Cantanhez National Park
West Africa > Guinea-Bissau > Cantanhez National Park
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
| Area | 1057.67 km² |
| Coordinates | 11.19, -15.12 |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Moist Savanna, Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove, Forest Vegetation Above High Tide, Level, Subtropical/Tropical Heavily, Degraded Former Forest, Plantations |
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. Great ape population estimates in 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) | Presence-absence sampling | 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 (Distance) | 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 |
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. Only the greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) are allowed to be hunted all year round. During the hunting period (1st Nov 1 – 30th April) more species can be hunted, including the common duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), Crested porcupine (Hytrix cristata) and Beecroft’s scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus beecrofti, IBAP 2018). Primates are under protection (IBAP 2018), but still illegally hunted for meat, mostly green monkeys and Campbell’s monkeys (Minhos et al. 2016, Hockings, Bersacola, Bessa, Ramon pers obs) and baboons are sometimes kept as pets (Hockings & Sousa, 2013a). Meanwhile chimpanzees are not hunted for meat due to local taboos and perceived similarity to humans. However, chimpanzees with snare injuries have been recorded on camera traps (Hockings, Bersacola, Bessa, Ramon unpublished data). An illegal pet trade in infant chimpanzees persists (Casanova & Sousa 2006, Hockings, Bersacola, Bessa, Ramon).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Cantanhez National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | Medium | 110 villages with approximately 22,505 people (20 people/km²; Hockings & Sousa 2013b) | 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) | |
| 5.2 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) | ||
| 5.3 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 options | Pet trade | High | Capture of chimpanzee infants for pet trade (Quecuta pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
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. Cantanhez is being developed as a destination for tourists (http://www.ecocantanhez.org/), but the number of visiting tourists is low. It has been reported that local guides were trained and places that could be visited have been identified (Sousa et al. 2014). While current levels of tourism are low, there seems to be strong support from the community to develop it further in the future (Sousa et al. 2014).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Cantanhez National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.11. Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land | Support efficient farming practices (Hockings pers. obs.) | Unknown (2019) |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.6. 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) |
| 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 | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | Designated as national park since 2007 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019) | 2007-Ongoing (2023) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 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) | Local people are employed to conduct patrols (IBAP 2018) | Ongoing (2018) |
| 13.4. 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) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Cantanhez National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
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 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Cantanhez 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. 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 7. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Cantanhez 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] | 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 8. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Cantanhez 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 | 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 |
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Page completed by:Kimberley Hockings, Elena Bersacola, Joana Bessa, Marina Ramon & Queba QuecutaDate: 06/12/2023