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[[West Africa]] > [[Sierra Leone]] > [[Loma Mountains National Park]]

[[West Africa]] > [[Sierra Leone]] > [[Loma Mountains National Park]]

= 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 -->

* Western chimpanzees ([https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15935/17989872 ''Pan troglodytes verus'']) are present in Loma Mountains National Park.  

* Western chimpanzees (''Pan troglodytes verus'') are present in Loma Mountains National Park.  

* It has been estimated that 1,065 (CI: 572-1,986) individuals occur at the site.  

* It has been estimated that 1,065 (CI: 572-1,986) individuals occur at the site.  

* The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.  

* The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.  

* Sierra Leone’s Forestry Division is responsible for the management and protection of the site; more information on conservation activities is lacking.

* Sierra Leone’s Forestry Division is responsible for the management and protection of the site; more information on conservation activities is lacking.

* The status of the site was upgraded from non-hunting forest reserve to national park as part of a biodiversity offset for the Bumbuna hydroelectric dam.  

* The status of the site was upgraded from non-hunting forest reserve to national park as part of a biodiversity offset for the Bumbuna hydroelectric dam.  

= 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 -->

The site was first established as a non-hunting reserve in 1972, and upgraded to national park status in 2012 as part of an offset plan to compensate for the environmental impacts caused by the Bumbuna hydroelectric project (Brncic et al. 2010; Kormos et al. 2014). Loma Mountains National park is located in Sierra Leone’s Nothern Province (Forestry Division 2012). Mount Bintumani is located in the site, which, at 1,945 m, is the highest peak in West Africa, west of Mount Cameroon (Hanson-Alp et al. 2003). The high elevations in the area gave rise to three main plant communities: closed forests and savanna (from 4,60 to 915 m), sub-montane Shrubland and gallery forests (915 to 1,700 m), and montane grassland (above 1,700, Forestry Division 2012). In addition to the western chimpanzee, the site hosts other endangered and vulnerable species, including western red colobus (''Piliocolobus badius''), Diana monkey (''Cercopithecus diana''), pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis''), golden cat (''Caracal aurata''), and zebra duiker (''Cephalophus zebra'', Forestry Division 2012). The site is also an Important Bird Area ([http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/loma-mountains-non-hunting-forest-reserve-iba-sierra-leone IBA]) with at least 245 bird species (BirdLife International 2019).

The site was first established as a non-hunting reserve in 1972, and upgraded to national park status in 2012 as part of an offset plan to compensate for the environmental impacts caused by the Bumbuna hydroelectric project (Brncic et al. 2010; Kormos et al. 2014). Loma Mountains National park is located in Sierra Leone’s Nothern Province (Forestry Division 2012). Mount Bintumani is located in the site, which, at 1,945 m, is the highest peak in West Africa, west of Mount Cameroon (Hanson-Alp et al. 2003). The high elevations in the area gave rise to three main plant communities: closed forests and savanna (from 4,60 to 915 m), sub-montane Shrubland and gallery forests (915 to 1,700 m), and montane grassland (above 1,700, Forestry Division 2012). In addition to the western chimpanzee, the site hosts other endangered and vulnerable species, including western red colobus (''Piliocolobus badius''), Diana monkey (''Cercopithecus diana''), pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis''), golden cat (''Caracal aurata''), and zebra duiker (''Cephalophus zebra'', Forestry Division 2012). The site is also an Important Bird Area ([http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/loma-mountains-non-hunting-forest-reserve-iba-sierra-leone IBA]) with at least 245 bird species (BirdLife International 2019).

 

'''Table 1. Basic site information for Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 1: Basic site information for Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="basic-information"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="basic-information"

|Area            <!-- Please include units: km2/ha e.g 200ha    -->

|Area            <!-- Please include units: km2/ha e.g 200ha    -->

|-

|-

|Coordinates

|Coordinates

|9.20 N, 11.12 W

|9.20, -11.12

|-

|-

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

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

|Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland, Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude Grassland

|Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland, Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude Grassland

|}

|}

[http://www.unitar.org/hiroshima/sites/unitar.org.hiroshima/files/Annex%201%20-%20IUCN%20Classification%20Schemes.pdf IUCN habitat categories]  [[Site designations]]

[https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/habitat-classification-scheme IUCN habitat categories]  [[Site designations]]

= 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 -->

According to a nationwide survey in 2009, which included Loma Mountains, an estimated 1,065 chimpanzees inhabit the site (Brncic et al. 2010). Loma is estimated to harbor 20% of the country’s chimpanzee population. The highest chimpanzee densities were found at higher elevations, likely because they are not easily accessed by humans (Brncic et al. 2010). The chimpanzee population trend is unknown, but based on a viability analysis, the population was projected to decline over the next 200 years if current conditions remained the same (Carlsen et al. 2011).

According to a nationwide survey in 2009, which included Loma Mountains, an estimated 1,065 chimpanzees inhabit the site (Brncic et al. 2010). Loma is estimated to harbor 20% of the country’s chimpanzee population. The highest chimpanzee densities were found at higher elevations, likely because they are not easily accessed by humans (Brncic et al. 2010). The chimpanzee population trend is unknown, but based on a viability analysis, the population was projected to decline over the next 200 years if current conditions remained the same (Carlsen et al. 2011).

 

'''Table 2. Ape population estimates in Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 2: Great ape population estimates in Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="population-estimate-table"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="population-estimate-table"

! Species

! Species

! Year

! Year

! Abundance estimate (95% confidence interval)

! Abundance estimate (95% CI)

! Density estimate (per km²)

! Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)

! Encounter rate (nests/km)

! Encounter rate (nests/km)

! Area

! Area

During a chimpanzee survey in 2009, human activities were observed mostly in the lowland areas of the park, especially farming activities (Brncic et al. 2010). Similarly, hunting signs were less common at higher elevations, near Bintumani peak. Overall, hunting pressure is much lower in Loma Mountains National Park compared to Tingi Hills or WAPFR (Brncic et al. 2010).  While local people considerably rely on bushmeat, most of it is obtained close to the fields, and larger animals account only for a smaller fraction of bushmeat consumed (Forestry Division 2012). However, the extent of commercial hunting in the area is unknown (Forestry Division 2012).

During a chimpanzee survey in 2009, human activities were observed mostly in the lowland areas of the park, especially farming activities (Brncic et al. 2010). Similarly, hunting signs were less common at higher elevations, near Bintumani peak. Overall, hunting pressure is much lower in Loma Mountains National Park compared to Tingi Hills or WAPFR (Brncic et al. 2010).  While local people considerably rely on bushmeat, most of it is obtained close to the fields, and larger animals account only for a smaller fraction of bushmeat consumed (Forestry Division 2012). However, the extent of commercial hunting in the area is unknown (Forestry Division 2012).

 

'''Table 3. Threats to great apes in Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 3: Threats to great apes in Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="threats-table"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="threats-table"

!align="left"|Category  <!-- Do not change threat categories -->

!align="left"|Category  <!-- Do not change threat categories -->

The Forestry Division of Sierra Leone is responsible for the management of protected areas (Forestry Division 2012). The World Bank provided initial funding for the setup of the national park, but the long-term, sustainable financing of the park has not been secured (Kormos et al. 2014; Forestry Division 2012). Conservation measures for the park have included the development of a management plan, demarcation of the park’s boundaries, and posting and training staff (Kormos et al. 2014).

The Forestry Division of Sierra Leone is responsible for the management of protected areas (Forestry Division 2012). The World Bank provided initial funding for the setup of the national park, but the long-term, sustainable financing of the park has not been secured (Kormos et al. 2014; Forestry Division 2012). Conservation measures for the park have included the development of a management plan, demarcation of the park’s boundaries, and posting and training staff (Kormos et al. 2014).

 

'''Table 4. Conservation activities in Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 4: Conservation activities in Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="conservation-actions-table"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="conservation-actions-table"

!align="left"|Category  <!-- Do not change threat categories -->

!align="left"|Category  <!-- Do not change threat categories -->

[[Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)]]

[[Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)]]

= Impediments = <!-- Overview of impediments to ape conservation -->

= Challenges = <!-- Overview of impediments to ape conservation -->

 

'''Table 5. Challenges reported for Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 5: Impediments reported for Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="impediments-table"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="impediments-table"

!align="left"|Impediment  <!-- Do not change categories -->

!align="left"|Impediment  <!-- Do not change categories -->

===Documented behaviours===  <!-- List of any behaviours observed at the site, including citations -->

===Documented behaviours===  <!-- List of any behaviours observed at the site, including citations -->

 

'''Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Loma Mountains National Park'''

'''Table 6: Great ape behaviors reported for Loma Mountains National Park'''

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="behaviors-table"

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="behaviors-table"

!align="left"|Behavior  <!-- Do not change categories -->

!align="left"|Behavior  <!-- Do not change categories -->

|}

|}

= References =

= References =