Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
West Africa > Liberia > Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
Français | Português | Español | Bahasa Indonesia | Melayu
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area.
- It has been estimated that 531 (CI: 321-1,028) individuals are present in the area.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 2,901 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are poaching and habitat disturbance due to logging, mining, and farming activities.
- As a means to endorse the creation of the protected area, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation has collected survey data on the critically endangered western chimpanzee and other large mammal species.
Site characteristics
Situated to the northwest of (Sapo National Park), Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area (KBPPA) is part of the Taï-Grebo-Sapo forest complex. The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) have collected nearly 3,000 observations of wildlife at the site; in addition to the critically endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), pygmy hippos (Hexaprotodon liberiensis), pangolins (Smutsia gigantea), and forest elephants (Loxodonta africana) inhabit the area (WCF 2018).
Table 1. Basic site information for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| Species | Pan troglodytes verus |
| Area | 2,901 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 5.768000 , Lon: -8.680139 |
| Type of site | Proposed protected area |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Based on a transect survey in 2017, the estimated chimpanzee population is approximately 531 (WCF 2018). No other systematic surveys have been conducted in the area, thus, the population trend is unknown.
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| 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 | 2017 | 531 (321-1028) | 0.151 | 0.95 | Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area | Line transects | WCF 2018 |
Threats
The WCF surveyed 455 households in the proposed protected area in 2017. This socioeconomic survey showed that communities in the area have very limited access to public services, vital resources and infrastructure (WCF 2018). Bushmeat hunting and trade are primary activities in the surveyed communities. Anthropogenic pressure is high in and around the area, due to logging, mining, and farming activities. In addition, WCF’s survey revealed some chimpanzees kept as pets in the communities, and one chimpanzee was confiscated by the Forestry Development Authority (WCF2018).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Residential & commercial development | Absent | |||
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | A survey by the WCF reported that approximately 82% of surveyed households are farming in and around the site (WCF 2018) | Ongoing (2018) |
| 3 Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | High | Former artisanal gold mining pits are present at the site (Rödel & Glos 2019). The WCF has also reported the presence of mining activities (WCF 2018) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | Absent | |||
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Two surveys in the area have recorded a large number of poaching signs (Rödel & Glos 2019, WCF 2018) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present | Logging in the area (WCF 2018) | Ongoing (2018) |
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | Absent | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 9 Pollution | Absent | |||
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | |||
| 12 Other threat | 12.1 Other threat | Present | Pet trade, a survey by the WCF revealed chimpanzees kept as pets in some of the communities (WCF 2018) | Ongoing (2018) |
Conservation activities
Together with Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA), the WCF has surveyed the proposed protected area to provide knowledge on the abundance and distribution of threatened and endemic species, and thereby endorse the creation of a new protected area (WCF 2018).
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| 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
No information on research activities has been documented.
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Krahn-Bassa Proposed Protected Area
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF). 2018. Activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Annual report 2017.
Rödel M-O, Glos J. 2019. Herpetological surveys in two proposed protected areas in Liberia, West Africa. Zoosystematics and Evolution 95(1): 15-35. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.95.31726
Page created by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: NA