Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

Summary

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• Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are present in Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe).
• It has been estimated that up to 5,000 individuals occur in the site.
• The population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 72,000 km².
• Key threats to bonobos are poaching, habitat destruction and degradation, risk of disease transmission.
• Conservation activities have focused on land-use planning.

Site characteristics

The block corresponds to the DRC sector of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale Lac Télé-Lac Tumba transboundary landscape (IUCN & ICCN 2012). The area extends over more than 72,000 km² and includes the Tumba and Mai Ndombe lakes. Swamp forests and seasonally-flooded forests cover 60–65% of the area, while the southern parts of the landscape are covered with savanna-forest mosaic (IUCN & ICCN 2012). The wetland is part of a transboundary Ramsar agreement with the Republic of Congo; the DRC sector (65,700 km²) is the largest Ramsar site in the world (IUCN & ICCN 2012).

Table 1. Basic site information for Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

Area	72,000 km²
Coordinates	-1.487097, 17.250945
Designation	Unclassified
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest, moist savanna, wetland

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The block corresponds to the DRC sector of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale Lac Télé-Lac Tumba transboundary landscape (IUCN & ICCN 2012). The area extends over more than 72,000 km² and includes the Tumba and Mai Ndombe lakes. Swamp forests and seasonally-flooded forests cover 60–65% of the area, while the southern parts of the landscape are covered with savanna-forest mosaic (IUCN & ICCN 2012). The wetland is part of a transboundary Ramsar agreement with the Republic of Congo; the DRC sector (65,700 km²) is the largest Ramsar site in the world (IUCN & ICCN 2012).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

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 paniscus	2003-2010	<5,000			Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)	Model estimate	IUCN & ICCN 2012

Threats

The main threats to bonobos in the block include poaching, habitat loss due and fragmentation, and the potential for disease transmission (IUCN & ICCN 2012).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

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	Unknown	High		Agricultural activities leading to habitat destruction (IUCN & ICCN 2012).	Ongoing (2012)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Commercial poaching to supply urban bushmeat markets is intense, as the markets in Mbandaka, Kinshasa and Brazzaville are accessible through the Congo River (IUCN & ICCN 2012).	Ongoing (2012)
	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	High		Collection of NFTPs (IUCN & ICCN 2012).	Ongoing (2012)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Logging concessions, located largely in the south, cover approximately 40% of the landscape; terra firma forests are mainly old secondary forests that have been logged in the past (IUCN & ICCN 2012).	Ongoing (2012)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance		Unknown
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

Within the framework of the CARPE programme, a land-use plan is being developed, which includes three protected areas, 13 community-based natural resource management areas and six resource extraction zones. The proposed protected areas are Tumba-Lediima Natural Reserve (7,500 km²), Ngiri Biosphere Reserve (524 km², created in January 2011), with no bonobos but a small population of chimpanzees (being located on the right bank of the Congo River), and Mabali Scientific Reserve (2.6 km²) (IUCN & ICCN 2012).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

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	Other	In 2004 and 2005, agreements were signed to create three community-managed reserves at Botuali, Mbie-Mokele and Nkosso, totalling approximately 2,200 km². In addition, Bonobo Committees were established in 37 villages in the areas where local people have agreed to protect bonobos (IUCN & ICCN 2012).	Ongoing (2012)
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 Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Western block (Lac Tumba-Lac Mai Ndombe)

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Inogwabini, B.-I., Matungila, B., Mbende, L., Abokome, M. & wa Tshimanga, T. (2007). Great apes in the Lake Tumba landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo: newly described populations. Oryx 41: 532–538.
Inogwabini, B.-I., Bewa, M., Longwango, M., Abokome, M. & Vuvu, M. (2008). The bonobos of the Lake Tumba – Lake Maindombe hinterland: threats and opportunities for population conservation. In: The Bonobos: Behaviour, Ecology & Conservation. T. Furuichi & J. Thompson (eds.). Springer, New York, pp. 273–290.
IUCN & ICCN (2012). Bonobo (Pan paniscus): Conservation Strategy 2012–2022. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group & Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. 65 pp. Online: https://www.iucngreatapes.org/bonobo

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 30/05/2022