Luki Biosphere Reserve

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Summary

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• Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) are present in Luki Biosphere Reserve.
• The population size is unknown.
• The population trend is unknown.

Site characteristics

The Luki Biosphere Reserve is home to 26 animal species, 17 of which are considered flagship species for the Congo Basin Ecoregion and are protected under Congolese law.

Key species include various duikers such as the black-banded duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifons), and blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola). Other notable mammals include the harnessed bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), red-legged squirrel (Funisciurus pyrrhopus leonis), large Stanger's squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri), African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus), giant Emin's rat (Cricetomys eminii), and the aulacode (Thryonomys swinderianus).

Carnivores and unique species include the long-tailed mongoose (Herpestes naso), long-tailed pangolin (Manis tetradactyla), and Bosman's potto (Perodicticus potto). Among primates, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) is particularly significant. Bird species such as the blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata), African palm civet (Nandinia binotata), whistling hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator), crested kingfisher (Alcedo cristata), and pygmy kingfisher (Ceyx pictus) also inhabit the reserve (ERAIFT).

Table 1. Basic site information for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Species	'Pan troglodytes troglodytes
Area	32 km²
Coordinates	Lat: -5.707967 , Lon: 13.201186
Type of site	Protected area (Nature Reserve)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical dry forest
Type of governance	Shared governance

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Luki Biosphere Reserve

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 troglodytes troglodytes	2021	Present				Core area of the Biosphere Reserve	Camera trap		Djami et al. 2021	Chimpanzees were captured on camera.

Threats

The natural forest matrix has been degraded over the years under the pressure of intensified human activities (Cizungu et al. 2021). This degradation has led to its transformation into a mosaic of anthropogenic habitats (Opelele et al. 2021). This process, coupled with hunting, seems to have favored the emergence of specific mammal guilds, particularly rodents, such as squirrels, rats, and African brush-tailed porcupines, within the reserve (Djami et al. 2023).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Commercial and subsistence hunting is one of the main activities carried out by the local population (Nyange 2014; Ngabinzeke & Tongo 2019) and extends into the core zone of the reserve, which is in principle strictly off-limits to human activity (Djami et al. 2023).	2014-Ongoing (2023)
7 Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Low (up to 30% of population affected)	The vicinities of the reserve are dominated by savannas, which are regularly set on fire by local populations (Cizungu et al. 2021). Totally, 4,602 fires were recorded in and around the site from 2001 to 2019 (Cizungu et al. 2021).	2001-Ongoing (2021)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	A briefing highlights the rapid deforestation driven by the charcoal trade, illegal logging, and the bushmeat trade, which fuels large-scale poaching (Kabemba 2024). Data from the Global Forest Watch indicates that the Luki Biosphere Reserve has lost 42% of its forest cover between 2001 and 2022, amounting to over 2,434 hectares. The peak of this deforestation occurred in 2014 (Kabemba 2024).	2001-Ongoing (2024)

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Includes tracking of animal populations and implementing measures to prevent poaching, particularly of protected species.	WWF-DRC and local authorities	2015-Ongoing (2023)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.8 Provide training to anti-poaching ranger patrols		WWF-DRC
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	Educate local communities and students about biodiversity conservation, reforestation, and sustainable resource use through workshops, school programs, and community outreach (ERAIFT).	WWF-DRC	2019-Ongoing (2023)
5 Protection & restoration	5.6 Habitat restoration (e.g., tree planting)	Replanting of native species to combat deforestation and restore degraded forest areas.	INERA, WWF, and other local NGOs	2000-Ongoing (2023)
7 Economic & other incentives	7.2 Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., better education, infrastructure development)	Promote sustainable agricultural practices, reforestation, and income-generating alternatives to reduce dependency on forest exploitation.	ERAIFT (RDC), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, ULiège (Belgique), Institut National pour l’Étude et la Recherche Agronomiques (INERA), RDC	2000-Ongoing (2024)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
	Other (the lack of a legal and institutional framework for management)	Nyange 2014	2001-2014
2 Resources and capacity	2.1 Lack of capacity/training	Nyange 2014	Ongoing (2014)
2 Resources and capacity	2.2 Lack of staff	Nyange 2014	Ongoing (2014)
4 Institutional support	4.1 Lack of law enforcement	Nyange 2014	Ongoing (2014)
1 Site management	1.2 Need for improved coordination	ERAIFT	Ongoing (2014)

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.6 External partnerships that add expertise or resources	ERAIFT	Unknown
4 Institutional support	4.2 Strong government support	ERAIFT	Unknown

Research activities

Research is conducted in the reserve in the follwing areas: climate change and biodiversity studies are conducted by ERAIFT and research partners since 2010 (ERAIFT), and Ecosystem Services Valuation (ERAIFT, INERA, University of Liège) since 2010.

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Luki Biosphere Reserve

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Kabemba, Sylvain-Gauthier. (2024, August). La disparition de la réserve de biosphère de Luki en RDC: Une menace pour les chimpanzés à face blanche. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://fr.mongabay.com/2024/08/la-disparition-de-la-reserve-de-biosphere-de-luki-en-rdc-une-menace-pour-les-chimpanzes-a-face-blanche/

ERAIFT. (n.d.). Réserve de biosphère de Luki. Retrieved November 27, 2024, from https://www.eraift-rdc.org/en/recherche/reserve-de-biosphere-de-luki

Nyange, N. M. (2014). Participation des communautés locales et gestion durable des forêts: Cas de la réserve de la biosphère de Luki en République Démocratique du Congo.

Cizungu, N. C., Tshibasu, E., Lutete, E., Mushagalusa, C. A., Mugumaarhahama, Y., Ganza, D., ... & Bogaert, J. (2021). Fire risk assessment, spatiotemporal clustering and hotspot analysis in the Luki biosphere reserve region, western DR Congo. Trees, Forests and People, 5, 100104.

Djami, Y. K., Fonteyn, D., Ngabinzeke, J. S., Meeys, M. N., Poulain, F., Tipi, E. L., & Vermeulen, C. (2023). État des populations des mammifères terrestres dans la Réserve de Biosphère de Luki (République démocratique du Congo).

Page created by: Tene Sop Date: 2024-11-25 14:37:00