Badiar National Park
West Africa > Republic of Guinea > Badiar National Park
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Badiar National Park.
- There is no estimate of chimpanzee abundance for this site.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 382 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are logging and agricultural activities.
- The following conservation activities were conducted by the responsible park authority in cooperation with local villages: law enforcement.
- Badiar National Park is transboundary with the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal.
Site characteristics
Badiar National Park (also referred to as Badiar Nord) is located in northern Guinea directly at the border to Senegal. It lies in the prefecture Koundara, just north of the town Koundara. Badiar was designated a National Park in 1985 (IUCN Category II) and is contiguous with Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019). It was initially created in an effort to reduce transboundary poaching (Brugière & Kormos 2009). Badiar National Park is part of the Badiar Biosphere Reserve that has a total area of 2,843km2 and was established in 2002 (UNESCO MAB 2011). The biosphere reserve consists of three areas: Badiar National Park, Badiar South Classified Forest and N’Dama Classified Forest, as well as a buffer area and transition zone (UNESCO MAB 2011). The reserve provides refuge for 80 mammal species, 330 bird species as well as reptiles and fish (UNESCO MAB 2011). Badiar lies at the transition between savanna and forested areas characterized by a mosaic of savanna, wooded savanna, open forests and gallery forests (WCF 2012, UNESCO MAB 2011). Two main rivers run through the area, the Koulountou and the Mitji. Areas around the rivers are occasionally inundated (BirdLife International 2019). Along parts of the rivers areas of palm trees can be found (BirdLife International 2019, WCF 2012). The average annual rainfall at the site is 1,000–1,500 mm (BirdLife International 2019). An inventory of the flora and fauna of Badiar National Park found several plant and animal species listed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Panthera leo), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), African python (Python sebae) and Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus, Bailo et al. 2009). A biodiversity survey of Badiar in 2010 found a high density of ungulates, including harnessed bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) and kob (Kobus kob), as well as a relatively high density of signs of carnivores, for example leopard (WCF 2012). Primate species that have been confirmed present in the park in addition to western chimpanzees include Guinea baboons (Papio papio), patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista), and western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius, Bailo et al. 2009, Brugière & Kormos 2009, WCF 2012). Badiar is also classified an important bird area (BirdLife International 2019).
Table 1. Basic site information for Badiar National Park
| Area | 382 km² |
| Coordinates | 12.5828, -13.2860 |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Dry savanna, subtropical/tropical dry shrubland, subtropical/tropical dry forest, permanent rivers, marshes, arable land |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
In the nationwide survey by Rebecca Kormos the presence of chimpanzees in Badiar National Park was confirmed based on a questionnaire survey (Ham 1998). In 2010 the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation surveyed the area, but found not enough signs of chimpanzees to be able to estimate total chimpanzee abundance (WCF 2012).
Table 2. Great ape population estimates in Badiar National Park
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 1997 | Present | District Madina | Interview method | Ham 1998 | Questionnaire survey | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2010 | 0.03 | Badiar NP | Line transects (Distance) | WCF 2012 | Total survey effort: 71.949 km. Only two signs of chimpanzees were found which was too low to calculate chimpanzee densities. |
Threats
Anthropogenic pressure is relatively high as there are people living in the park and using the area for agricultural activities, grazing of domestic animals, fishing, collection of wood and medicinal plants, and palm sap harvesting (Bailo et al. 2009, BirdLife International 2019, Sambou et al. 2002, WCF 2012). The report by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation mentioned grazing by domestic animals as the most prevalent anthropogenic threat (WCF 2012). Compared to all sites surveyed by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in Guinea, Badiar had the highest density of signs of wood collection (WCF 2012). There was also a high prevalence of agricultural activities with fields even in the center of the park (WCF 2012). However, there were only few signs of hunting, and no signs of commercial hunting (WCF 2012). In contrast, other sources suggested that hunting might be rather prevalent but it was not clear how this was quantified (Bailo et al. 2009, BirdLife International 2019). There were also reports of trafficking of live chimpanzees from the park (GALF 2012).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Badiar National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | Low | 0.04 villages/km (3 villages, survey effort: 71.949 km, WCF 2012) | Sign of villages (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | 0.61 signs of agriculture/km (44 signs of agriculture, survey effort: 71.949 km, WCF 2012) | Fields also in the center of the park (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | High | Domestic animals grazing in the park and using water sources (BirdLife International 2019, WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012, 2019) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Absent | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Medium | 1.15 roads/km (83 roads, survey effort: 71.949 km, WCF 2012) | Highest encounter rate of all anthropogenic signs (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium | 0.06 signs of hunting/km (4 signs of hunting, survey effort: 71.949 km, WCF 2012) | Few signs of hunting, no signs of commercial hunting found by WCF (WCF 2012), but other sources stated hunting pressure as a more prevalent threat (Bailo et al. 2009, BirdLife International 2019); trafficking of live chimpanzees (GALF 2012) | Ongoing (2009, 2012, 2019) |
| 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Medium | collection of medicinal plants (Bailo et al. 2009), harvesting of palm sap from wild palms (BirdLife International 2019, Sambou et al. 2002) | Ongoing (2002, 2009, 2019) | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | 0.65 signs of wood extraction/km (47 signs of wood extraction, survey effort: 71.949 km, WCF 2012) | High rate of wood collection compared to other sites in Guinea, second most prevalent threat at this site (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unknown | Fishing in the rivers (BirdLife International 2019), effect on chimpanzees is indirect due to presence of humans in the park | Ongoing (2019) | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Absent | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
The responsible park authority is conducting patrols in corporation with village surveillance committes of adjacent villages (METT 2009). From 1995 to 2005 the European funded AGIR project (Programme Régional d’Appui à la Gestion Intégrée des Ressources Naturelles des Bassins du Niger et de la Gambie) implemented a management plan in collaboration with government officials and supported law enforcement within the park (METT 2009). When funding ceased government authorities were lacking the financial, logistical and technical means to continue these efforts at the same level (METT 2009). As part of the AGIR project there were regular environmental awareness raising programs via the radio, but since the end of the project those are aired only sporadically (METT 2009).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Badiar National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not reported | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Anti-poaching patrols by park authorities in cooperation with local villagers (METT 2009) | Unknown (2009) |
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | 10.4. Regularly play TV & radio announcements to raise primate conservation awareness | As part of the AGIR program (METT 2009) | Until 2005 |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | Designated as national park since 1985 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019) | Since 1985 |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Lack of financial, logistical and technical means to enable efficient monitoring and law enforcement throughout the park (METT 2009).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Badiar National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of financial means | METT 2009 |
| Lack of logistical means | METT 2009 |
| Lack of technical means | METT 2009 |
Research activities
Surveys of flora and fauna as well as anthropogenic pressure have been conducted by Bailo et al. (2009) and the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF 2012).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Badiar National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| 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 2°C. RCP 6.0 is a scenario with medium emissions in which global temperatures would likely rise up to 3°C 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 7. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Badiar National Park
| 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] | 28.3 | 29.6 | 29.4 | 29.8 | 31.4 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 1028 | 1016 | 930 | 1019 | 902 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 129.5 | 131.3 | 131.6 | 131.2 | 135.4 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
Table 8. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Badiar National Park
| 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 | 7 | 0.29 | 3 | 0.29 | 8.5 | 0.29 | 10 | 0.29 |
| Drought | 3.5 | 100 | 1.75 | 100 | 1 | 50 | 2 | 50 |
| Heatwave | 2 | 100 | 0.5 | 50 | 2 | 100 | 3.5 | 100 |
| River flood | 0.75 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.07 | 1 | 0.26 | 0.5 | 0.05 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 1.25 | 30 | 1.01 | 29 | 1.14 | 29 | 2.36 |
References
Bailo DS et al. 2009. An inventory of biodiversity in the Badiar National Park, Guinea Conakry: implications for conservation. Research Journal of Biological Sciences 4 (8): 948-951
BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Badiar. Online: www.birdlife.org
Brugière D, Kormos R. 2009. Review of the protected area network in Guinea, West Africa, and recommendations for new sites for biodiversity conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation, 18:847
GALF. 2012. Wildlife Law Enforcement in Guinea. March - November 2012 Report. Online: www.wara-enforcement.org
Ham R. 1998. Nationwide chimpanzee census and large mammal survey Republic of Guinea. Unpublished report for the European Communion, Guinea-Conakry.
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), e0000345.
METT. 2009. Management Effectiveness Evaluations – Parc National du Badiar. Online: papaco.org
Sambou B et al. 2002. Palm wine harvesting by the Bassari threatens Borassus aethiopum populations in north-western Guinea. Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 1149-1161
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2019. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
UNESCO MAB. 2011. UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve Directory. Haut Niger. Online: www.unesco.org
WCF. 2012. Etat de la faune et des menaces dans les aires protégées terrestres et principales zones de forte biodiversité de Rep. de Guinée. Report. Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Sangaredi, Republic of Guinea. Online: www.wildchimps.org
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 29/05/2019