Changes

= Summary =  <!-- An overview of the site, with a one sentence overview of each of the following sections. can include a site map -->

= Summary =  <!-- An overview of the site, with a one sentence overview of each of the following sections. can include a site map -->

[[File:Nimba_Mountains_Mt_Leclerc_Koops.JPG|400px|thumb|right|Mount Leclerc © Kathelijne Koops]]

[[File:Nimba_Mountains_Mt_Leclerc_Koops.JPG|400px|thumb|right|Mount Leclerc © Kathelijne Koops]]

* Western chimpanzees ([https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15935/17989872 ''Pan troglodytes verus'']) are present in Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve.  

* Western chimpanzees ([https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15935/17989872 ''Pan troglodytes verus'']) are present in Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve.  

* There is an ongoing study to determine the chimpanzee population size (Koops et al. in prep.).  

* There is an ongoing study to determine the chimpanzee population size (Koops et al. in prep.).  

= Site characteristics = <!-- A paragraph summary of physical and geographic aspects of the site, and a table of key information -->

= Site characteristics = <!-- A paragraph summary of physical and geographic aspects of the site, and a table of key information -->

[[File:Nimba_Mountains_Koops.JPG|500px|thumb|right|Nimba Mountains © Kathelijne Koops]]

[[File:Nimba_Mountains_Koops.JPG|500px|thumb|right|Nimba Mountains © Kathelijne Koops]]

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is located in the Nimba Mountains at the tri-national border of Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. It was designated a Strict Nature Reserve in 1944 (IUCN Category Ia) and is transboundary with Mount Nimba Integral Reserve (Côte d’Ivoire) and East Nimba Nature Reserve (Liberia, [https://www.protectedplanet.net/mount-nimba-strict-nature-reserve  UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2018]).  

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is located in the Nimba Mountains at the tri-national border of Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. It was designated a Strict Nature Reserve in 1944 (IUCN Category Ia) and is transboundary with Mount Nimba Integral Reserve (Côte d’Ivoire) and East Nimba Nature Reserve (Liberia, [https://www.protectedplanet.net/mount-nimba-strict-nature-reserve  UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2018]).  

Unlike other protected areas in Guinea, Nimba was managed the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) and the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Dakar) after its creation (Brugière & Kormos 2009, Garnier & Martinez 2011). Consequently, the site as a long history of scientific studies (Garnier & Martinez 2011).

Unlike other protected areas in Guinea, Nimba was managed the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) and the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Dakar) after its creation (Brugière & Kormos 2009, Garnier & Martinez 2011). Consequently, the site as a long history of scientific studies (Garnier & Martinez 2011).

Since 1980 the Guinean part of the Nimba Mountains is also part of the Mont Nimba Biosphere Reserve that also includes Déré forest and Bossou hills ([http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/africa/guinea/mont-nimba/  UNESCO 2011]).

Since 1980 the Guinean part of the Nimba Mountains is also part of the Mont Nimba Biosphere Reserve that also includes Déré forest and Bossou hills ([http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/africa/guinea/mont-nimba/  UNESCO 2011]).

Even though the avifauna is not well studied in the Guinean part of the Nimba Mountains, its diversity is assumed to be similar to the Liberian part of the mountain range, and the area is consequently recognized as an Important Bird Area ([http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/monts-nimba-(part-of-mount-nimba-transboundary-aze)-iba-guinea  BirdLife International 2018a]).

Even though the avifauna is not well studied in the Guinean part of the Nimba Mountains, its diversity is assumed to be similar to the Liberian part of the mountain range, and the area is consequently recognized as an Important Bird Area ([http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/monts-nimba-(part-of-mount-nimba-transboundary-aze)-iba-guinea  BirdLife International 2018a]).

 

'''Table 1: Basic site information for Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve'''

'''Table 1: Basic site information for Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve'''

|-

|-

|Coordinates

|Coordinates

|7.64 N, -8.41 W

|7.64 N, 8.41 W

|-

|-

|Designation      <!-- National Park, Nature Reserve, etc.  -->

|Designation      <!-- National Park, Nature Reserve, etc.  -->

|Strict Nature Reserve

|Strict Nature Reserve (IUCN Management Category Ia)

|-

|-

|Habitat types    <!-- List IUCN Habitat Classification 3.0 categories present (Without number), see link below -->

|Habitat types    <!-- List IUCN Habitat Classification 3.0 categories present (Without number), see link below -->

= Ape status =  <!-- a text overview of ape status (population sizes, trends etc), followed by a table of specific surveys and results -->

= Ape status =  <!-- a text overview of ape status (population sizes, trends etc), followed by a table of specific surveys and results -->

 

Surveys in different parts of the Nimba Mountains confirmed the presence of western chimpanzees (Sugiyama 1995, Shimada 2001). From the beginning these surveys were also aimed to study chimpanzee behavior, such as nesting behavior and tool-use behavior (details below). In the Regional Conservation Action Plan for western chimpanzees in 2003 the Nimba Mountains were identified as an ‘Exceptionally Important Priority Area’ (Kormos & Boesch 2003). Detailed surveys on chimpanzee density distribution were conducted by Nicolas Granier during multiple surveys after 2006 that focused on the eastern part of the protected area and the southern slope of Mount Nimba (Granier 2011, Granier et al. 2014). A transect survey conducted by the [http://www.wildchimps.org  Wild Chimpanzee Foundation] estimated the chimpanzee population in the reserve at around 166 individuals (WCF 2012).  

Surveys in different parts of the Nimba Mountains confirmed the presence of western chimpanzees (Sugiyama 1995, Shimada 2001). From the beginning these surveys were also aimed to study chimpanzee behavior, such as nesting behavior and tool-use behavior (details below). In the Regional Conservation Action Plan for western chimpanzees in 2003 the Nimba Mountains were identified as an ‘Exceptionally Important Priority Area’ (Kormos & Boesch 2003). Detailed surveys on chimpanzee density distribution were conducted by Nicolas Granier during multiple surveys after 2006 that focused on the eastern part of the protected area and the southern slope of Mount Nimba (Granier 2011, Granier et al. 2014). A transect survey conducted by the [http://www.wildchimps.org  Wild Chimpanzee Foundation] estimated the chimpanzee population in the reserve at around 166 individuals (WCF 2012).  

Long-term chimpanzee research has been ongoing at the Seringbara study site since 2003 on the Guinean side of the Nimba Mountains (Koops 2011). The Seringbara study site is on the western side of the Nimba Mountains, in the foothills adjacent to the small village of Seringbara in south-eastern Guinea (7° 37’50.0”N, 8° 27’44.7”W). The study area covers about 30 km² and is about 6 km southeast of the Bossou research site and 10 km from the Yealé study site on the other side of the Nimba Mountains in Ivory Coast. The Seringbara region of the Nimba Mountains is separated from the Bossou hills by 4 km of savannah. Since 2003, Kathelijne Koops has directed research at the Seringbara study site and researchers and field assistants have maintained a near-constant presence at the site. The study population remains only partly habituated to human observers due to the extremely rugged nature of the terrain. For more information on the study site, see Koops (2011), Koops et al (2007; 2010; 2012a, b; 2013; 2015, 2019) and Fitzgerald et al. (2018).

Long-term chimpanzee research has been ongoing at the Seringbara study site since 2003 on the Guinean side of the Nimba Mountains (Koops 2011). The Seringbara study site is on the western side of the Nimba Mountains, in the foothills adjacent to the small village of Seringbara in south-eastern Guinea (7° 37’50.0”N, 8° 27’44.7”W). The study area covers about 30 km² and is about 6 km southeast of the Bossou research site and 10 km from the Yealé study site on the other side of the Nimba Mountains in Ivory Coast. The Seringbara region of the Nimba Mountains is separated from the Bossou hills by 4 km of savannah. Since 2003, Kathelijne Koops has directed research at the Seringbara study site and researchers and field assistants have maintained a near-constant presence at the site. The study population remains only partly habituated to human observers due to the extremely rugged nature of the terrain. For more information on the study site, see Koops (2011), Koops et al (2007; 2010; 2012a, b; 2013; 2015, 2019) and Fitzgerald et al. (2018).