Summary

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Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Dodo Hills Forest Reserve.
The population size is unknown.
The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
The site has a total size of 317 km².
Key threats to chimpanzees are deforestation and expansion of agriculture.
Forest patrols, community engagement, legal frameworks, and educational programs are the main conservation interventions that have been implemented at the site.

Site characteristics

Dodo Hills Forest Reserve is located in the north-western part of the Kenema District in the Dodo Chiefdom. It is a dense tropical rain forest with a rich diversity of fauna and flora species, including pangolins, primates, butterflies, duikers, birds, woody trees, etc.

Table 1. Basic site information for Dodo Hills Forest Reserve

Species	Pan troglodytes verus
Area	21.8 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 8.267 , Lon: -11.06798
Type of site	Protected area (Forest Reserve)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical dry forest
Type of governance	Governance by government

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Dodo Hills 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 verus						Dodo Hills Forest Reserve

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Dodo Hills Forest Reserve

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)	Presence of abandoned farm lands, farm bushes, cacao farms, hamlets and farm roads traversing the forest (Turay & Kanneh 2022).	Ongoing (2022)
4 Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Low (up to 30% of population affected)	Logging roads caused by forestry in the past (Turay & Kanneh 2022).	Ongoing (2022)
7 Natural system modifications	7.2 Dams & water management/use	Low (up to 30% of population affected)	The presence of the main hydroelectricity dam supplying electricity to Kenema and Bo on the river poses low level threat to the habitat (Turay & Kanneh 2022).	Ongoing (2022)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Local communities harvest wood in protected areas for firewood and charcoal due to poverty and limited livelihood options (Lahai Keifala pers. comm. 2025).	Ongoing (2025)

Threats

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Dodo Hills Forest Reserve

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	The National Protected Area Authority conducts regular patrols to monitor and protect the forest (Lahai Keifala pers. comm. 2025).	National Protected Area Authority	Ongoing (2024)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Enablers

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Dodo Hills Forest Reserve

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Not reported

Behaviours

Exposure to climate change impacts

External links

References

Page created by: Ansumana Babar Turay Date: 2022-12-18

Page updated by: Lahai Keifala Date: 2025-04-23