Niokolo-Koba National Park

West Africa > Senegal > Niokolo-Koba National Park

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Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Niokolo-Koba National Park.
• It has been estimated that 23 individuals occur at the site.
• The chimpanzee population trend is estimated to be stable.
• This site has a total size of 9130 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are illegal bushmeat hunting and mining activities.
• The park management implements anti-poaching patrols, roadblocks and supports communities around the park.
• Niokolo-Koba National Park is contiguous with Badiar National Park in Guinea.

Site characteristics

The Niokolo-Koba National Park (also called Parc National du Niokolo Koba – PNNK) is located in southeastern Senegal and is contiguous with Badiar National Park in northern Guinea. Niokolo-Koba National Park has been established in 1954 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019). PNNK is also a World Heritage Site since 1981 and has been listed as a World Heritage site in danger since 2007 (UNESCO 2019a, UNESCO 2019b). It is also an Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2019).

Most of the park is flat, but there are several hills in its eastern part with Mt Assirik being the highest elevation with 311 m (BirdLife International 2019). PNNK is characterized by savanna with gallery forests, grasslands, bamboo forests, and seasonally inundated flood-plains and marshes (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019). The river Gambie and several of its tributaries cross the park.

PNNK features a rich biodiversity with more than 70 mammal species, 329 bird species, 36 reptile species reptiles, 20 amphibian species and many species of invertebrates (BirdLife International 2019). Some of the present mammal species include lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), African civet (Civettictis civetta), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and African elephant (Loxodonta africana, Henschel et al. 2014, McGrew et al. 2014, Lindshield et al. 2019). In addition to western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), the presence of several primate species has been confirmed, including green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus), patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), lesser bushbaby (Galago senegalensis), and Guinea baboon (Papio papio, Lindshield et al. 2019). There are also more than 1500 plant species (BirdLife International 2019).

Table 1. Basic site information for Niokolo-Koba National Park

Species	Pan troglodytes verus
Area	9,130.0 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 13.031594 , Lon: -13.068463
Type of site	Protected area (National Park)
Habitat types	Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes)
Type of governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

In 1967, De Bournonville confirmed the presence of chimpanzees in Niokolo-Koba National Park (De Bournonville 1967). McGrew et al. (1981) estimated the chimpanzee population size to be around 24 individuals based on studying unhabituated chimpanzees around Mt. Assirik. Similarly, Pruetz et al. (2002) estimated a population size of 23 individuals based on nest count surveys.

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Niokolo-Koba 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 verus	1976-1979			0.09	24.0	Assirik area	Full count		McGrew et al 1981
Pan troglodytes verus	1967	Present				PNNK	Interviews, Reconnaissance walk		De Bournonville 1967
Pan troglodytes verus	2000			0.13	23.0	Assirik area	Line transects		Pruetz et al. 2002

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

In 2007, Niokolo-Koba National Park was listed as a World Heritage site in danger because of poaching, livestock grazing, and the Sambangalou dam project (UNESCO 2019b). The park is also negatively affected by drought (UNESCO 2019b). A road bisects the park and a large-scale gold mining operation at the eastern border of PNNK exerts further pressure on the park’s resources (Lindshield et al. 2019). In addition, anthropogenic bushfires have been reported, as well as illegal logging and fishing (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019).

There are plans to construct a dam 930 km upstream from the mouth of the Gambia River. While contributing to development by providing energy and irrigation opportunities, there are fears of environmental and social risks, especially for downstream wetlands and indirect impacts caused by population resettlement (BirdLife International 2019).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Niokolo-Koba National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
11 Climate change & severe weather	11.2 Droughts	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	Droughts cause the drying of rivers and reduce flooding of marshes and flood-plains, causing damage also to forests (BirdLife International 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	Livestock grazing (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b).	Ongoing (2019)
3 Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	Present (unknown severity)	Artisanal gold mining (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b).	Ongoing (2019)
4 Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	A road bisects the park (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b).	Ongoing (2019)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	Illegal hunting has been reported (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b).	Ongoing (2019)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (unknown severity)	Illegal logging has been reported (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b).	Ongoing (2019)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (unknown severity)	Illegal fishing (BirdLife International 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
7 Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Present (unknown severity)	Anthropogenic fires (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019).	Ongoing (2019)

Threats

Conservation activities

Niokolo-Koba National Park is managed by Direction des Parcs Nationaux (DPN). Conservation activities include anti-poaching patrols and road checkpoints (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019). Park agents also engage with communities living close to the park to discourage illegal behavior, for example by supporting tourist guides, fishermen groups and providing veterinary assistance (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019). The management plan from 2000 has expired and a request has been submitted to UNESCO to renew the management plan (BirdLife International 2019, UNESCO 2019b).

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Niokolo-Koba National Park

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.1 Implement road blocks to inspect cars for illegal ape bushmeat	Road checkpoints on the road bisecting the park (Lindshield at al. 20019)		Ongoing (2019)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Park agents regularly conduct anti-poaching patrols (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019)		Ongoing (2019)
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	Designated a national park in 1954 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019)		1954-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)	Communities living close to the park are supported , e.g., tourist guides, fishermen groups and providing veterinary assistance (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019)		Ongoing (2019)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Niokolo-Koba National Park

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
	Not reported

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Niokolo-Koba 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

Enablers

Research activities

Research on chimpanzees in Niokolo-Koba National Park has been ongoing intermittently since the 1970s. A research site was established near Mt. Assirik by the Stirling African Primate Project (coordinated by William McGrew and Caroline Tutin) in 1976 to study the local chimpanzee community (Carter et al. 2003). Since then a wide variety of studies has been implemented on the ecology and social organization of chimpanzees, including diet, tool use and nesting behavior.

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Niokolo-Koba National Park

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Ant dipping				McGrew et al. 2003
	Ant eating				McGrew et al. 2003
	Ant fishing				McGrew et al. 2003
	Cave use				compiled in Kühl et al. 2019
	Fruit cleaving				Marchant & McGrew 2005
	Honey eating				McGrew et al. 2003
	Honey extraction with tool				McGrew et al. 2003
	Making ground nests				Pruetz et al. 2008
	Stone throwing				McGrew et al. 2003
	Termite eating				McGrew et al. 2003
	Termite fishing				McGrew et al. 2003

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. subm. 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 (see Kiribou et al. subm. for details).

Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Niokolo-Koba 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]	28.6	29.9	29.7	30.1	31.6
Annual precipitation [mm]	978	975	912	973	855
Max no. consecutive dry days (per year)	131.9	130.4	131.1	132.2	136.2
No. days with heavy precipitation (per year)	2.9	3.4	2.7	3.4	2.7

Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Niokolo-Koba 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	10.5	0.17	3.5	0.16	10	0.15	15.5	0.18
Drought	4.5	41.67	3.75	41.59	1.25	26.39	4.5	37.3
Heatwave	2.5	50	1.5	29.17	3	43.75	4	65.56
River flood	2.75	0.71	2.75	1.14	1.5	0.94	1	1.23
Tropical cyclone	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wildfire	30	1.21	30	1.09	29	1.2	29	2.14

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  Precipitation anomaly in Niokolo-Koba National Park

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  Temperature anomaly in Niokolo-Koba National Park

References

BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Parc National du Niokolo-Koba. Online: www.birdlife.org

Carter et al. 2003.Senegal. In: Kormos and Boesch (eds) Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Chimpanzees in West Africa. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International, Washington DC.

De Bournonville D. 1967. Contribution à l’étude du chimpanzé en République de Guinee. Bulletin de l’Institute Fondamental d’Afrique Noire, Serie A 24, 1188–1269.

Henschel P et al. 2014. The lion in West Africa is Critically Endangered, PLoS ONE 9(1): e83500.

Kühl HS et al. 2019. Human impact erodes chimpanzee behavioral diversity. Science. 363, 1453–1455.

Lindshield S et al. 2019. Informing Protection Efforts for Critically Endangered Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and Sympatric Mammals amidst Rapid Growth of Extractive Industries in Senegal. Folia Primatologica 90: 124-136.

Marchant LF & McGrew WC. 2005. Percussive technology: chimpanzee baobab smashing and the evolutionary modelling of hominin knapping. In: Roux & Bril (eds) Stone knapping – the necessary conditions for a uniquely hominin behaviour.

McGrew WC et al. 1981. Chimpanzees in a hot, dry and open habitat: Mt. Assirik, Senegal, West Africa. Journal of Human Evolution, 10, 227–244.

McGrew WC et al. 2003. Ethnoarchaeology and elementary technology of unhabituated wild chimpanzees at Assirik, Senegal, West Africa. PaleoAnthropology 5(2):1–20

McGrew WC et al. 2014. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and their mammalian sympatriates: Mt. Assirik, Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal. Primates 55: 525–532.

Pruetz JD et al. 2002. Survey of savannah chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in south-eastern Sénégal. American Journal of Primatology 58: 35–43.

Pruetz et al. 2008. Arboreal nesting as anti-predator adaptation by savanna chimpanzees in southeastern Senegal. American Journal of Primatology 70: 393-401

Pruetz JD et al. 2012. Update on the Assirik chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) population in Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal. Pan Africa News 19: 8–11.

Tutin CEG et al. 1983. Social organization of savannah-dwelling chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus, at Mt. Assirik, Senegal. Primates 24: 154–173.

UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2019. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net

UNESCO. 2019a. Niokolo-Koba National Park. Online: whc.unesco.org

UNESCO. 2019b. State of Conservation - Niokolo-Koba National Park. Online: whc.unesco.org/soc

Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2019-11-21