Oba Hills Forest Reserve
West Africa > Nigeria > Oba Hills Forest Reserve
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Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) have been present in Oba Hills Forest Reserve.
- Chimpanzees are extinct or nearly extinct at the site.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 68 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are logging, farming, hunting, and fires.
- Conservation activities are not reported.
Site characteristics
Located in the south-western state of Osun, in Nigeria, the site encompasses three hills and a valley in between.
Table 1. Basic site information for Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| Species | 'Pan troglodytes ellioti |
| Area | 68 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 7.783 , Lon: 4.117 |
| Type of site | Protected area (Forest Reserve) |
| Habitat types | Agricultural land, Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Based on a survey in 2006, chimpanzees are likely to be extinct or nearly extinct in the area (Greengrass 2006). Only a chimpanzee-like vocalization was heard during the survey (Greengrass 2009). The last time local people reported seeing chimpanzees was in 2002 (Greengrass 2006), and in 1999 a dead chimpanzee was offered for sale in a nearby market (Oates et al. 2003 in Kormos et al. 2003).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Oba Hills Forest 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 ellioti | 2006 | 0 | Oba Hills Forest Reserve | Interviews, Reconnaissance walk | Greengrass 2006 |
Threats
Taungya farming has spread throughout the bottom of the hills, and also halfway up the slopes (Greengrass 2006). In 2006, the hills were also being deforested and logged; scrubby vegetation growing back on the hills was frequently burnt, thus preventing regeneration (Greengrass 2006). In the western part of Oba Hills, there was once a large teak plantation, covering 12% of the total area, but since the plantation has been over-exploited, only coppices remain (Greengrass 2006).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Pollution | Absent | |||
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 12 Other threat | Absent | |||
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High (more than 70% of population affected) | All the land surrounding the three hills is subject to taungya farming, and the hills are being deforested; barely any forest is left (Greengrass 2006). | Ongoing (2006) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | The chimpanzee population has been hunted likely to the point of extirpation; hunting of other species (e.g., duikers) continues (Greengrass 2006, Wahab 2016). | Ongoing (2016) |
| 7 Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Repeated anthropogenic bush fires in the core of the reserve (Wahab 2016). | Ongoing (2016) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.2 Wood & pulp plantations | Present (unknown severity) | Unknown | |
| 1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
| 3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | |||
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Unknown | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The forest reserve was established in 1955 (Wahab 2016). | Since 1955 |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.3 General lack of funding | Greengrass 2006 | |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.1 Lack of law enforcement | Greengrass 2006 | |
| 1 Site management | 1.3 Corruption | Greengrass 2006 |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 Oba Hills Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Greengrass, E.J. (2006). A survey of chimpanzees in south-west Nigeria. Report to the NCF-WCS Biodiversity Research Programme.
Greengrass, E.J. (2009). Chimpanzees are close to extinction in Southwest Nigeria. Primate Conservation 24(1), 77-83. doi: 10.1896/052.024.0105
Kormos, R., Boesch, C., Bakarr, M.I., Butynaki, T.M. (2003) West African Chimpanzees: Status survey and conservation action plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Wahab, M.K.A. (2016). Wildlife Environmental Conservation: A Case Study of Oba Hill Forest Reserve. J Ecosys Ecograph, 6(214). doi: 10.4172/2157-7625.1000214
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