Mbe Mountains

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Summary

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• Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Mbe Mountains.
• The population sizes are unknown.
• The population trends are unknown.

Site characteristics

The Mbe Mountains span approximately 85 km², serving as a vital habitat corridor that connects the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary with the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park (WCS Nigeria). Although they lack formal conservation status, the Mbe Mountains are traditionally owned by nine surrounding communities and have been managed by the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains, with support from WCS, since 2007. Reaching elevations of up to 900 meters, the Mbe Mountains provide a crucial refuge for the critically endangered Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), along with other distinctive species such as the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti), the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), and the grey-necked rockfowl (Picathartes oreas) (WCS Nigeria).

Table 1. Basic site information for Mbe Mountains

Species	'Pan troglodytes ellioti, 'Gorilla gorilla diehli
Area	85 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 6.220958 , Lon: 9.068399
Type of site	Non-protected area (Community Forest)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest
Type of governance	Governance by indigenous peoples and local communities

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Mbe Mountains

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
'Gorilla gorilla diehli	2009	Present	24			Mbe mountains	Reconnaissance walk		Imong & Okeke 2009
Pan troglodytes ellioti	2009	Present	13			Mbe Mountains	Reconnaissance walk		Imong & Okeke 2009

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Mbe Mountains

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)	A total of 57 wire snares were removed during a survey conducted in 2009 (Imong & Okeke 2009). Hunting activity in the Mbe Mountains is relatively low compared to the other sites, but it is still a major threat (WCS Nigeria).	2009-Ongoing (2014)
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1.2 Small-holder farming	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Farming and logging in surrounding lowlands threatens to isolate Mbe from adjacent forests and to destroy the two corridors linking Mbe to Afi and Okwangwo (WCS Nigeria).	Unknown
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Illegal logging, particularly for ebony, is a growing problem particularly within the lowland areas surrounding the Mbe Mountains (WCS Nigeria).	Unknown

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Mbe Mountains

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	With local support, and constant efforts by a team of 14 eco-guards managed by WCS, levels of hunting have been reduced compared to surrounding areas (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Unknown
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols	Use of CyberTracker and SMART (Imong, Eban & Mengjo 2014; WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	2009-Ongoing (2014)
4 Education & awareness	4.2 Involve local community in ape research and conservation management	Establishment of the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM) to protect the forest and its wildlife and boost local development (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Unknown
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	The formation of 11 school conservation clubs, which have regular field trips and exchange visits (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Unknown
4 Education & awareness	4.4 Regularly play TV & radio announcements to raise ape conservation awareness	Outreach programs that use radio drama and film shows to spread conservation messages within the area (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Unknown
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)	WCS has trained more than 100 farmers from the nine Mbe communities in various activities as an alternative source of income and to reduce levels of dependence on the forest particularly hunting (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Unknown
8 Permanent presence	8.1 Run research project and ensure permanent human presence at site	Research is being conducted at Mbe Mountains to assess the population of the Cross River Gorillas (WCS Nigeria).	WCS Nigeria	Ongoing (2016)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Mbe Mountains

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.4 Lack of continuous/long-term funding	Shomkegh et al. 2017	2017

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Mbe Mountains

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 Continuous/long-term funding	Shomkegh et al. 2017	2017

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Mbe Mountains

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Shomkegh, S.A., Adaje, P.O., Dagba, B.I. (2017). Assessment of Community Participation in Forest Resources Management in Afi and Mbe Mountains, Cross River State, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) e-ISSN: 2319-2402, p- ISSN: 2319-2399.Volume 11, Issue 12 Ver. II (December. 2017), PP 41-47.

Inaoyom Imong and Francis Okeke (2009). Gorilla Census of Mbe Mountains Community Wildlife Sanctuary, Cross River State, Nigeria, September 2009. Unpublished report to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation Association of Mbe Mountains, and Cross River State Forestry Commission.

Imong I., Eban J. & Mengjo C. (2014). Using technology to save gorillas in the Mbe Mountains. Gorilla Journal, 48, 16-17

WCS Nigeria. (n.d.). Mbe Mountains. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://nigeria.wcs.org/Wild-Places/Mbe-Mountains.aspx

Page created by: Priscilla Stanley Shao Date: 2024-11-25 10:42:00