Nki National Park: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:30, 4 February 2026
Central Africa > Cameroon > Nki National Park
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Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Nki National Park.
- It has been estimated that 3,421 gorillas and chimpanzees occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 3,093.62 km².
- Great apes are mainly threatened by hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching measures.
- The site is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape.
Site characteristics
Nki National Park is located in the south-eastern Cameroon, bordering the Republic of Congo to the south and Boumba-Bek National Park to the north. The national park was established in 2005 (UNEP-WCMC 2021). Nki National Park is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape, which is spread over three countries: Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo (WWF n.d.). The TRIDOM landscape is very rich in biodiversity, and 97% of its surface is covered by forest (WWF n.d.), representing approximately 10% of the Congo Basin rainforest (WWF n.d.). TRIDOM is also home to an indigenous Baka population of around 10,000 people (WWF n.d.). In addition to gorillas and chimpanzees, the site harbors a wide variety of mammals, including elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, sitatungas, and several species of duikers (WWF n.d.).
Table 1. Basic site information for Nki National Park
| Species | Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
| Area | 3,093.62 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 2.508848 , Lon: 14.466650 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Nki 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 | 2005 | 9437.0 | Nki National Park | Line transects | N'Goran 2017 | ||||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2012 | 11417.0 | Nki National Park | Line transects | N'Goran 2017 | ||||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2015 | 3421.0 | Nki National Park | Line transects & recces | N'Goran 2017 | ||||||
| 'Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2023-2024 | Present | 2.38 | 1.158 | 3129.88 km² | Line transects, Camera trap | Distance sampling | WWF & MINFOF 2025 | |||
| 'Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2023-2024 | Present | 0.951 | 0.502 | 3129.88 km² | Line transects, Camera trap | Distance sampling | WWF & MINFOF 2025 |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Poaching, facilitated by the traffic of automatic weapons, has been a major threat at the site (WWF n.d., N'Goran 2017). Other human activities, such as illegal mining and logging are also a threat to wildlife and their habitat at Nki National Park (N'Goran 2017).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Nki National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | Present (unknown severity) | Illegal mining (N'Goran 2017). Reported mining activities around rivers (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | 2017-Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Although elephants have been the main target, poaching is also a major threat to apes and other wildlife at the site (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present (unknown severity) | Illegal logging (N'Goran 2017). Illegal logging activities in peripheral concessions persists (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | 2017-Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.3 Commercial bushmeat trade | Present (unknown severity) | Hunting for bushmeat trade and ivory trafficking, snares and cartridges recorded (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | Ongoing (2025) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | Expansion of agriculture, notably cacao cultivation, increases risks of forest degradation (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | Ongoing (2025) |
| 7 Natural system modifications | 7.2 Dams & water management/use | Present (unknown severity) | An anticipated threat from the construction project of the Chollet hydroelectric dam on the Dja River could lead to the irreversible destruction of vast forest areas (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | Ongoing (2025) |
Conservation activities
The site is part of WWF's Jengi programme, which supports the management of Nki National Park and other sites that are part of the TRIDOM and TNS conservation landscapes. Anti-poaching measures seem to be showing positive results, as camera traps have recently captured a large herd of elephants (WWF 2017, WWF 2020).
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Nki 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 | Wildlife monitoring team spends at least 15 days inside the park; camera traps help monitor wildlife (WWF 2017). Systematic ecological monitoring programs; wildlife inventories (Distance Sampling and camera traps) in the TRIDOM area; data exchange and joint surveillance with Nki National Park and Dja Faunal Reserve (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | WWF Cameroon, Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), local communities | 2017-Ongoing (2025) |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Government eco-guards are permanently stationed in the park and anti-poaching patrols are regularly conducted (WWF 2017). Regular patrols coordinated by park eco-guards and WWF were reported (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | WWF Cameroon, Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), local communities | 2017-Ongoing (2025) |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | Awareness campaigns in the villages around on sustainable resource use (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | WWF Cameroon, Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), local communities | Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site was declared a National Park in 2005. | 2005-Ongoing (2026) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Nki National Park
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Nki National Park
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.6 External partnerships that add expertise or resources | WWF & MINFOF 2025 | |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.2 Strong government support | WWF & MINFOF 2025 | |
| 5 Institutional support | 4.3 Strong transboundary cooperation | WWF & MINFOF 2026 | |
| 1 Site management | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Nki 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. 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 Nki 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] | 24.2 | 25.6 | 25.4 | 25.8 | 26.9 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 1427 | 1494 | 1500 | 1512 | 1497 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 19.1 | 19.4 | 21.9 | 16.2 | 20.1 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 9.3 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Nki 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 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8.5 | 0 | 20.5 | 0 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.25 | 25 |
| Heatwave | 3.5 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 6 | 100 | 8.5 | 100 |
| River flood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01 | 0.75 | 1.48 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.54 | 30 | 0.59 | 29 | 0.42 | 29 | 0.58 |
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Precipitation anomaly in Nki National Park -
Temperature anomaly in Nki National Park
External links
References
N'Goran, K.P. (2017). Summary Report on WWF BIOMONITORING activities from 2014 to 2016 Status of Forest Elephant and Great Apes in Central Africa Priority Sites.
UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Nki from the World Database of Protected Areas, November 2021. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net
WWF n.d.TRIDOM: Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkébé. https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/where_we_work/tridom___tri_national_dja_odzala_minkebe/
WWF (2017). Anti-poaching measures show encouraging signs of recovery in Nki National Park.https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/?305371/Anti%2Dpoaching%2Dmeasures%2Dshow%2Dencouraging%2Dsigns%2Dof%2Drecovery%2Din%2DNki%2DNational%2DPark
WWF (2020). The elephants are returning to Nki National Park. https://cameroon.panda.org/?32710/The-elephants-are-returning-to-Nki-National-Park
WWF & MINFOF (2025). Rapport d’Inventaire Faune TRIDOM Cameroun – Juin 2025.
Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2021-11-05
Page updated by: Aime Mizero Date: 2025-11-03