Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Central Africa > Cameroon > Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Cite as: Akongte, P. (2023) Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. A.P.E.S. Wiki. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://wiki.iucnapesportal.org/index.php/Tofala_Hill_Wildlife_Sanctuary

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Summary

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• Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It has been estimated that only 2-4 gorillas and at least 200 chimpanzees inhabit the site.
• The gorilla population trend is decreasing; the chimpanzee population trend is estimated to be increasing since 2019.
• The site has a total size of 80.87 km².
• Key threats to great apes are poaching, expansion of farmlands and human-wildlife conflicts.
• Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching patrols, providing alternative sources of income to reduce pressure on forest and wildlife.

Site characteristics

The site is located in the Lebialem Highlands, in southwestern Cameroon. The site lies 40 km away from Mone River Forest Reserve. There are steep mountains rising from the western edge of the reserve to the eastern side of the area; elevation varies from 250 m around the villages of Besali and Bechati in the west, to 1,900 m in Fossimondi in the east. The vegetation is mainly tropical rainforest, changing into montane forest above 1,400 m, and above 1,800 m there is anthropogenic grassland (Linnarz 2017).

Table 1. Basic site information for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Species	Pan troglodytes ellioti, Gorilla gorilla diehli
Area	80.87 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 5.662902 , Lon: 9.908394
Type of site	Protected area (Wildlife Sanctuary)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest
Type of governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

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Ornithologists discovered the population of Cross River gorillas at the site in 2004. At the time, it was estimated that between 20 and 30 individuals were living in the sanctuary. Among the 14 Cross River gorilla subpopulations, the Tofala population is the only one about which no scientific data have been available, and the anthropogenic pressure exerted upon the gorillas living in the examined area is very high because there are ten villages adjacent to the area. Based on surveys conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016, gorillas avoid the southern part of the reserve, since there is not much forest left; also the northern area of the sanctuary showed no signs of gorillas. All signs of gorillas were found in the central part of the sanctuary, in an area of 6.5 km² (Linnarz 2017).

A three-month camera trap survey was conducted from January to April 2016 to calculate the population size and density of gorillas at the site. No gorilla was recorded while the cameras were in the field for 76 days. Using the program "Presence", a population size of only two to four gorillas was estimated, and a density of 0.03 gorillas per km². The estimates seem to be realistic because the maximum nest group size was three nests and because no camera trap was able to picture a gorilla during the survey period. There have been three very short direct observations of gorillas by the guides and volunteers in 2014 and 2015; they saw one or two gorillas at these sightings (Linnarz 2017).

In 2018, a large group of 20 chimpanzees was caught on camera trap footage (Haas 2018). The number of chimpanzees is growing as a result of increased birth rate and a possible influx of individuals from the Mone Forest Reserve (Haas 2018).

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

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	2017-2018	Present				Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	Line transects & recces		Njukang et al. 2019	Survey effort 47 km. 66 arboreal nests and 21 ground nests in the sampled area. 16 nest sites recorded. Direct observation of 6 chimpanzees.
Gorilla gorilla diehli	2014-2016			0.03	45692.0	Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	Reconnaissance walk		Linnarz 2017

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Illegal farming and poaching are major threats inside the forest. In 2014, 42 gun shells were found on 5 expeditions. In 2015 there was a decrease in hunting with rifles with only 20 gun shells found in the same area, but at the same time hunting with snares increased from 40 snares found in 2014 to 55 snare traps in 2015. Most local hunters do not shoot gorillas because of traditional beliefs of the people who are living west of Tofala Hill. However, some hunters from the highlands on the eastern side of the sanctuary do not share that view. In March 2013, a silverback left the site and was killed by an angry crowd of people near a village (Linnarz 2017).

Farming has been another problem in Tofala. Before the area became protected, people were establishing new farms inside the forest at very high rates, using the slash and burn method to transform the rainforest into farmland. Since January 2014, at least 77 new farms were created within the reserve, with an average size of 1.8 ha. Most of the farms were located close to the communities, but people are starting to make their farms deeper and deeper inside the forest, so that even the most remote areas of the sanctuary are affected by farming. Many farmers do not know the site’s boundaries, as they are unmarked (Linnarz 2017).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

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)	Agricultural encroachment (Linnarz 2017, Njukang et al. 2019). Heavy deforestation caused by agricultural encroachment and militia occupancy for shelter, cooking, and defensive structures (Sunday 2026; ERuDeF 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Hunting, especially with snares (Linnarz 2017, Njukang et al. 2019). Poaching reported with continuous intrusion, particularly from the North of the sanctuary, decimating the population and habitat (ERuDeF 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)
5 Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Harvesting of eru (Gnetum africanum) and Njangsa (Ricinodendron heudelotii) (Akongte, P. pers. comm. 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Logging in the low altitude areas of the sanctuary, avoided by gorillas (Njukang et al. 2019).	Ongoing (2019)
6 Human intrusions & disturbance	6.3 Other human disturbances	Present (unknown severity)	Due to habitat fragmentation and isolation, the Tofala sub-population of great apes is increasingly isolated from the main population by 27 km to over 30 km, risking its long-term biological and genetic survival (ERuDeF 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)
6 Human intrusions & disturbance	6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises	High (more than 70% of population affected)	The war crises which started in 2016 and concentrated in the Lebialem Highlands; acts as a "treble blow" by causing existing conservation donors to pull out and drastically cutting funding (ERuDeF 2026; Sunday 2026).	2016-Ongoing (2026)

Threats

Conservation activities

The African Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF-Cameroon), have been working to conserve the last great apes populations in the Lebialem Highlands since 2004. This collaboration led to creating the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in 2014 (Haas 2018).

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.14 Employ hunters in the conservation sector to reduce their impact	Employ hunters as rangers (Haas 2018).		Ongoing (2018)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Monthly surveillance and patrols (Haas 2018).		Ongoing (2018)
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	Education and awareness raising through group discussions and questionnaires (Akongte, P. pers. comm. 2023).		2018-2019
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	The wildlife sanctuary was established in 2014.	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), and Government of Cameroon	2014-Ongoing (2026)
5 Protection & restoration	5.4 Create natural habitat patches (including corridors)	Establishment of a biological corridor to secure a vital migration pathway linking the Tofala sub-population to the Takamanda sub-population (ERuDeF 2026).	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), and Government of Cameroon	Ongoing (2026)
5 Protection & restoration	5.6 Habitat restoration	The 2.5M Tree Reforestation Project: Initiating a large-scale reforestation campaign to contain, reduce, and eventually halt agricultural encroachment, deforestation, and habitat degradation (ERuDeF 2026).	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), and Government of Cameroon	Ongoing (2026)
7 Economic & other incentives	7.1 Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., REDD, alternative income, employment)	As part of ERuDeFs’ Livelihood and Economic Development Program. Communities have been trained and given start-up capital to begin the production of medicated soap and detergent (ERuDeF).	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	2014-2015
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)	The CRG Alliance was established to build a community-led movement and a network of local organizations with the operational capacity to reduce human pressure, empower local people, thereby stabilizing and eventually doubling the CRG members over the next 25 years (ERuDeF 2026).	Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF)	Ongoing (2026)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Due to political conflict, the site has been difficult to assess since 2018 and patrols have been slowed down drastically (Akongte, P. pers. comm. 2023).

Table 5. Challenges reported for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 General lack of funding	Akongte P., pers. comm. 2023	2023-Ongoing (2026)
4 Institutional support	4.1 Lack of law enforcement	Linnarz 2017	2017-Ongoing (2026)
6 Safety and stability	6.3 Civil unrest/war	Akongte P., pers. comm. 2023	2023-Ongoing (2026)

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

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

Enablers

Research activities

The local NGO ERuDeF (Environmental and Rural Development Foundation) and Dschang University conduct research in the area. Surveys between 2014-2016 found that different factors affect the nest site choice of gorillas. Gorillas preferred to build their nests on steep slopes, with an angle of more than 45°. 74 % (22 nests) were built on steep slopes, 23 % (7 nests) were found at moderate slopes (25-45°) and only one nest was made in a flat area (3 %). Steep slopes protect the gorillas from getting surprised by poachers, who mostly hunt during the night. The diet of gorillas at the site consists of terrestrial herbaceous plants (61.5 % of all feeding signs); fruits constituted 22.5 %, and leaves were consumed in 16 % of all feeding cases (Linnarz 2017).

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Ground nests				Njukang et al. 2019

Behaviours

References

ERuDeF. (2026, May 13). Cross River Gorilla Conservation Program: Reconnecting fragmented populations. https://erudef.org/cross-river-gorilla-conservation-program-reconnecting-fragmented-populations/
Haas, A. (2018, July 17). Large groups of Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees captured on camera trap footage in Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. https://africanconservation.org/large-groups-of-nigeria-cameroon-chimpanzees-captured-on-camera-trap-footage-in-tofala-hill-wildlife-sanctuary/

Linnarz, S. (2017) Survey of the Cross River Gorilla at the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon. Gorilla Journal no. 54, June 2017. Online: https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/general/ecology/articles-ecology/survey-of-the-cross-river-gorilla-at-the-tofala-hill-wildlife-sanctuary-in-cameroon/

NJUKANG, A. P., ANGWAFOR, T. E., AKWANJOH, S. R., LEBGA, A. K., & CHUO, M. D. (2019). Effects of anthropogenic activities on chimpanzee nest location in the Tofala hill wildlife sanctuary (THWS), South West Region, Cameroon. International Journal of Forest, Animal and Fisheries Research, 3(1).

Page created by: Peter Akongte Date: 2023-06-19

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