Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Summary

• Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Sarambwe Nature Reserve.
• The site is part of the Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem, for which the mountain gorilla population has been estimated at 459 individuals.
• The gorilla population trend is increasing.
• The site has a total size of 9 km².
• Key threats to great apes are poaching and habitat loss due to human activities encroaching the site.
• Conservation activities have focused on patrols, demarcation of boundaries, and beekeeping for income.
• The site is contiguous with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Site characteristics

Sarambwe Nature Reserve is located at the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The site is contiguous with Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. There are six species of primates present in the reserve: mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), baboon (Papio anubis), black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) and red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) (Kiyengo 2019).

Table 1. Basic site information for Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Area	9 km²
Coordinates	-0.985875, 29.585890
Designation	Nature Reserve
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical montane forest, Arable land

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Sarambwe is adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; together they form the Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem. The gorilla population occupies the entire transboundary area.

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Sarambwe 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
Gorilla beringei beringei	2018	459			Sarambwe Nature Reserve and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	Index survey (reconnaissance walk)	Hickey et al. 2019

Threats

Before 1998, when the ICCN (Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation) took over management of Sarambwe, the borders between DRC and Uganda were clearly delineated by cairns (Kiyengo 2019). However, starting from that year, the cairns and their concrete bases were removed. It was only a few years later that Ugandan nationals began encroaching gradually into the reserve, eventually occupying approximately one third of its territory. These encroachers placed border markers within the reserve, albeit inaccurately (Kiyengo 2019). Based on the level of encroachment, the reserve can be divided into three segments (Kiyengo 2019). The southern segment of the reserve, adjacent to Bwindi, still contains pristine primary forest. However, approximately half of the central segment has been encroached upon, while nearly the entirety of the northern segment has experienced encroachment. The first two segments are frequented by gorillas and large groups of other animals. The third segment, situated north of the Sarambwe ranger post, comprises fallow fields regularly cultivated by Ugandans under the protection of their military. The encroachment led to the conversion of the forest into fields, the sawing of timber, seasonal bush fires, cultivation within the reserve, hunting, poaching and the grazing of domestic animals (Kiyengo 2019).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Sarambwe 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	Present (severity unknown)		Encroachment of one third of the reserve, conversion of land for agriculture (Kiyengo 2019, Kiyengo 2021).	1998-Ongoing (2021)
	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	Present (severity unknown)		Grazing of domestic animals (Kiyengo 2019, Kiyengo 2021).	1998-Ongoing (2021)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present (severity unknown)		Hunting and poaching (Kiyengo 2019, Kiyengo 2021).	1998-Ongoing (2021)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (severity unknown)		Sawing of timber (Kiyengo 2019, Kiyengo 2021).	1998-Ongoing (2021)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises	Present (severity unknown)		Poaching and destructive activities resulting from civil unrest and insecurity (Kiyengo 2023).	Ongoing (2023)
7. Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Present (severity unknown)		Seasonal fires (Kiyengo 2019)	1998-Ongoing (2019)
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

Between 2002 and 2019, efforts were made to address the issue of encroachment (Kiyengo 2019). Regular reports were submitted to the relevant authorities, leading to the arrest of Ugandan farmers on multiple occasions. Additionally, various tools such as planks, machetes, hoes, and pit saws were confiscated, and dogs were euthanized. Ugandan poachers were also apprehended during this period. More recently, goats were seized and subsequently returned to their owners in Uganda after negotiations, with the Ugandan authorities and their army present. Furthermore, there was an incident where ICCN rangers were detained by Ugandan soldiers and taken into Uganda before being released (Kiyengo 2019). During sensitization missions, it became apparent that the issue stemmed from a disagreement regarding the delineation of the border in the vicinity of the Sarambwe Reserve. The intervention of high-level authorities from both states facilitated a resolution, including the acknowledgment of the border between the two countries. A preliminary agreement on the border was reached in 2019 (Kiyengo 2019).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Sarambwe Nature Reserve

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	5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Patrols have been conducted by rangers, and when rangers were removed from their posts, trackers continued patrolling (Kiyengo 2020, Kiyengo 2021).	1998-Ongoing (2021)
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	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is a protected area.	1976-Ongoing (2024)
11. Habitat Protection	11.6. Demarcate and enforce boundaries of protected areas	Kiyengo 2019	2019
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Other	Beekeeping project for income generation. The project also strengthens the collaboration between the community and the reserve. The aim of the project is to also benefit poachers, so that they trade hunting for beekeeping https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/bienenhaltung-rings-um-sarambwe/ (Kiyengo 2023)	Ongoing (2023)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

On October 10, 2020, an assault on the Sarambwe ranger post led to the tragic loss of a ranger's life. Following this incident, the ICCN withdrew both the rangers and the stationed military personnel. As a result, illegal activities increased in some areas of the reserve. Throughout 2020, trackers who continued patrolling the site, managed to effectively safeguard it without the aid of rangers, military personnel, or firearms (Kiyengo 2020).

Table 5. Challenges reported for Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Challenge	Source
Lack of transboundary cooperation / 2002-2019	Kiyengo 2019
Insecurity / 2012-2014, 2020-Ongoing	Kiyengo 2020
Civil unrest	Kiyengo 2023

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Hickey, J.R., Uzabaho, E., Akantorana, M., Arinaitwe, J., Bakebwa, I., Bitariho, R., Eckardt, W., Gilardi, K.V., Katutu, J., Kayijamahe, C., Kierepka, E.M., Mugabukomeye, B., Musema, A., Mutabaazi, H., Robbins, M.M., Sacks, B.N., and Zikusoka, G.K. 2019. BwindiSarambwe 2018 Surveys: monitoring mountain gorillas, other select mammals, and human activities. GVTC, IGCP & partners, Kampala, Uganda, 40p.
Kiyengo, C. S. (2019). End in Sight for the Conflict over the Sarambwe Nature Reserve. Volume (58), 3-5. https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/countries/artikel-countries/end-in-sight-for-the-conflict-over-the-sarambwe-nature-reserve/
Kiyengo, C. S. (2020). Deadly Attack on the Ranger Post of Sarambwe Nature Reserve. Volume (61), 13-15. https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/deadly-attack-on-the-sarambwe-ranger-post/
Kiyengo, C. S. (2021). A Year of Protection of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve by Trackers Unsupported by Rangers: Results and Lessons Learnt. Volume (63), 3-5. https://www.berggorilla.org/en/journal/issues/journal-63-22021/article-view/?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=1106&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=fd048c27eb99c12fc6992e8704041815
Kiyengo, C. S. (2023).The Beekeeping Project in Sarambwe Nature Reserve. Volume (66), 8-9. https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/protected-areas-for-gorillas/bienenhaltung-rings-um-sarambwe/

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 30/04/2024