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West Africa > Liberia > Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
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Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area.
- The population size is unknown.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 1,374 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are poaching, logging, and shifting agriculture.
- Wonegizi was selected for a REDD+ pilot project led by Flora & Fauna International.
Site characteristics
The site is located in the northwestern part of the country, bordering Guinea’s Ziama Biosphere reserve. Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area is part of the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem, which is very rich in biodiversity. In addition to the critically endangered western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), the site contains other threatened and vulnerable species, including Jentink's duiker (Cephalophus jentinki), pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), green-tailed bristlebill (Bleda eximius), yellow-bearded greenbul (Criniger olivaceus), Nimba flycatcher (Melaenornis annamarulae), and the white-necked rockfowl or picathartes (Picathartes gymnocephalus, AllAfrica 2019, FFI). The site is also an Important Bird Area (IBA; BirdLife International 2019).
Table 1. Basic site information for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Species | Pan troglodytes verus |
| Area | 1374.27 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: 8.14 , Lon: -9.53 |
| Type of site | Proposed protected area |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest |
| Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Camera traps have recorded the presence of chimpanzees at the site, but the population size remains unknown (IUCN 2015).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2015 | Present | Wonegizi | Reconnaissance walk | IUCN 2015 | Camera traps | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2020 | Camera trap | Fauna & Flora | ||||||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2023 | Reconnaissance walk | Fauna & Flora | Community monitoring patrols suggest encounter rate of nests is stable 2021-2023. |
Threats
In addition to poaching and logging, the site is threatened by farming activities, in particular shifting cultivation (FFI 2016). Rice is the main crop and primary driver of land conversion in the area; other crops include chilli peppers and cacao (FFI 2016).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Residential areas | Low | Human settlements present (AllAfrica 2019) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | Unsustainable farming practices (primarily shifting agriculture) (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) |
| 3 Energy production & mining | Not reported | |||
| 4 Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | |||
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present | Bushmeat hunting and trade present in the area (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present | Extraction of timber (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) |
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | Not reported | |||
| 7 Natural system modifications | Absent | |||
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Unknown | |||
| 9 Pollution | Absent | |||
| 10 Geological events | Absent | |||
| 11 Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | |||
| 12 Other threat | Absent | |||
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1.1 Subsistence bushmeat hunting | Low | Community patrol encounter rates of snares (0.12 per km), spent cartridges (0.27 per km) and hunting camps (0.005 per km) on are stable between 2021 and 2023. Chimps are not specifically targeted. | 2021-2023 |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3.1 Subsistence logging | Medium | 6 km2 (1.6% total area of the PPA) of forest lost between 2000-2023, most after 2013. | 2000-2023 |
Conservation activities
Wonegizi is a REDD+ pilot site. The project follows a community-based approach, in which forest protection is rewarded under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation mechanism (REDD+). Income from the sale of REDD+ carbon credits is used to fund activities that benefit the communities, including the provision of technical support for reducing deforestation due to agriculture whilst increasing agricultural output, establishment of tree nurseries, and salaried forest protection as an alternative income (FFI 2016).
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 site was selected for a REDD+ program (FFI 2016) | Ongoing | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.6 Regularly de-activate/remove ground snares | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.12 Implement community control of patrolling, banning hunting and removing snares | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.13 Provide sustainable alternative livelihoods; establish fish- or domestic meat farms | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 4 Education & awareness | 4.2 Involve local community in ape research and conservation management | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.5 Demarcate and enforce boundaries of protected areas | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 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) | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing | |
| 8 Permanent presence | 8.3 Permanent presence of staff/manager | Fauna & Flora | Ongoing |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.3 General lack of funding | FFI 2016 | |
| Unknown |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| 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
No information on research activities has been documented.
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported | |
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
AllAfrica. 2019. Liberia: The Potentials of Wonegizi As a Protected Area. Online: https://allafrica.com/stories/201902080620.html
FFI. 2016. Community-based Conservation: the Wonegizi REDD+ pilot.
BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Wonegizi mountains. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 01/07/2019.
IUCN. 2015. How a single Pygmy Hippo photo gave rise to the Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area Project. Online: https://www.iucn.org/content/how-single-pygmy-hippo-photo-gave-rise-wonegizi-proposed-protected-area-project
Page created by: Andrew Bamford andrew.bamford@fauna-flora.org Date: 2024-09-05