Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

West Africa > Republic of Guinea > Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Summary

Mount Leclerc © Kathelijne Koops

• Western chimpanzees (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.).
• The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
• This site has a total size of 125 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are iron ore mining, poaching and habitat encroachment.
• Conservation activities have focused on improving tri-national coordination and capacity building for local communities.
• The Nimba Mountains are exceptional in their diversity of fauna and flora with a high rate of endemism. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and listed as World Heritage in Danger since 1992. It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area.
• Long-term chimpanzee research has been ongoing since 2003 at the Seringbara study site on the Guinean side of the Nimba Mountains.

Site characteristics

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, 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). The reserve is now managed by the Centre for the Management of the Environment of Mount Nimba-Simandou (‘Centre National de Gestion de l’Environnement des Monts Nimba et Simandou‘, CEGENS) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and Sustainable Development, and fulfills administrative as well as scientific responsibilities (UNESCO 2018a). The Nimba Mountains are a chain of mountains stretching across 40 km with the highest peak being Mount Nimba with 1,752m (Kormos & Boesch 2003). The area is characterized by a high plant and animal diversity and a high rate of endemism. The terrain is steep and the source if several rivers (Granier 2008). The habitat is moist forest up to 1,000 m altitude, but also includes grassland and wooded savanna (UNESCO 2018a). Due to strong seasonality and the abrupt change in altitude a variety of microclimates exist contributing to the high biodiversity (UNESCO 2018a). The most well-known endemic species are the Micropotamogale of Mount Nimba (Micropotamogale lamottei, a shrew), the viviparous toad of Mount Nimba (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis) (UNESCO 2018a). In total, more than 317 vertebrate species, including 107 mammal species, more than 2,500 invertebrate species, and 2,000 plant species have been described (UNESCO 2018). Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and the only one in Guinea (UNESCO 2018). It covers both Guinea (125.4 km2) and Côte d’Ivoire (50 km2). However, due to the threat of iron mining and the arrival of a large number of refugees from Liberia it has been listed as World Heritage in Danger since 1992 (UNESCO 2018a). 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 (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 (BirdLife International 2018a).

Nimba Mountains (Guinea) © Maegan Fitzgerald

Table 1. Basic site information for Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Area	125 km²
Coordinates	7.64, -8.41
Designation	Strict Nature Reserve (IUCN Management Category Ia)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, dry savanna, permanent rivers, arable land

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Western chimpanzee, Nimba (Guinea) © Maegan Fitzgerald

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 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).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Mount Nimba Strict Nature 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	1991			Present	North of Goera	Index survey	Sugiyama 1995	Reconnaissance survey
Pan troglodytes verus	1999			Present	North east of Seringbara village	Index survey	Shimada 2000	Reconnaissance survey
Pan troglodytes verus	1999			Present	North of Goera	Index survey	Shimada 2000	Reconnaissance survey
Pan troglodytes verus	2006-2008			1.14 chimpanzee signs /km	Eastern part of the reserve	Line transects (Distance), Index survey	Granier 2011	Total survey effort: 350 km; combination of line transect, reconnaissance survey and scouting surveys
Pan troglodytes verus	2009-2011	8-39	0.46		Southern slope of Nimba Mountains [covered Guinean section (10km2) and Côte d’Ivoirian section (50km²)]	Line transects (Distance), Index survey	Granier et al. 2014	Total survey effort: 78.21 km; combination of line transect and reconnaissance survey, abundance and density estimate only based on transects (i.e., 12.5 km)
Pan troglodytes verus	2009	166	1.33	6.58	Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (i.e., Guinean part of Nimba Mountains)	Line transects (Distance)	WCF 2012	Total survey effort: 59.4 km

Threats

Since 1992 Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is listed as a ‘World Heritage in Danger’ because of plans to mine iron ore inside the reserve and an increase in anthropogenic pressure due to the arrival of refugees from Liberia (UNESCO 2018). Insufficient institutional structure was also reported as a threat (UNESCO 2018). As a result the boundary of the reserve were changed by the World Heritage Committee in 1993 and 15.5 km2 were degazetted so that mining operations could take place (Brugière & Kormos 2009). Population density is high in the area around the reserve, also as consequence of mining activities in the Nimba Mountains. Consequently, poaching, wood extraction, land conversion to agriculture and cattle grazing using fires, and harvesting of medicinal plants is very prevalent across the area (Shimada 2000, WCF 2012, BirdLife International 2018b, UNESCO 2018a). In a nation-wide survey across 12 sites in Guinea, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation concluded that Nimba was the most threatened site with 3.94 signs of human activity per km (WCF 2012). The most prevalent threat was poaching (2.74 signs/km), followed by agriculture, and wood extraction (WCF 2012). Agricultural activities have been on-going for decades especially in the northern part close to Seringbara and around Thuo towards the Liberian border (WCF 2012). According to the World Heritage Centre, the Guinean government arranged for all mining operations to halt in the reserve and that mining permits had been withdrawn (UNESCO 2018b). However, mining will commence in the mining enclave, a part of the World Heritage Site that has been declassified. The World Heritage Center concluded that provided information was ambiguous, and that Environmental and Social Impact Assessments had not yet been implemented by mining companies or did not confirm to international standards (UNESCO 2018b). In addition, there are plans to tarmac a road from Lola (Guinea) to Danané (Côte d’Ivoire) that would pass by Mount Nimba and likely negatively impact biodiversity due to pollution, increased poaching and illegal logging (UNESCO 2018b).

Table 3. Threats to great apes in Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Absent
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Medium	0.62 signs of agriculture/km (37 signs of agriculture, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Agricultural activities especially in the northern part around Seringbara and towards the border with Liberia (METT 2009, WCF 2012)	Ongoing (2012)
	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	Present		Present (METT 2009, UNESCO 2018b), level of threat not known	Ongoing (2018)
3. Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	Present	0.05 signs of mines/km (3 signs of mines, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Exploration for iron ore, activities seem to have ceased, but current threat level not clear (METT 2009, UNESCO 2018b)	Unknown (2018)
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Present	0.08 roads/km (5 roads, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Tarmacking of a road passing by the reserve in planning and would reinforce anthropogenic pressures such as poaching and illegal wood extraction (UNESCO 2018b), signs of paths inside reserve (WCF 2012)	Ongoing (2018)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High	2.74 signs of hunting/km (163 signs of hunting, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Most prevalent sign of human activity inside the reserve (WCF 2012), also confirmed by BirdLife International 2018b, METT 2009, Shimada 2000, UNESCO 2018b	Ongoing (2012)
	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Medium		Collection of medicinal plants (BirdLife International 2018b)	Ongoing (2018)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Medium	0.40 signs of wood extraction/km 24 signs of wood extraction, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Wood extraction (WCF 2012)	Ongoing (2012)
6. Human intrusions & disturbance		Absent
7. Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Medium	0.07 signs of fire/km (4 signs of fire, survey effort: 59.424 km, WCF 2012)	Fires used to clear land for agricultural and cattle grazing (METT 2009, UNESCO 2018b, WCF 2012)	Ongoing (2018)
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

The governmental unit responsible for the administration of the reserve is the Centre for the Management of the Environment of Mount Nimba-Simandou (CEGENS) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and Sustainable Development, and fulfills administrative as well as scientific responsibilities (UNESCO 2018a). The project ‘Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and Sustainable Development’ by Fauna & Flora International and funded by the Darwin Initiative established a transboundary biodiversity governance platform with the aim to compile data, build capacity and improve stakeholder collaboration (2009 -20012, Darwin Nimba Project). The project also received follow-up funding from USAID, but whether it is still operational as of 2018 is not clear. Activities included stakeholder consultation, capacity building through workshops and data compilation (Darwin Nimba Project). The nine-month project ‘Strengthening capacity of local communities to sustainably manage Mount Nimba’s natural resources’ headed by BirdLife International and financed by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s (CEPF) was implemented by the ‘Initiative de Base pour la Gestion des Ressources Naturelles’ (IBGRN) until February 2018 (BirdLife International 2018b). The project established community groups, youth-led or women-led, and also two networks of traditional healers and hunters, and the groups also received legal status. Implemented activities included workshops and trainings in “micro-projects, internal governance, financial management, marketing, advocacy and communication” (BirdLife International 2018b). In addition, group members were trained in gardening and farming practices, and use of fuel efficient stoves with the aim to reduce reliance on natural resources from the protected area (BirdLife International 2018b).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.11. Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land	Communities received training on improved farming practices (BirdLife International 2018b)	2017-2018
3. Energy production & mining	Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors	Not reported
5. Biological resource use	5.17. Provide sustainable alternative livelihoods; establish fish- or domestic meat farms	Communities received training in financial, marketing and advocacy matters and in farming practices to decrease their reliance of natural resources from the protected area (BirdLife International 2018b)	2017-2018
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	Not reported
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	Designated a Strict Nature Reserve in 1944 (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2018)	Since 1944
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Lack of transboundary cooperation as well as lack of technical, financial and human resources were mentioned as impediments to effective protection of the reserve (Granier and Martinez 2011, UNESCO 2018a, UNESCO 2018b).

Table 5. Challenges reported for Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Challenge	Source
Lack of capacity	UNESCO 2018a, UNESCO 2018b
Lack of financial means	UNESCO 2018a, UNESCO 2018b
Lack of human resources	UNESCO 2018b
Lack of technical means	UNESCO 2018a
Lack of transboundary cooperation	Granier and Martinez 2011, UNESCO 2018b

Research activities

The Nimba Mountains have been the focus of research for several decades. In the 1940’s a research station was established in Ziéla to the North of the Nimba Mountains and researchers including Maxime Lamotte, Roger Roy, and other scientists from the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire in Dakar, conducted studies on the fauna and flora, but also on climate and geology (Granier & Martinez 2011). In the context of the recognition of Nimba as a World Heritage Site several missions have been conducted by UNESCO (UNESCO 2018b). Many other organization conducted research here, for example on the Nimba toad (Hillers et al. 2008, Sandberger-Loua et al. 2016). Studies targeted at chimpanzees in the Mount Nimba Strict Nature reserve, also investigated chimpanzee behavior, such as tool use (Sugiyama 1995, Shimada 2000), but also habitat use and nesting behavior (Granier et al. 2014). Long-term chimpanzee research is ongoing at the Seringbara study site in Guinea. Initial research at Seringbara focused on tool use behaviour by the Nimba chimpanzees especially in comparison to the chimpanzees at Bossou (e.g., Humle & Matsuzawa 2001, Koops 2011, Shimada 2000, Sugiyama 1995). Subsequently, Seringbara research broadened to include chimpanzee tool use patterns (Koops et al. 2013, 2015), feeding ecology (Koops 2011, Koops et al. 2013, 2019), grouping and ranging patterns (van Leeuwen et al. in press), nesting behaviour (Koops et al. 2007, 2012a,b), habitat suitability modeling (Fitzgerald et al. 2018), molecular genetics (Koops et al 2012b, Koops et al. in prep), nutritional analyses (Koops et al. 2019) and conservation strategies (Fitzgerald et al. in prep).

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Behavior	Source
Ant dipping	Humle & Matsuzawa 2001, Koops et al. 2015, Granier 2011
Crab fishing	Koops et al. 2019
Fruit cleaving (Treculia)	Koops et al. 2010
Hand clapping	Koops & Matsuzawa 2006
Leaf biting	Koops 2011
Leaf cushion	Koops 2011
Leaf swallowing	Koops 2011
Making ground nests	Humle & Matsuzawa 2001, Koops et al. 2007, Koops 2011, Koops et al. 2012a,b
Medicinal uses of leaves	Koops 2011

References

BirdLife International. 2018a. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Monts Nimba (part of Mount Nimba transboundary AZE). Online: www.birdlife.org
BirdLife International. 2018b. Fighting rural poverty: community empowered to conserve Guinean mountain reserve. Online: www.birdlife.org/news
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Fitzgerald et al 2018. Modeling habitat suitability for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Greater Nimba Landscape, Guinea, West Africa. Primates 59: 361-375.
Granier N. 2011. Chimpanzees in the Eastern Part of the Nimba Mountains Biosphere Reserve: Gouéla II and Déré Forest, In: Matsuzawa, T. et al. (eds.) The Chimpanzees of Bossou and Nimba. Springer, Tokyo, Japan.
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Hillers A et al. 2008. Assessment of the distribution and conservation status of the viviparous toad Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis on Monts Nimba, Guinea. Endangered Species Research, 5: 13–19.
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Koops K et al. 2010. Do chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use cleavers and anvils to fracture Treculia africana fruits? Preliminary data on a new form of percussive technology. Primates 51:175-178.
Koops K et al. 2012a. Nest-building by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Seringbara, Nimba Mountains: anti-predation, thermoregulation, and anti-vector hypotheses. International Journal of Primatology 33 (2): 356-380.
Koops et al 2012b. Terrestrial nest-building in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus): Implications for the tree-to-ground sleep transition in early hominins. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 148: 351-361.
Koops et al 2013. Ecology of culture: Do environmental factors influence foraging tool use in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus)? Animal Behaviour 85: 175-185.
Koops et al 2015. Chimpanzees prey on army ants at Seringbara, Nimba Mountains, Guinea: Predation patterns and tool characteristics. American Journal of Primatology 77: 319-329.
Koops et al 2019. Crab-fishing by chimpanzees in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea. Journal of Human Evolution 133: 230-241.
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Shimada M. 2000. A survey of the Nimba Mountains, West Africa from three routes: confirmed new habitat and ant catching wand use of chimpanzees. Pan Africa News, 7, 7–10.
Sugiyama Y. 1995. Tool-use for catching ants by chimpanzees at Bossou and Monts Nimba, West Africa. Primates 36: 193-205.
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2018. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
UNESCO MAB. 2011. UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve Directory. Haut Niger. Online: / www.unesco.org
UNESCO. 2018a. Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve. Online: whc.unesco.org
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WCF. 2012. Etat de la faune et des menaces dans les aires protégées terrestres et principales zones de forte biodiversité de Rep. de Guinée. Report. Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Sangaredi, Republic of Guinea. Online: www.wildchimps.org

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team & Kathelijne Koops Date: 27/11/2019