Cross River National Park
West Africa > Nigeria > Cross River National Park
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Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Cross River National Park.
- The population sizes are unknown.
- The population trends are unknown.
- The site has a total size of 3,640 km².
- Poaching and illegal logging are the primary threats to great apes in the park.
- Conservation activities have focused on reducing poaching by conducting patrols, removing snares, and providing sustainable alternative livelihoods e.g., snail farming.
Site characteristics
Situated in southeast Nigeria, Cross River National Park (CRNP) was established in 1991. It is divided into two sections: the smaller Okwangwo division (640 sq. km), and the larger Oban division (about 3,000 sq. km) (Dunn et al. 2014, WCS). Gorillas are known to occur in two areas of the Okwangwo division; the former Boshi Extension Forest Reserve (established in 1958 to protect gorillas), and the Okwa Hills in the central region of Okwangwo, bordering Cameroon’s Takamanda National Park to the west (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 1. Basic site information for Cross River National Park
| Species | 'Gorilla gorilla diehli |
| Area | 3,640 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 5.579848 , Lon: 8.748074 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes), Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
The largest and most important area for Cross River gorillas is the transboundary area between the Okwangwo Division of CRNP and Takamanda National Park in Cameroon, which has been estimated to support approximately one-third of the known gorilla population (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Cross River National Park
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla gorilla diehli | 2007 | 25-50 | Okwangwo Division | Unknown | Oates et al. 2007 | ||||||
| Gorilla gorilla diehli | Unknown | 20-25 | Cross River National Park-Boshi Extension | Reconnaissance walk | WCS as cited by Dunn et al. 2014 |
Threats
Nearly 30,000 people from at least 39 villages live along the edge of the Okwangwo Division of CRNP. The large villages of Okwa 1, Okwa 2 and Okwangwo are situated within the park, and the expansion of village farmland outside of their enclave boundaries threatens to fragment the forest and further isolate two gorilla subpopulations. Poaching in the park is still widespread and its montane forests on the edge of the Obudu Plateau are being affected by fire. There is also some agricultural encroachment by cocoa farmers on the edge of the park at Bashu, Obonyi and Mbuli, and illegal farming in the Boshi Forest (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Cross River National Park
| 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) | Joint patrols between CRNP rangers and WCS staff have destroyed numerous hunting camps and wire snares in the park, but poaching continues. The large numbers of snares in Okwangwo are a significant threat to the gorillas (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Illegal logging has been described as a main threat. Timber is often floated out of the park along major rivers (WCS; Adetola & Adetoro 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | Agricultural concessions for oil palm and pineapple were illegally awarded inside the park boundary (WCS). Farmland expansion within the park (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Present (unknown severity) | Collection of NTFPs such as bush mango is widespread and leads to the seasonal establishment of camps in the park that are also used by poachers (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
| 3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | 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
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Cross River National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols | From 2009 on, monitoring using CyberTracker to record data on wildlife, threats and law enforcement action (Dunn et al. 2014). In 2016, SMART replaced CyberTracker to continue monitoring the park (WCS). | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.6 Regularly de-activate/remove ground snares | Dunn et al. 2014 | Ongoing (2014) | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.8 Provide training to anti-poaching ranger patrols | WCS supports ranger training (WCS). | Unknown | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Patrolling of the park and joint transboundary patrols of the Okwangwo division together with Takamanda National Park rangers (Dunn et al. 2014) | Ongoing (2014) | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.13 Provide sustainable alternative livelihoods; establish fish- or domestic meat farms | WCS has trained 25 hunters from around Okwangwo in bee keeping and the rearing of African giant snails in an attempt to provide them with an alternative source of income (WCS). | Unknown | |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.5 Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions | Mobile film shows for raising conservation awareness ([1]). | Unknown | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site is a national park. | Ongoing (2023) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
The expectations of local people were very high when the park was created and many people feel that the park has failed to provide promised development; in consequence, the levels of support for conservation are low, particularly in the enclaves (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Cross River National Park
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.3 General lack of funding | Adetola & Adetoro 2014 | |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.5 Lack of equipment/transportation | Adetola & Adetoro 2014 | |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.1 General lack of community engagement or support | Adetola & Adetoro 2014, Dunn et al. 2014 | |
| 1 Site management | 1.2 Need for improved coordination | Dunn et al. 2014 |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Cross River 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 |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Cross River National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
WCS Cross River National Park, Oban Division
WCS Cross River National Park, Okwango Division
Relevant datasets
References
Adetola, B.O. & Adetoro, A.O. (2014). Threats to biodiversity conservation in Cross River National Park, Nigeria. International Journal of Conservation Science, 5(4), 547-552.
BirdLife International (2020) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Cross River National Park (Oban Division). Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/11/2020.
Dunn, A., Bergl, R., Byler, D., Eben-Ebai, S., Etiendem, D. N., Fotso, R., ... & Williamson, E. A. (2014). Revised regional action plan for the conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) 2014–2019. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Wildlife Conservation Society.
Oates JF, Sunderland-Groves J, Bergl R, Dunn A, Nicholas A, Takang E, Omeni F, Imong I, Fotso R, Nkembi L & Williamson EA. (2007). Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). Oates J F, Sunderland-Groves Jacqueline, Bergl Richard, Dunn Andrew, Nicholas Aaron, Takang Ebai, Omeni Fidelis, Imong Inaoyom, Fotso Roger, Nkembi Louis, Williamson Liz (ed.). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International.
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