Cantanhez National Park
West Africa > Guinea-Bissau > Cantanhez National Park
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Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Cantanhez National Park.
- It has been estimated that between 376 and 2,632 individuals occur at the site.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 1057.67 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees is the loss of habitat due to land-use conversion to agriculture.
- There are efforts to establish tourism at the site.
Site characteristics
Cantanhez is one of the last remaining fragments of humid forest in West Africa and identified as one of the 200 most important ecoregions in the world (World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)) and as one of seven priority areas in West Africa for chimpanzee conservation efforts (Kormos et al. 2003). The Cantanhez National Park (CNP) is a mosaic of settlements, agricultural fields, sub-humid forest, secondary forest, mangrove, and savanna (Catarino 2004). A range of non-human primate species occur in the CFNP, including Campbell’s monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus), western black and white colobus (Colobus polykomos), bush baby (Galago senegalensis), Demidoff’s galago (Galagoides demidoff), Guinea baboon (Papio papio), and Temminck’s red colobus (Piliocolobus badius temminckii, Bersacola 2019, Hockings & Sousa 2013). The rainfall in Guinea-Bissau is bimodal with a long dry season from November to May and a rainy season from mid-May to October (Catarino 2004). An average of 1400–2500 mm of rain falls per year and temperatures are at their lowest in January (24.7°C) and their highest in July (28.0°C) (Gippoliti et al. 2003).
Table 1. Basic site information for Cantanhez National Park
| Species | Pan troglodytes verus |
| Area | 1057.67 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 11.19 , Lon: -15.12 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Savanna, Grassland, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes), Marine coastal/supratidal, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
There are no regular surveys for chimpanzees and the national park as a whole was never surveyed. Recent research suggests that at least 12 chimpanzee communities occur in Cantanhez (Hockings in prep.). There is ongoing research by Kimberley Hockings and colleagues to assess population numbers and identify land-scape factors that affect the density and distribution of chimpanzees.
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Cantanhez 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 | 2003 | 376-2,632 | Cantanhez region (including areas outside the NP such as Cacine and Catio) | Reconnaissance walk | Torres et al. 2010 | Presence of chimpanzee nests recorded walking line transects, method for estimating population abundance not reported | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2007 | 33-40 | 1.94-2.34 | Cantanhez National Park | Unknown | Sousa (2007) | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2007 | 106 | 6.18 | 4 forests (Caiquene, Cibe Cadique, Lautchande, Madina) | Line transects | Sousa et al. 2011b | Total survey effort: 28.35km, no robust results, density estimates range between 1.1-6.18 weaned individuals/km² and between 376 to 2,632 chimpanzees | ||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2021 | TBC | TBC | 0.74 nests/km | Cantanhez National Park (550 km2) | Line transects | Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project; Bersacola et al (in prep) | Final density estimates tbc | |
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2022 | 5.28 nests/km | Cantanhez National Park (708 km2) | Reconnaissance walk | IBAP, Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project; Bersacola et al (in prep) | Whole park grid-based survey where each 4km2 cell is covered once (>2km walked). Final estimates tbc. | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2016-2017 | 7.1 independent events / camera trap days | Central Cantanhez National Park (180 km2) | Camera trap | Bersacola et al 2022) | Occupancy model. Occupancy probability 0.55 (±SE 0.07) | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2020-2022 | Cantanhez National Park (550 km2) | Camera trap | Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project; Bersacola et al (in prep) | Final density estimates tbc | ||||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2003 | 376-2,632 | Cantanhez region (including areas outside the NP such as Cacine and Catio). Estimates are for Cantanhez National Park | Survey data | Torres et al (2010) | Based on habitat suitability model, and according to the three different scenarios of population density (range 0.5-3.5 ind/km2). | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2007 | 106 | 6.18 | 4 forests (Caiquene, Cibe Cadique, Lautchande, Madina) within Cantanhez National Park | Line transects | Sousa et al (2011) |
Threats
The chimpanzee populations occur in anthropogenic landscapes and are rarely persecuted through hunting or retaliatory killings (Sousa, Barata, Sousa, Casanova, & Vicente 2011a). Local residents report regular crop foraging by chimpanzees (Bessa et al. 2015). The level of negative interactions over cashew appears to be low, as chimpanzees forage on the economically unprofitable pseudofruit and reportedly leave the nuts in manageable piles thereby making nut collection easier for local farmers (Hockings & Sousa, 2013). The foraging of other crops such as oranges in parts of Cantanhez NP are known to have resulted in retaliatory killings of chimpanzees by farmers.
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Cantanhez National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Residential areas | Medium | Illegal construction of settlements (Quecuta pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | Expansion of cashew and slash-and-burn agriculture (Hockings & Sousa 2013, Quecuta pers. comm. 2023) | 2013-Ongoing (2023) |
| 3 Energy production & mining | Not reported | |||
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | High | A road is being upgraded to be passable also during the rainy season (Hockings pers. com.) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Low | Chimpanzees with snare injuries have been recorded on camera traps (Hockings, Bersacola, Bessa, Ramon unpublished data). Some killings of chimpanzees by farmers occurred when they foraged oranges (Hockings & Sousa, 2013). | Ongoing (2013) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Low | Palm oil is frequently collected (Sousa et al. 2011a, Costa et al. 2017), and there is overlap in use of wild plants by chimpanzees and humans (Hockings et al. in review) | Ongoing (2017) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Wood harvesting for charcoal production (Quecuta pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | High | Slash-and-burn agriculture (Hockings & Sousa 2013) | Ongoing (2013) |
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | There is ongoing work to investigate disease prevalence in chimpanzees (Hockings et al. in prep.) | ||
| 9 Pollution | Absent | |||
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | |||
| 12 Other threat | 12.1 Other threat | High | Capture of chimpanzee infants for pet trade (Quecuta pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1.2 Small-holder farming | High | Cashew plantations are replacing fallow and forested areas, driving deforestation and declines in wild food sources for chimpanzees (Hockings and Sousa 2013; Bersacola and Hockings 2023). In 2019, an estimated 24% of Cantanhez's core areas (coastal forest blocks and savannah-riverine forest mosaics) have been lost to cashew and it is a main threat to chimpanzee conservation (Pereira et al 2022, Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project unpubl. data). | 2010s-Ongoing |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.5 Persecution/human wildlife conflict | Medium | Reports of conflict with chimpanzees usually increase during the orange fruiting season, when wild fruit is scarce and chimpanzees intensify the use of villages in search of orange and papaya (Bersacola et al 2021). Human retaliatory killings of chimpanzees are infrequent but do occur. Attacks by chimpanzees on local persons are currently rare but have the propensity to increase with increasing habitat loss and human-chimpanzee encounters. | 2015-Ongoing |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Residential areas | Medium | The establishment of new settlements within Cantanhez is prohibited though sometimes occurs (Quecuta, pers. comm.). Additionally, many settlements are expanding, increasing the demand for areas to farm, and the likelihood of human interactions with chimpanzees.
The widespread occurrence of chimpanzees near villages across the park has implications for the sustainability of human-chimpanzee coexistence due to competition over crops (particularly orange), potential risks to human safety (particularly children), and risks of disease transmission (Bersacola et al 2021; Bersacola and Hockings 2023). |
Ongoing |
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Present (unknown severity) | Road renovations since 2018 across the park have increased the number and speed of vehicles, with inadequate speed-limiting measures in place to prevent wildlife road mortalities. | 2018-Ongoing |
| 5.1.2 Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | High | Wire cable snares set up to capture other mammals unintentionally harm chimpanzees. Camera trap data since 2015 show multiple individuals across several chimpanzee communities with signs of snare injuries (Jones et al in prep). | 2015-Ongoing | |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.4 Capture for the live animal trade | Low | The pet trade of chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau is small compared to other countries, with fewer than 10 captive individuals identified between 2016 and 2024. Contextual information about some of these captive chimpanzees suggests that they originated from the southern part of the country, possibly including Cantanhez. | 2015-Possibly ongoing |
| 7 Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | Present (unknown severity) | Fires set at the end of the dry season to clear land for shifting agriculture can sometimes become out of control, affecting the edges of forests and orchards. It is unclear whether these fires threaten the health and safety of chimpanzees or how severe the impact might be. | |
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | 8.4 Pathogens | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Human-chimpanzee interactions are frequent, though most are not direct (i.e. without direct physical contact). However, human interactions with other wildlife, including hunting, keeping non-human primates as pets, and releasing them back into the wild, may affect chimpanzees. Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, has been identified in chimpanzees across Cantanhez (Hockings et al., 2021). Although the origin of the disease is human, it is unclear whether transmission to chimpanzees occurred directly from humans, possibly from a released pet chimpanzee, or through another animal host or the environment. The discovery of leprosy in chimpanzees in Cantanhez underscores the potentially high risk of human-derived infectious disease outbreaks in this population. To reduce the threat of disease transmission (especially of respiratory viruses) and negative interactions, chimpanzees have not been habituated for research or for tourism. | 2010s-Ongoing |
| 3 Energy production & mining | 3.2.3 Artisanal mining | Present (unknown severity) | Small scale charcoal mining is present in the northern areas of the park. It is unclear to what extent this impacts chimpanzees. | |
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 4.2 Utility & service lines | Present (unknown severity) | A new power line is currently (2024) being established along the roads across the park. It is unclear to what extent the widening of roads and loss of trees will directly impact chimpanzees, and attract people to migrate into Cantanhez. | |
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | 11.2 Droughts | Present (unknown severity) | Dry seasons are becoming longer, with the rainy season, which usually begins in mid-May, now starting several weeks later. Residents report an increasing lack of freshwater during the second half of the dry season (beginning in March), with natural water sources drying out more quickly or previously permanent sources now drying out. It is unclear to what extent this impacts chimpanzees and the implications for human-chimpanzee coexistence. | |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present (unknown severity) | Logging is prohibited within protected forests, and subject to legal permits within buffer zones. No commercial logging is allowed within the National Park. However, illegal logging is present in some parts of the park, particularly of African fan palm (Borassus aethiopum) which can be sold commercially for construction. | |
Conservation activities
The Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas (IBAP, Agency of Guinea-Bissau government responsible for national parks) implements terrestrial and maritime monitoring missions, so-called ‘missões de fiscalização’. The maritime mission, for example, enables detection of illegal fishing. In addition, IBAP implements law enforcement, and supports local livelihoods by building capacity for using marine resources sustainably, such as oyster farming. An EU funded projects supports farmers in adapting more efficient farming practices.
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Cantanhez National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Development impact mitigation | 1.4 Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land | Support efficient farming practices (Hockings pers. obs.) | Unknown (2019) | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | IBAP (responsible park authority) employs local communities to conduct patrols (IBAP 2018). Eight guards are employed to patrol the park (Quecuta pers. comm. 2023). | 2013-Ongoing (2023) | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | Designated as national park since 2007 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019) | 2007-Ongoing (2023) | |
| 7 Economic & other incentives | 7.1 Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., REDD, alternative income, employment) | Local people are employed to conduct patrols (IBAP 2018) | Ongoing (2018) | |
| 8 Permanent presence | 8.2 Run tourist projects and ensure permanent human presence at site | Low levels of tourism (Sousa et al. 2014). Ecotourism has existed in the area since 1996 (Quecuta pers. Comm. 2023). | 1996-Ongoing (2017) | |
| 1 Development impact mitigation | 1.13 Avoid/minimize logging of important food tree species for primates | Not formally implemented, but when clearing agricultural fields, local farmers in Cantanhez tend to avoid cutting large trees and palms that are important food sources for chimpanzees and are also used by people for food, medicine, shade, and spiritual reasons. Species protected by farmers include Parinari excelsa, Ceiba pentandra, and Elaeis guineensis (Hockings et al. 2020). | Informally implemented by local farmers | 1990s – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.1 Implement road blocks to inspect cars for illegal ape bushmeat | Random road blocks to check for illegal bushmeat, including primate bushmeat, are sometimes carried out outside the park on the main road to Bissau. | Direção Geral das Florestas e Fauna do Ministério de Agricultura, Floresta e Desenvolvimento Rural | 2020 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Species health | 3.1 Wear face-masks to avoid transmission of viral and bacterial diseases to primates | A research health protocol with stricter rules was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic when research resumed in May 2020. The rules included regular disinfection of hands, boots, and equipment; the use of face masks and gloves when deploying and handling camera traps in the forest; and the use of face masks during survey encounters with (unhabituated) primates. Though the protocol is no longer enforced, parts of it, such as frequent hand washing, defecating in holes, and avoiding work when feeling unwell, remain as recommendations. | CCP; IBAP | 2020 – 2021 |
| 3 Species health | 3.2 Keep safety distance to habituated apes | Tourism guides in Cantanhez have been trained by the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project in best practice guidelines (https://www.iucngreatapes.org/protect-great-apes-from-disease). Although the chimpanzees are unhabituated and usually move away in the presence of people during tourism encounters, a minimum distance of 10 meters is recommended. Guides also avoid allowing people to stand directly beneath chimpanzee nests during tourist visits. Guides report a lack of willingness by tourists to engage in disease prevention methods since the end of strict COVID-19 restrictions. | IBAP; CCP | 2021 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Species health | 3.7 Regularly disinfect clothes, boots etc. | As per research health protocol and tourism best practice guidelines. No longer enforced as of 2024. | IBAP; CCP | 2020 – 2022 |
| 3 Species health | 3.11 Implement continuous health monitoring (with permanent vet on site) | There is no veterinarian on site. In 2017, the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project, in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute and IBAP, began efforts to identify the cause of disease-like signs in chimpanzees that had been detected through camera trap footage by CCP members since 2015. Molecular confirmation of leprosy in chimpanzees was obtained in 2018 through faecal sampling (Hockings et al., 2021). In 2020, a biodiversity monitoring programme was implemented by the University of Exeter/Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project and IBAP, using camera traps to identify physical signs of disease in wildlife (Bersacola et al., 2021b).
Intensive faecal sampling and high-resolution camera trap monitoring of three chimpanzee communities were carried out by the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project in 2021–2022 to determine the prevalence of leprosy in chimpanzees (Marina Ramon, unpubl. data). As of 2024, health monitoring by the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project and IBAP continues using camera traps. |
CCP; IBAP | 2020 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Species health | 3.12 Detect & report dead apes and clinically determine their cause of death to avoid disease transmission | A carcass swabbing protocol, including health and safety rules, has been operational since 2021 by the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project (CCP) and IBAP, in collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute for One Health. Due to the lack of veterinarians in Cantanhez, primate carcasses are only swabbed and then buried on site. Residents are informed of the potential dangers posed by wildlife carcasses – particularly those of chimpanzees and other non-human primates – to human health, and are advised to avoid touching or approaching carcasses and to report any sightings to IBAP or CCP immediately. | IBAP; CCP; Helmholtz Institute for One Health | 2021 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use | One Health knowledge sharing sessions have been implemented in 2021 by CCP and ONG NADEL with local communities (142 local women and men) across 11 villages in central Cantanhez (CCP unpubl. data). In 2023, IBAP and CCP implemented an education activity programme with over 500 children (7-14 yrs) at villages across the whole of Cantanhez (A Sanhá, in prep). | NADEL, IBAP, CCP | 2021 – 2023 |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.2 Involve local community in ape research and conservation management | Cantanhez chiefs (Régulos), some local group associations, and around 30 representatives of villages associated with protected forest blocks are part of the conservation management council, which is formally involved in the management of the park (IBAP 2018a; 2018b). | IBAP | 2016 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.3 Install billboards to raise ape conservation awareness | Protect Great Apes from Disease posters have been disseminated across Cantanhez, including at the local hospital in Iemberem. | IBAP; CCP | 2021 |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.5 Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions | See 4.1 (One Health knowledge sharing and children education sessions) | NADEL, IBAP, CCP | 2021 – 2023 |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Cantanhez National Park
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.4 Lack of continuous/long-term funding | Park management largely dependent on relatively short-term project cycles (3-5 years). | 2011 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.5 Lack of equipment/transportation | Lack of transportation will be improved in 2025 through a GCCA+ new project, which include additional car and motorbikes (Queba Quecuta pers. comment) | 2011 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.6 Lack of biomonitoring/survey data | Landscape-scale scale surveys and biomonitoring efforts began in 2016 (Bersacola et al. 2022; Bersacola et al 2021b; IBAP unpubl. data; Houldcroft et al in review; Bersacola and Hockings 2023; Bersacola et al. in prep). | 2011 – 2017 |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.7 Lack of infrastructure | The construction of a new park headquarter was partially completed in 2024. Park guard outpost buildings are planned to be constructed in 2025. | 2011 – 2025 |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.4 Eroding taboos in favor of conservation | Conservation/local/traditional land use practices to protect forests being eroded via demand for land for cashew farming (Chloe Chesney, unpubl. data; Bersacola & Hockings 2023)) | 2011 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.1 Lack of law enforcement | Guards are assigned to patrol forest blocks. Additional capability training and strategy to be developed in 2025 via GCCA+ and Darwin Initiative funded projects (https://ibapgbissau.org/projetos-ibap/; https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/project/DAR31009) | 2011 – |
| 6 Safety and stability | 6.1 Political/economic instabilty | WorldBank (2024) | 2011 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.1 General lack of community engagement or support | Lack of conservation support in some localities (Queba Quecuta pers. comment) | 2018 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.1 Lack of capacity/training | Biomonitoring capacity via training and survey implementations has significantly improved since 2020 (IBAP, unpublished reports; Hockings and Bersacola 2022)). | 2011 – 2020 |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Cantanhez National Park
| 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 | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.5 Sufficient capacity/expertise to advise, design, or implement actions | Bersacola et al 2021b | 2021 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.6 External partnerships that add expertise or resources | Bersacola et al 2021b | 2019 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.1 Strong local environmental knowledge | Sousa et al 2014; 2017; 2018; C Chesney unpubl. data | 2000 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.5 Positive past experience/associations with conservation (e.g. postivie image of conservation) | C Chesney unpubl. data | 2023 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.6 Local community engagement and support | IBAP 2018a; 2018b; Bersacola et al 2021b; DAR31009 | 2016 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.7 Site has high cultural/religious value | IBAP 2018a; 2018b | 2011 – Ongoing (2024) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.4 Adequate data to inform and evaluate conservation actions | Bersacola and Hockings 2023 | 2022 – Ongoing (2024) |
Research activities
There are ongoing research efforts in Cantanhez NP, including studying the behavior of specific chimpanzee communities and investigating chimpanzee ranging in relation to food availability and human activities through camera trap based spatiotemporal models (Hockings & Sousa 2012; Hockings & Sousa 2013; Bessa, Sousa & Hockings 2015; Bersacola et al. 2018; Vieira et al 2019; Bersacola 2019 (PhD thesis); Bessa in prep (PhD thesis)).
Documented behaviours
Nesting in palm oil trees was reported (Sousa et al. 2011a) and there is ongoing research on chimpanzee behavioral variation across communities (Bessa et al. in prep.).
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Cantanhez National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported | |
| Honey dipping | Bessa et al (2021; 2022) |
| Fluid dipping | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Leaf-sponge | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Honey-feed, no tools | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Mangrove-eat | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Saltwater-drink | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Leaf-clipping (fingers and mouth) | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Leaf dragging, leaf pulling | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Rain-dance | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Plant food sharing | Bessa et al (2022); Bowland et al (in prep) |
| Raspberry vocalisation | Bessa et al (2022) |
| Infant corpse carrying | Bersacola et al (in review) |
| Nesting on oil palms | Sousa et al (2011) |
| Crop feeding | Bessa et al (2015); Hockings et al (2020) |
| Meat consumption | CCP unpubl. data |
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. subm. 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 (see Kiribou et al. subm. for details).
Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Cantanhez 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] | 26.8 | 27.7 | 27.7 | 27.8 | 29 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 2036 | 1911 | 1890 | 1934 | 1665 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 136.6 | 127.9 | 127.2 | 128.9 | 128.5 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 3.8 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 7 | 5.5 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Cantanhez 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 | 4 | 0.13 | 3 | 0.07 | 3.5 | 0.08 | 7 | 0.13 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0.25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 100 |
| Heatwave | 1 | 50 | 0.5 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 50 |
| River flood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.03 | 1 | 0.21 | 1.25 | 3.94 |
| Tropical cyclone | 1 | 7.7 | 2 | 6.91 | 2.5 | 3.94 | 1 | 1.09 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 2.5 | 30 | 2.4 | 29 | 2.4 | 29 | 1.8 |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
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Page created by: Elena Bersacola (e.bersacola@exeter.ac.uk); Kimberley Hockings (k.hockings@exeter.ac.uk) Date: 2024-08-09