Loasi River Forest Reserve
East Africa > Tanzania > Loasi River Forest Reserve
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Summary
- Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Loasi River Forest Reserve.
- The population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 334 km².
- Key reported threats to chimpanzees are Agro-pastoralism, bushmeat hunting, and logging.
- The main conservation activities reported are involving the local community in ape research, education and outreach.
- The site is a forest reserve.
Site characteristics
Table 1. Basic site information for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Species | Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii" |
| Area | 334 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: -8.181454 , Lon: 31.123284 |
| Type of site | Protected area (Forest Reserve) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Other |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| 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 schweinfurthii | 1997 | Present | Ogawa et al. 1997 | ||||||||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2005-2009 | Present | 0.21 | Southern Lake Tanganyika | Line transects & recces | Distance sampling | Davenport et al. 2010 | 60-85 chimpanzees estimated across all sites south of Kipili to Kalambo NFR | |||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2022 | Present | Reconnaissance walk | Spatial mapping | WCS Tanzania, 2022 | 57 nests of all ages counted in 5 days (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | |||||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2023 | Present | Reconnaissance walk | Spatial mapping | WCS Tanzania, 2023 | 45 nests of all ages counted in 5 days (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | |||||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2024 | Present | Reconnaissance walk | Spatial mapping | WCS Tanzania, 2024 | 32 nests of all ages counted in 3 days (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | Low (up to 30% of population affected) | Agro-pastoralist incursion into the forest reserve, semi-permanent bomas for livestock established, use of water points and fire - general habitat degradation associated with this (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | 2005-Ongoing (2026) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.1 Subsistence bushmeat hunting | Medium (30-70% of population affected) | Villages growing in size adjacent to the reserve, regular evidence of hunting using dogs, guns and drop traps detected (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | 2005-Ongoing (2026) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Low (up to 30% of population affected) | Selective logging of mainly hardwood species (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | 2005-Ongoing (2026) |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | Outreach with local primary and secondary schools (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) | 2022 |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.2 Involve local community in ape research and conservation management | Recruit local field assistance and trackers for monitoring work (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) | 2022-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) | Support village land use planning to put aside areas of natural habitat adjacent to Loasi - community forest establishment (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) | 2023 |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site is a Forest Reserve since 1957. WCS promotes the upgrading of Loasi to Nature Forest Reserve status and merge with adjacent Kalambo NFR (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026). | Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) | 1957-Ongoing (2026) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.2 Lack of staff | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | 1957-Ongoing (2026) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.4 Lack of continuous/long-term funding | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | Ongoing (2026) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.7 Lack of infrastructure | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | 1957-Ongoing (2026) |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.2 Lack of government support | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | 1957-Ongoing (2026) |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | 1.1 Effective leadership | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | Ongoing (2026) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.3 Continuous/long-term funding | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | Ongoing (2026) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.4 Anticipated advantages/benefits of conservation activities | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | Ongoing (2026) |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.3 Strong transboundary cooperation | Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026 | 2023-Ongoing (2026) |
Research activities
Wildlife Conservation Society has an ongoing monitoring program focused on Loasi and in 2026 will also be confirming whether indeed Loasi is the only chimpanzee population south of Kipili - visiting villages to conduct interviews, followed by reconnaissance walks in any forests of interest (Nicholas A pers.comm. 2026).
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Loasi River Forest Reserve
| Category | Behavior | Observation type | Prevalence | Observation dates | Source | Habituation | Species | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Termite fishing | Pascual-Garrido et al., in press |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
References
Alejandra Pascual-Garrido et.al., In Press. New southernmost limit for Pan tool-making: Termite-fishing in the Loasi Forest Reserve, Tanzania.
Davenport, TRB, Mpunga NE, Picton Phillipps, G, Machaga, SJ, De Luca, DW, Kibure O & Abeid, Y. 2010. The conservation status of the chimpanzee in Southern Tanganyika 2005-2009. Unpublished Report. Wildlife Conservation Society.
Ogawa, H; Kanamori, M & Mukeni, SH. 1997. The discovery of chimpanzee in the Lwazi River area, Tanzania: a new southern distribution limit. Pan Africa News 4(1); 3
WCS Tanzania 2022. Unpublished field survey report
WCS Tanzania 2023. Unpublished field survey report
WCS Tanzania 2024. Unpublished field survey report
Page created by: Aaron Nicholas Date: 2026-04-28