Western Area Peninsula National Park

West Africa > Sierra Leone > Western Area Peninsula National Park

Summary

• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Western Area Peninsula National Park.
• It has been estimated that 55 (CI: 15-209) individuals occur at the site.
• The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
• This site has a total size of 183.37 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees include logging, farming, hunting, and human encroachment.
• Awareness raising and support for alternative livelihoods are the main conservation interventions that have been implemented at the site.

Site characteristics

The Western Area Peninsula National Park (WAPNP) is located in the Freetown peninsula, west of Sierra Leone (BirdLife International 2019). The site covers a narrow chain of hills, reaching up to 900 m, and holds the western-most remnant of Upper Guinea forest ecosystem (Brncic et al. 2010). With 314 bird species, including five species of global conservation concern (e.g., white-necked rockfowl Picathartes gymnocephalus), WAPNP was designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2001 (BirdLife International 2019). The site is also of high importance to the surrounding populations, as it protects the watershed of two dams, which supply water to Freetown and nearby settlements (Brncic et al. 2010; EPA 2017). In addition to the western chimpanzee, other vulnerable species inhabiting the area include Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), Jentink’s duiker (Cephalopus jentinki), and the endemic frog Cardioglossa aureole (BirdLife International 2019).

Table 1: Basic site information for Western Area Peninsula National Park

Area	183.37 km²
Coordinates	8.32 N, -13.15 W
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Based on a line transect survey in 2010, there may be three chimpanzee communities in the area (Brncic et al. 2010). The size of the population was estimated at 55 individuals, which is the most recent population estimate currently available (Brncic et al. 2010).

Table 2: Great ape population estimates in Western Area Peninsula National Park

Species	Year	Abundance estimate (95% confidence interval)	Density estimate (per km²)	Encounter rate (nests/km)	Area	Method	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Pan troglodytes verus	2010	55 (15-209)	0.36 (0.10-1.32)	1.08 (0.30-3.90)	Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve (158 km²)	Line transects (Distance) and index survey	Brncic et al. 2010	Total survey effort: 26.97 km

Threats

The park is highly accessible to humans through trails (Brncic et al. 2010). Hunting is a key threat in the area, with several hunting camps and hunting signs present at the site (Brncic et al. 2010). In addition, multiple large-scale marijuana farms have been discovered in the park, as well as signs of logging and charcoal production (Brncic et al. 2010). Due to the urban expansion and close proximity to the capital, Freetown, WAPNP faces a lot of pressure, as the demands for fuelwood, farmland, and bushmeat continue to rise (Brncic et al. 2010, BirdLife International 2017). In 2017, following heavy rainfall, a mudslide in the area resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people; the mudslide has been linked to extensive deforestation and erosion of the soil (BirdLife International 2017).

Table 3: Threats to great apes in Western Area Peninsula National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development	1.1 Housing & urban areas	Present		Human encroachment and housing development within the park (BirdLife International 2017)	Ongoing (2017)
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High	13 farms within the park (Brncic et al. 2010)	Several marijuana farms were found during a survey in 2010 (Brncic et al. 2010). Local communities also seek land for farming (BirdLife International 2017)	Ongoing (2017)
3. Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	Present		Stone mining (BirdLife International 2017)	Ongoing (2017)
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Present		The presence of trails allows for accessibility to humans (Brncic et al. 2010)	Ongoing (2010)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Hunting camps, shotgun shells, and snares were frequently encountered during a survey (Brncic et al. 2010)	Ongoing (2010)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Tree cuts were frequently found within the park during a survey (Brncic et al. 2010)	Ongoing (2010)
6. Human intrusions & disturbance		Unknown
7. Natural system modifications	7.2 Dams & water management/use	Present		Two dams are present in the site (Guma Valley Dam and Congo Dam) (Brncic et al. 2010)	Ongoing (2010)
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases		Unknown
9. Pollution		Absent
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options		Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Sierra Leone’s Forestry Division and the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone are the main organizations responsible for the management of the site and the implementation of conservation activities. The EU funded an intervention to decelerate deforestation at the site, which was implemented by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and the Environmental Forum for Action (ENFORAC) from 2009-2014 (EPA 2017). This intervention focused on awareness raising, especially among potential encroachers, and proving support to local people with alternative livelihood options (Hempel 2013).

Table 4: Conservation activities in Western Area Peninsula National Park

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 intrusions & 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	10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use	Awareness raising to create an understanding of the importance of conservation and forest ecosystem and function (Hempel 2013)	2009-2014
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site was designated a National Park in 2012 (EPA 2017)	Since 2012
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.4. Run tourist projects and ensure permanent human presence at site	Small-scale community-based tourism was promoted between 2009-2014 (Hempel 2013)	2009-2014

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Impediments

Table 5: Impediments reported for Western Area Peninsula National Park

Impediment	Source
Not reported

Research activities

No information on research activities has been documented.

Documented behaviours

Table 6: Great ape behaviors reported for Western Area Peninsula National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

Relevant datasets

A.P.E.S Portal

References

BirdLife International. 2017. www.birdlife.org
BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Western Area Peninsula Non-hunting Forest Reserve. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 17/09/2019.
Brncic, T.M., Amarasekaran,B. & McKenna,A. (2010) Final Report of the Sierra Leone National Chimpanzee Census Project. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Environment Protection Agency (EPA). 2017. Sierra Leone’s Second National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2026.
Hempel, H. 2013. Final evaluation report of the Western Area Peninsula Forest Reserve protection project. Welthungerhilfe, Bonn.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 18/09/2019