Bangassou Forest
Central Africa > Central African Republic > Bangassou Forest
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Summary
- Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are likely absent in Bangassou Forest.
- The chimpanzee population is likely extinct.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 12,000 km².
- Hunting has been a primary threat.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
Bangassou is located in southeastern Central African Republic. The site is characterized by a blend of dense forest and savannah landscapes (Williamson & Maisels 2003, Williamson et al. 2004).
Table 1. Basic site information for Bangassou Forest
| Species | 'Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii |
| Area | 12,000 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 4.902833 , Lon: 23.058449 |
| Type of site | Non-protected area |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Savanna, Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
During December 2003 and January 2004, a swift assessment of large mammal and human activity was conducted in Bangassou. This preliminary investigation served as a preparatory step for an inventory of Bangassou, which had been chosen as a site for the CITES MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) program. Although the site has been considered to be at the limit of the chimpanzee range, no evidence of chimpanzees was found during the pilot study (Williamson & Maisels 2003, Williamson et al. 2004).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Bangassou Forest
| 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 | 2003-2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bangassou Forest | Reconnaissance walk | Williamson et al. 2004 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Bangassou Forest
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 12 Other threat | Absent | |||
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | The Bangassou forest has been heavily hunted and in risk of becoming an 'empty forest' (Varty 2005). | Ongoing (2005) |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Residential areas | Present (unknown severity) | The forest is inhabited by 20,000 people in 220 villages with associated roads, fields, coffee and palm plantations (Williamson et al. 2004). | 2004-Ongoing |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | Agricultural land, including coffee and palm plantations present (Williamson et al. 2004). | 2004-Ongoing |
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Present (unknown severity) | Roads associated with the local villages (Williamson et al. 2004). | 2004-Ongoing |
| 3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Unknown | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | Unknown | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 9 Pollution | Unknown | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown |
Conservation activities
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Bangassou Forest
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Bangassou Forest
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 4 Institutional support | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Bangassou Forest
| 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 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Bangassou Forest
| 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] | 24.8 | 26 | 25.9 | 26.2 | 27.3 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 2425 | 2486 | 2516 | 2533 | 2596 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 35.9 | 35.8 | 35 | 37.4 | 38.6 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 6.2 | 9.2 | 10 | 10.4 | 11 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Bangassou Forest
| 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 | 15 | 0.44 | 9.5 | 0.58 | 17 | 0.34 | 24.5 | 0.67 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heatwave | 3 | 62.5 | 4 | 70 | 4.5 | 68.06 | 7.5 | 80.49 |
| River flood | 1 | 0.16 | 1 | 0.69 | 1.5 | 0.56 | 2.5 | 1.49 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.65 | 30 | 0.65 | 29 | 0.64 | 29 | 0.66 |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
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.
Varty, N. (2005). Central African Republic. World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, 314.
Williamson, L., & Maisels, F. (2003). Bangassou Forest, Central African Republic Conservation Status, Large Mammals and Human Impact. Unpublished report to WCS/MIKE.
Williamson, L., Bayogo, R., Guimiyessi, G., Ouangbao, P., Saboundou, A., Blake, S., & Maisels, F. (2004). Survey of elephants Bangassou, Central African Republic: conservation status & human impacts. Unpublished report to WCS/MIKE.
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