Lomami National Park

Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Lomami National Park

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Summary

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• Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are present in Lomami National Park.
• It has been estimated that 9,500 individuals occur in the park and its buffer area.
• The bonobo population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 8,879 km².
• Key threats to bonobos are hunting and habitat loss due to expansion of subsistence farming.
• Conservation activities have focused on biomonitoring, anti-poaching patrols, and community involvement.

Site characteristics

Lomami National Park is situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, between the rivers Tshuapa, Lomami, and Lualaba (FZS). The park was established in 2016, and it covers an area of nearly 9,000 km² and has a buffer zone of approximately 20,000 km². The region is covered by dense tropical rainforests, swamp forests and savannas (Batumike et al. 2020). The park is home to several endangered and rare or endemic species, including bonobos, forest elephants, giant pangolins, hippos, okapis, Congo peafowl, the recently discovered dryas monkey, and the Lesula monkey, discovered in the park in 2012 (Batumike et al. 2020, FZS).

Table 1. Basic site information for Lomami National Park

Species	'Pan paniscus
Area	8,879 km²
Coordinates	Lat: -1.329433 , Lon: 25.069388
Type of site	Protected area (National Park)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical swamp forest
Type of governance

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) reported an estimated population of 9,500 individuals (5,800–13,700) in Lomami, including the surrounding buffer zone (IUCN & ICCN 2012).

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Lomami 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
Pan paniscus							Unknown

Threats

Based on village surveys around the park, there is a misconception about hunting in the buffer zone, as villagers often believe that they are allowed to hunt any species in the buffer zone, including bonobos (Batumike et al. 2020).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Lomami 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)	Hunting for subsistence, including bonobos and other species of conservation concern (Batumike et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Present (unknown severity)	Small-scale subsistence agriculture (cassava, maize and rice) (Batumike et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
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

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

In 2007, the first team set out to explore and document the region in and around the park. The data collected have been used to improve the protection of the park and gain a better understanding of the distribution of different species (FZS). In 2021, the ICCN and Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) signed a co-management agreement, which made FZS's Lomami Project leader the director of Lomami National Park.

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Lomami National Park

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Regular patrols conducted jointly by TL2 project staff (named after the rivers in the project area, Tshuapa, Lomami, and Lualaba) and Congolese Nature Conservation Institute (ICCN) rangers. During patrols, data on species diversity and distribution are also collected, as well as on the occurrence of illegal activities (FZS).		Ongoing (2022)
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	The site was declared a National Park in 2016.		Ongoing (2022)
7 Economic & other incentives	7.1 Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., REDD, alternative income, employment)	The Lomami Conservation Project offers sustainable income opportunities and helps involve the communities in the park development (FZS).		Ongoing (2022)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Lomami National Park

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
	Not reported

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Lomami 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

In 2012, a new species of monkey, Cercopithecus lomamiensis, was discovered on the left bank of the Lomami River (FZS). The park harbours a remarkable diversity of mammals, and is also very rich in plant species- one new species of plant has also been found here, Xenostegia lomamiensis (FZS).

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Lomami National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Batumike, R., Imani, G., Urom, C., & Cuni-Sanchez, A. (2021). Bushmeat hunting around Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Oryx, 55(3), 421-431. doi:10.1017/S0030605319001017

Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS). (n.d.). Lomami National Park. Online: https://fzs.org/en/projects/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/lomami-national-park/

IUCN & ICCN (2012). Bonobo (Pan paniscus): Conservation Strategy 2012–2022. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group & Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. 65 pp

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