Tonkoli Forest Reserve

West Africa > Sierra Leone > Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Tonkoli Forest Reserve.
• The population size is unknown.
• The chimpanzee population trend is decreasing.
• The site has a total size of 71 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are logging, hunting and loss of habitat due to agricultural expansion.
• Conservation activities are not reported.

Site characteristics

The site was established as a forest reserve in 1926 (WDPA).

Table 1. Basic site information for Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Area	71 km²
Coordinates	8.885335, -11.493043
Designation	Forest Reserve
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

During a national survey in 2009, interviews were conducted in 24 communities in and around the Tonkoli Reserve; 8 reported the presence of chimpanzees, and 16 communities reported having no chimpanzees in the vicinity (Brncic et al. 2010). Several people reported that chimpanzees were present around their community before the war. Based on interviews, they may still be present in the southeastern part of the reserve (Brncic et al. 2010).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Tonkoli Forest Reserve

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	2009			Present	Tonkoli Forest Reserve	Interview survey	Brncic et al. 2010

Threats

The main threats to chimpanzees in the site, as reported by local communities during a 2009 interview survey, include hunting, farming, logging, and civil war (1991-20020). Many people reported that chimpanzees were present before the war, but not seen now for some time. The site was used extensively by rebels during the war. Much of the forest has been damaged or lost as a consequence; chimpanzees have been largely hunted or driven out from the area. In addition, much of the forest has been cleared for agriculture (Brncic et al. 2010).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High		a large portion of the forest appears to have been cleared for crops such as rice and pepper (Brncic et al. 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Hunting was reported as a main threat during a 2010 interview survey in the area (Brncic et al. 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Logging and subsequent agricultural activities have severely degraded the forest. A logging company appears to have a concession inside the reserve (Brncic et al. 2010).	Ongoing (2010)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises	High		The decline in chimpanzee population was noticeable to local communities as a result of war and increased severity of related threats, such as hunting and logging (Brncic et al. 2010).	1991-2002
7. Natural system modifications		Unknown
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases		Unknown
9. Pollution		Unknown
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options		Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities in Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	Not reported
3. Energy production & mining	Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors	Not reported
5. Biological resource use	Not reported
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	Not reported
7. Natural system modifications	Not reported
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases	Not reported
9. Pollution	Not reported
10. Education & Awareness	Not reported
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is a forest reserve.	1926-Ongoing (2023)
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Tonkoli Forest Reserve

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Brncic, T.M., Amarasekaran,B. & McKenna,A. 2010. Final Report of the Sierra Leone National Chimpanzee Census Project. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 16/11/2023