Farangbaia Forest Reserve

West Africa > Sierra Leone > Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Farangbaia Forest Reserve.
• The population size is unknown.
• The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 12 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are conversion of forest to agricultural land and hunting.
• Conservation activities are not documented.

Site characteristics

Farangbaia Forest Reserve (FFR) is located in the Kalansogoia chiefdom, in Sierra Leone’s Tonkolili district (Garriga 2014). Designated as a forest reserve, FFR encompasses hills ranging from 275 meters to 860 meters above sea level. It is positioned approximately 5 km southeast of Bumbuna town and constitutes a vital part of the Seli River's watershed. To the east, the Tonkolili River forms the boundary of FFR, eventually merging with the Seli River. The landscape within the study area exhibits a diverse composition, including agricultural land, fallow land with woody regrowth (known as 'farm-bush'), remnants of original forest cover, grasslands on hills, and pockets of riverine forest in adjacent valleys. Human activities, particularly shifting cultivation, have significantly altered the environment in this region (Garriga 2014).

Table 1. Basic site information for Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Area	12 km²
Coordinates	8.984188, -11.731421
Designation	Forest Reserve
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

In 2013, a camera trap survey was conducted in the FFR and an adjacent area to the east of the reserve (Garriga 2014). The survey effort was 1505 trap days in 28 locations. The trap nights of effort (subtracting days when the cameras stopped working) was 1385 trap days. The cameras did not capture any chimpanzees, but the field team recorded evidence of their presence in several locations (nests and feeding signs). It was concluded that there are chimpanzees living in the FFR and the adjacent study area, or that the reserve is part of a larger territory (Garriga 2014).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Farangbaia 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	2013			Present	Farangbaia Forest Reserve and surrounding area (31 sq. km)	Camera trap	Garriga 2014

Threats

The natural habitat within the FFR has undergone significant degradation, characterized by sparse patches of secondary forest primarily found in riparian zones and areas of challenging terrain such as cliffs and steep hills (Garriga 2014). The predominant habitat types consist of cultivated farms and extensive farm-bush. Two small permanent human settlements, along with their cultivated fields, are situated on the southern side of the study area's hills. Human presence was documented in four instances, captured by cameras placed at two different locations during a 2013 survey. Notably, one individual was observed carrying a shotgun. The theft of one camera trap serves as additional evidence of human activity in the area under study. Numerous human trails, paths, and traps were identified throughout the study area, indicating regular use of the site by local residents for activities such as hunting, farming, and logging (Garriga 2014).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development	1.1 Housing & urban areas	Present (unknown severity)		Two small permanent human settlements, along with their cultivated fields, are situated on the southern side of the study area's hills (Garriga 2014).	2013-Ongoing
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High		The predominant habitat types in the reserve consist of cultivated farms and extensive farm-bush (Garriga 2014).	2013-Ongoing
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present (severity unknown)		Several human trails, paths, and traps were identified throughout the study area, indicating regular use of the site by local residents for activities, including hunting (Garriga 2014).	2013-Ongoing
5. Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (severity unknown)		Several human trails, paths, and traps were identified throughout the study area, indicating regular use of the site by local residents for activities, including logging (Garriga 2014).	2013-Ongoing
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

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

African Minerals (AML) has worked with the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) to potentially modify and extend the boundaries of the Farangbaia Forest Reserve (FFR) adjacent to the AML mining operations in the Tonkolili District (Garriga 2014). This extension would act as an offset to enhance habitat and increase its protection for wildlife in the surroundings of the mine site. A 2013 camera trap survey recommended that the boundaries of the reserve should be expanded to cover the adjacent mountainous habitat within the study area, and its protection status should be upgraded to a non-hunting reserve. This would enable the implementation of protection measures like the banning of hunting and farming inside the reserve, thereby facilitating the recovery of the FFR in the medium and long term (Garriga 2014).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Farangbaia 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	Not reported
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	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is classified as a forest reserve.	Ongoing
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 Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

References

Garriga, R. (2014). Camera trap survey in the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve, Sierra Leone. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary final report. Online: https://www.tacugama.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2014_Garriga_TCS-AML-Farangabaia-FR-survey-final-report.pdf

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 21/02/2024