, B., Sombambo, M., Nzooh, Z., N'Goran, K. P., Hessana, D., Sebogo, L., & Mengamenya, A. (2019). Dynamique des populations de grands et moyens mammiferes dans le segment Cameroun du paysage Tri-National dela Sangha. WWF Report and MINFOP.

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: Onella Mundi Date: 2024-11-27 09:30:00