Boumba-Bek National Park
Central Africa > Cameroon > Boumba-Bek National Park
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Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Boumba-Bek National Park.
- It has been estimated that 4,470 great apes occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is stable.
- The site has a total size of 2,382.5 km².
- Poaching, logging, mining, and agricultural expansion are the key threats to great apes in Boumba-Bek National Park.
- Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching patrols, ecological monitoring, awareness rasing and education.
- The site is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape.
Site characteristics
Stiles, D. (2011). Elephant Meat Trade in Central Africa: Summary report. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 103pp.
WWF & MINFOF (2025). Rapport d’Inventaire Faune TRIDOM Cameroun – Juin 2025.
Table 1. Basic site information for Boumba-Bek National Park
| Species | Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
| Area | 2,382.5 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 2.986850 , Lon: 14.856464 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Habitat types | Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes), Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
Although a relative and non-significant increase of the great ape population size was found between 2011 and 2015, the trend may be due to possible protocol errors or effects of conversion parameters (N'Goran et al. 2017).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Boumba-Bek 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 | 2023-2024 | Present | 0.951 | 0.202 | 2361.76 km² | Line transects, Camera trap | Distance sampling | WWF & MINFOF 2025 | |||
| 'Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2023-2024 | Present | 2.38 | 2.045 | 2361.76 km² | Line transects, Camera trap | Distance sampling | WWF & MINFOF 2025 | |||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2015 | 4470.0 | Boumba-Bek National Park | Line transects & recces | N'Goran 2017 | ||||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2012 | 0.44 (0.32- 0.62) | 925 (662-1,291) | Boumba-Bek National Park | Line transects | CITES 2012 | Survey effort: 105.4 km | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2012 | 1.18 (0.85-1.64) | 2459 (1,771-3,416) | Boumba-Bek National Park | Line transects | CITES 2012 | Survey effort: 105.4 km | ||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2012 | 1.60 (1.22-2.10) | 3,326 (2,530-4,373) | Boumba-Bek National Park | Line transects | CITES 2012 | Survey effort: 105.4 km | ||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2011 | 3283.0 | Boumba-Bek National Park | Line transects & recces | N'Goran 2017 |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Poaching is the main threat to wildlife at the site. Human sign encounter rates were found to be particularly high in the northern part of the park, which is closer to a public road (CITES 2012).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Boumba-Bek National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | Expansion of agriculture, notably cacao cultivation, increases risks of future degradation (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | 2020-Ongoing (2025) |
| 3 Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | Present (unknown severity) | Small-scale artisanal gold mining on Boumba River and periphery reported (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Hunting paths and snares were encountered in a 2012 survey of the park (CITES 2012). Elephants at Boumba-Bek have been more impacted by poaching. | 2012-Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.1 Subsistence bushmeat hunting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Numerous hunting signs (cartridges, camps, snares); bushmeat trade in nearby villages Moloundou, and Yokadouma (WWF & MINFOF, 2025). | Ongoing (2025) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Present (unknown severity) | Extraction of bark, honey, or palm wine (CITES 2012). | Ongoing (2012) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Logging roads opened in buffer zones increase human access, wildlife pressure and 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
WWF and partners have supported the establishment of 42 community forests around Boumba Bek, Nki and Lobeke National Parks (WWF).
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Boumba-Bek 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 | 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 | Ongoing (2025) |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Anti-poaching patrols are conducted (CITES 2012). Regular patrols coordinated by park eco-guards and WWF were reported (WWF & MINFOF 2025). | WWF Cameroon, Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), local communities | 2012-Ongoing (2025) |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | Awareness campaigns in periphery villages 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 National Park was established in 2005. | 2005-Ongoing (2026) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Boumba-Bek National Park
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Boumba-Bek 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
There are 16 forest clearings (bais) in Boumba-Bek, with four currently monitored by MINFOF/WWF for large mammal activities (Stiles 2011).
Maisels, F., Bechem, M., Blanc, J., Strindberg, S., Boafo, Y., Mahop, J.P., Mengamenya, A., Bariga, N., Luhunu, S., 2012a. Wildlife and Human Impact Survey in Boumba Bek National Park, Cameroon, p. 62. CITES MIKE.
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Boumba-Bek 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. (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 Boumba-Bek 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] | 23.8 | 25.3 | 25 | 25.4 | 26.5 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 1564 | 1600 | 1632 | 1644 | 1628 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 24.1 | 22 | 24 | 18.7 | 22.6 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 6.6 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 10.8 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Boumba-Bek 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 | 14 | 0 | 5.5 | 0 | 16.5 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.25 | 25 |
| Heatwave | 1.5 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 100 | 6 | 100 |
| River flood | 0 | 0 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.6 | 30 | 0.64 | 29 | 0.44 | 29 | 0.65 |
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Precipitation anomaly in Boumba-Bek National Park -
Temperature anomaly in Boumba-Bek National Park
External links
References
BirdLife International. (2020). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Boumba-Bek. http://www.birdlife.org
CITES. (2012). Monitoring of illegal trade in ivory and other elephant specimens: Wildlife and human impact survey 201, Boumba-Bek National Park, Republic of Cameroon. CITES.
Stiles, D. (2011). Elephant meat and ivory trade in Central Africa. Pachyderm, 50, 26-36. doi:10.69649/pachyderm.v50i.264
WWF & MINFOF. (2025). Rapport d’inventaire faune TRIDOM Cameroun – Juin 2025.
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. https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/WWF_CA_Biomonitoring_Report.pdf
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), 1-19. doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000345
Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2021-01-08
Page updated by: Aime Mizero Date: 2025-11-03