Mwagna National Park
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Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Mwagna National Park.
- The population sizes are unknown.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 1160 km².
- Key threats to great apes are hunting and disease outbreaks.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
- The site is part of the TRIDOM (Trinational Dja-Odzala-Minkébé) landscape.
Site characteristics
The site is located in the far east of Gabon, bordering the Republic of Congo. The park is home to forest elephants, hogs, western lowland gorillas, bongo antelopes, and rare endemic bird and plant species (Discover Gabon). The site is part of the TRIDOM (Trinational Dja-Odzala-Minkébé) landscape.
Table 1. Basic site information for Mwagna National Park
Species | Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Pan troglodytes troglodytes |
Area | 1160 km² |
Coordinates | Lat: 0.472048 , Lon: 13.778030 |
Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
A 2004 survey revealed that the gorilla population in the park was severely impacted by Ebola outbreaks, as the gorillas that were present in 2001 were all gone. During the survey only five very old nests and a termite mound which had been eaten into a long time ago (at least a year and probably more) were recorded. No ape feeding signs were seen (Maisels et al. 2004). Between 2004 and 2012 there was an increase in the encounter rate of nests (Maisels & Akou 2013).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Mwagna National Park
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2004 | 0 | Mwagna National Park | Reconnaissance walk | Maisels et al. 2004 | No great apes recorded after the Ebola outbreak. | |||
Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2012 | 0.6 | Mwagna National Park | Line transects & recces | Maisels & Akou 2013 |
Threats
A drastic reduction in ape numbers occurred between 2001 and 2004 almost certainly due to Ebola outbreaks (Maisels et al. 2004).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Mwagna National Park
Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
2 Agriculture & aquaculture | Unknown | |||
3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
4 Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | |||
5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present, bu threat level unknown | A survey in 2004 documented the presence of hunting trails (Maisels et al. 2004). One machete cut was recorded inside the park during a survey in 2012; outside the park, snares and shotgun shells were recorded (Maisels & Akou 2013). | Ongoing (2013) |
6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Unknown | |||
7 Natural system modifications | Unknown | |||
8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | 8.4 Pathogens | High | Ebola outbreaks in the early 2000s decimated the gorilla population in the park (Maisels & Akou 2013, Bermejo et al. 2006) | 2002-2003 |
9 Pollution | Unknown | |||
10 Geological events | Absent | |||
11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | |||
12 Other threat | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Mwagna National Park
Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site is a national park. | Ongoing (2023) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Mwagna National Park
Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Not reported |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Mwagna 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
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Mwagna National Park
Behavior | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Bermejo, M., Rodríguez-Teijeiro, J. D., Illera, G., Barroso, A., Vilà, C., & Walsh, P. D. (2006). Ebola outbreak killed 5000 gorillas. Science, 314(5805), 1564-1564.
Maisels, F. and Akou, M.E. (2013). Mwagne National Park: Report on survey transects 2012. WWF unpublished report.
Maisels, F., Akou, M.E., Douckaga, M. & Moundounga, A. (2004). Mwagne National Park Trip Report, Nov-Dec 2004 Large Mammals and Human Impact. WCS unpublished report.
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