Draw River Forest Reserve
West Africa > Ghana > Draw River Forest Reserve
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) may be present in Draw River Forest Reserve.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 235 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and habitat loss.
- Conservation activities have focused on forest restoration and habitat protection.
Site characteristics
Table 1. Basic site information for Draw River Forest Reserve
| Area | 235 km² |
| Coordinates | 5.201696, -2.303156 |
| Designation | Forest Reserve |
| Habitat types | Tropical Moist Montane Forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
It is unknown whether chimpanzees have been present in the reserve since 2012. A young chimpanzee was found in the Forest Reserve in 2012 and was sent to Kumasi zoo (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Draw River Forest Reserve
| 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 | 2012 | Present | Draw River Forest Reserve | Other | Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023 | One individual was found by a local farmer. |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Draw River Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Medium | Tongya farming has changed the natural forest; farmers are allowed to farm at the degraded portions of the forest while economic trees are planted (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Subsistence and commercial poaching go on in the Forest Reserve for a long time (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Medium | Plants are taken for medicinal, food, construction etc. purposes domestically or for commercial (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | ||
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Medium | illegal logging sometimes goes on in the Forest (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | ||
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Legal logging (BirdLife International 2001). | 1978-1990 | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 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 |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Draw River Forest Reserve
| 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 | 5.1. Implement no-hunting seasons for primates | 1st August to 1st December is close season for all animals, chimpanzees are wholly protected species and are not killed at any time (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | 1971-Ongoing (2023) |
| 5. Biological resource use | Other | Work closely with some community members and opinion leaders to stop illegalities in the Forest Reserve (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | 2000-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 | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.8. Plant indigenous trees to re-establish natural tree communities in clear-cut areas | Trees planting is ongoing in the Reserve (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site is a forest reserve. | 1937-Ongoing (2023) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.6. Demarcate and enforce boundaries of protected areas | The Forest Boundary has clearly been demarcated and maintained periodically (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | 1937-Ongoing (2023) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.9. Plant indigenous fast-growing trees (will not necessarily resemble original community) in clear-cut areas | Trees planted would not completely mimic the natural forest (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | Other | There are Forest Service staff presence to protect the forest (Ofori-Amanfo pers. comm. 2023). | 1960-Ongoing (2023) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Draw River Forest Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
The site was designated as an Important Bird Area in 2001 by BirdLife International, and it is therefore sometimes visited by researchers to assess bird species.
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Draw River Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
References
BirdLife International (2001) Important Bird Area factsheet: Draw River Forest Reserve. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/draw-river-forest-reserve-iba-ghana on 10/11/2023.
Page completed by: Richard Ofori-Amanfo & APES Wiki Team Date: 10/11/2023