Bia Conservation Area

West Africa > Ghana > Bia Conservation Area

Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in the Bia Conservation Area.
• The population size is estimated at 34 weaned individuals.
• The chimpanzee population trend is decreasing.
• The site has a total size of 306 km².
• Illegal hunting is the main threat.
• Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching patrols.

Site characteristics

Chimpanzee captured on a camera trap © Richard Ofori-Amanfo

The Bia Conservation Area (BCA) forms a 306km2 block in the moist evergreen and moist semi-deciduous forest zones of western Ghana, between the Bia River and the border with Côte d’Ivoire. BCA encompasses Bia National Park and Bia Resource Reserve; Bia National Park is 78 km2 and Bia Resource Reserve is 228 km2. The BCA was originally part of a larger (about 1500km2) ecosystem for forest elephants known as the Bia Group of Forest Reserves. However, the Bia elephant range has reduced over time due to clearance for cocoa cultivation, and is now an isolated population in an ecological island of forest with hard boundaries and no transitional zone to farmland (PADP 2001). It is planned for the entire area to be upgraded to national park status (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).

Table 1. Basic site information for Bia Conservation Area

Area	306 km²
Coordinates	6.481132, -3.112847
Designation	Conservation Area
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Wildlife patrol team encounters with chimpanzee signs indicate a decreasing trend (Danquah, E., pers. comm. 2022).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Bia Conservation Area

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	2019-2020	34			Bia Conservation Area	Line transects (Distance)	Ofori-Amanfo, R. pers comm. 2023	Estimate for weaned individuals

Bia National Park headquarters © Papa Kwaw Quansah

Threats

A total of 3,721 illegal human signs which are threats to the subspecies were recorded in 2021 and provided an overall encounter rate of 5.69 human signs per a kilometre walk. Three major threats among these were cartridge case (45.9%), wire snare (29.4%) and illegal logging (14.2%) (Danquah, E., pers. comm. 2022). Poachers still hunt in the park and set snares that also affect chimpanzees. Although poaching is not very frequent, it is a main threat because of the site’s low chimpanzee population abundance. Farm raids by wildlife resulting in human-wildlife conflict with elephants the most but chimpanzees are also involved. And with chimpanzees being low in numbers compared to elephants, it means a major threat to the chimpanzee population (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Bia Conservation Area

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Absent
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Low		Habitat encroachment due to agriculture (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1974-Ongoing (2023)
3. Energy production & mining		Absent
4. Transportation & service corridors		Absent
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Medium	5.69 human signs/km	Cartridge cases and wire snares (Danquah, E. pers. comm. 2022). Poaching of wildlife which includes illegal entry with guns to kill wildlife and setting of traps like wire snares (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1935-Ongoing (2023)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance		Unknown
7. Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Low		Hunting for tree Hyrax with the use of fires, resulting sometimes in bushfires (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1935-Ongoing (2023)
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases		Unknown
9. Pollution		Unknown
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options		Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Bia Conservation Area is a protected area so there are dedicated staff who patrol inside the Park to protect the resources including the chimpanzees. There is also a community outreach team that goes to the communities to educate them about the need to conserve natural resources including the chimpanzees. Ghana's Wildlife Division is responsible for maintaining law and order within the protected area. Between February and September 2023, the park conducted a programme, with funding from the Africa Elephant Fund (AEF), in 11 human wildlife hotspot communities where wildlife (with emphasis on elephants) invade community farms and livelihoods resulting in human wildlife conflict situations sometimes resulting in reprisal killings of wildlife. These communities were sensitised and educated on ways to mitigate human wildlife conflicts. Community Volunteer Squads were then formed, trained and given implements and the necessary tools and education to prevent wildlife raids on farms which results in human wildlife conflicts (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Bia Conservation Area

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	Wildlife patrol teams regularly conduct law enforcement duties within and around the protected area (Danquah, E., 2022). Anti-poaching operations (day, night and long patrols) (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023).	1974-Ongoing (2023)
6. Human intrusion & 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	10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use	Conservation education and outreach programmes in communities around the Park (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023).	2000-Ongoing (2023)
	10.2. Involve local community in primate research and conservation management	Communities around the park are aggregated into 10 Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) where they have a constitution and management plans backed by the local government to regulate the use of their natural resources and also help protect the protected area from human entering (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1974-Ongoing (2023)
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat		1935-Ongoing (2023)
	11.6. Demarcate and enforce boundaries of protected areas	Fifty (50) missing, broken and defaced boundary pillars replaced (out of a total of 115 boundary pillar points identified) to properly demarcate and delineate the park from fringe farms and prevent encroachment into the park (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	2020
	Other	Enrichment planting has been carried out with some different kinds of indigenous tree species in some degraded portions of the Resource Reserve. The entire Bia Conservation Area boundary has been planted with indigenous tree species to prevent encroachment into the Park (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023, Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	2018-2022
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development)	Tropenbos Ghana, UNESCO, NCRC, and SNV Ghana support income generating activities such as beekeeping and honey processing, palm oil processing, soap production, snail farming, and mushroom cultivation (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1993-Ongoing (2023)
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development)	Provision of school and other infrastructural development (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1974-Ongoing (2023)
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.1. Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. REDD, employment)	The park has been employing community people around the park as staff since the park was established in 1974 up till now. In the last 5 years the park has employed about 10 people in communities surrounding the park (Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023).	1974-Ongoing (2023)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

The Ghana Wildlife Division has few staff and resources to conduct effective and regular anti-poaching activities within and around the protected area. Inadequate staff, field equipment, vehicles etc. hinder effective protection of the chimpanzees.

Table 5. Challenges reported for Bia Conservation Area

Challenge	Source
Lack of logistical means	Danquah, E. pers. observation 2022
Lack of funding	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023
Lack of staff	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023
Lack of infrastructure maintenance	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023
Lack of research to know animal numbers and reliable resource data	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023
Outdated management plan	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023
Inaccessible internal roads within the park to improve internal patrols and tourism	Quansah P. K., pers. comm. 2023

Research activities

Bia Conservation Area is part of the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf).

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Bia Conservation Area

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Cite as: Danquah, E., Ofori-Amanfo, R. & Papa Kwaw Quansah (2023) Bia Conservation Area. A.P.E.S. Wiki. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://wiki.iucnapesportal.org/index.php/Bia_Conservation_Area Page completed by: Emmanuel Danquah, Richard Ofori-Amanfo & Papa Kwaw Quansah Date: 17/11/2023