Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

West Africa > Côte d'Ivoire > Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve.
• Population size is unknown.
• The trend or dynamics of the chimpanzee population is unknown.
• This site has a total surface area of 612.82 km².
• The main threats to chimpanzees are poaching and deforestation.
• OIPR monitors the site.

Site characteristics

The Mabi Yaya Nature Reserve (RNMY) was created from the merging of two forests classified under the management of SODEFOR. These are the former Mabi classified forest with an area of 59,614 ha and the former Yaya classified forest with an area of 23,873 ha. Administratively, the RNMY is located in the Mé Region and is straddling the departments of Alépé (through the sub-prefectures of Aboisso-Comoé, Alépé, Alosso and Danguira) and Yakassé Attobrou by the sub-prefecture of Biéby. It is limited in its northeast ridge by the Sous - prefecture of Bettié. While subject to strong pressure from loggers, poachers and cocoa farmers, initiatives have been carried out since 2016 by the Mé Regional Council and NGOs, such as Nitidae, as part of the Mé REDD+ Project in order to safeguard this national heritage that constitutes these forests.
In 2019, following all these actions and with the support of a large majority of the local population, the government decided by Decree No. 2019-897 of October 30, 2019 to create the Mabi Yaya Nature Reserve with an area of 61,282.559 ha. This decision concretizes the commitment of the Ivorian government to implement its New Strategy for the Preservation, Rehabilitation and Extension of Forests.
It is crossed in its northwest part by the Mabi River and extends along the Comoé River in its eastern part to the Kossan River in the southwest. There are certain large dispersers of forest tree seeds, such as the elephant (Loxodonta africana), the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), the monkeys ('Cercopithecus' spp and Colobus spp), hornbills (Ceratoymna spp, Bycanistes spp, Tropicranus albocristatus, Tockus semifasciatus), large forest duikers, bush pig, etc. Among the reptiles, there are Broad-fronted Crocodiles, which are vulnerable according to the IUCN due to poaching and the destruction of ecosystems, as well as pythons and the vipers. In the class of birds, around 170 species are found in the region.

Table 1. Basic site information for Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

Area	612.82 km²
Coordinates	5.670010, -3.542367
Designation	Nature reserve
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, plantations

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The 2021 national forest wildlife inventory documented 2 chimpanzee vocalizations in the reserve. Observation of chimpanzees on 29/06/2023 by camera trap set by OIPR and the NGO NITIDAE. A total of 4 individuals (an adult female, a juvenile, an adolescent male and an adult male) were observed (Soiret pers. comm. 2023).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Mabi-Yaya 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	2020			0.005	Entire reserve, 612.82 km2	Index survey (reconnaissance walk)	OIPR 2020	Patrouille ordinaire des agents forestiers de l'OIPR

Threats

The small chimpanzee population is threatened by deforestation due to the clearing and cultivation that took place when the reserve was created. There is also poaching and the risk of zoonosis due to contact between wildlife and humans.

Table 3. Threats to apes in Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

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	Medium		These plantations existed in the former classified forests. Most of them are cocoa plantations.	2018
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Medium		Poaching with 12-gauge shotguns, snare traps.	2018
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

OIPR is responsible for monitoring the site. The site's ecological monitoring protocols and the monitoring operation plan have been drafted and will be validated before the end of 2022. The NGO NITIDAE, with funding from the World Bank, will be responsible for raising awareness. The site management plan is currently being drafted.

Table 4. Conservation activities in Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.9. Regularly remove traps and snares around agricultural fields	Regular patrols by OIPR officers collect shell casings and destroy poachers' traps, shelters and camps.	2019
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	10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use	OIPR and the NGO NITIDAE are responsible for raising awareness of biological conservation in the villages along the river.	2019
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is a nature reserve.	Ongoing (2023)
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges to conservation

Table 5. Challenges reported for Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

Challenge	Source
Lack of capacity	OIPR 2021

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Mabi-Yaya Nature Reserve

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

OIPR. 2021. Guide méthodologique de suivi-écologique de la Réserve naturelle de Mabi Yaya

Page completed by: Serge Soiret & Colonel Azani Dede Date: 15/09/2023