Deng Deng National Park

Central Africa > Cameroon > Deng Deng National Park

Summary

• Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Deng Deng National Park.
• It has been estimated that 540 (CI: 311-948) individuals occur in the site.
• The great ape population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 682.64 km².
• Key threats to great apes are poaching and illegal logging.
• The Wildlife Conservation Society implements conservation activities in the area, such as biomonitoring, and environmental education and awareness raising.

Site characteristics

Deng Deng National Park is located in eastern Cameroon, about 50km southeast of the Mbam et Djerem National Park. The park has a wide diversity of wildlife species from both savanna and forest habitats. In addition to western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees, other mammals found at the site include three species of pangolins (white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant ground pangolins), forest elephants, golden cats, red river hogs, and duikers (Maisels et al. 2011, Maurice et al. 2019). The park was demarcated within the wider Deng Deng forest reserve created in 1971, which includes a communal forest and logging concessions (Forest Management Unit, or UFA). In combination with the nearby Mbam et Djerem National Park, adjacent logging concessions, and community forests, the area forms the largest conservation landscape in Cameroon (WCS n.d.). The site was designated as a national park in 2010 (Maisels et al. 2011).

Table 1. Basic site information for Deng Deng National Park

Area	682.64 km²
Coordinates	5.153806 N, 13.634405 E
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, savanna

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

A survey was conducted in 2010, covering roughly half of Deng Deng National Park, as well as a logging concession. It was estimated that 311 occurred in the survey area; if half of them were in the park, then there were at least 150 gorillas in Deng Deng National Park and another 150 in the area of the concession that was surveyed (Maisels et al. 2011).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Deng Deng National Park

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 gorilla gorilla	2010	540 (311 to 948)	0.67 (0.39 to 1.17)	49 nest sites/sq.km (28-84)	Deng Deng National Park south of the Lom River, and the northern part of the adjacent logging concession UFA 10065	Line transects (Distance)	Maisels et al. 2011	Survey effort: 136 km

Threats

The main threats to great apes and other wildlife in the area are poaching and illegal logging (WCS n.d.). The ongoing construction of the 60,000 ha Lom Pangar dam is likely to exacerbate these threats by bringing many people to the region who will engage in natural resource extraction (WCS n.d.)

Table 3. Threats to apes in Deng Deng National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture		Unknown
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	Present, but threat severity unknown		A logging concession and the park are separated by a road, which gorillas can cross, putting them at danger from poaching (Maisels et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Gunshots, snares and shotgun shells were recorded throughout the park and an adjacent logging concession in a 2010 survey. One hunting camp was found inside the park, and two more in the logging concession (Maisels et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Illegal logging (Maisels et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance		Unknown
7. Natural system modifications	7.2 Dams & water management/use	High		Construction of the Lom Pangar dam (WCS n.d.).	Ongoing
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

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) began working in the Deng Deng landscape in 2009, as part of a collaborative effort between WCS and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), with funding support from the French Development Agency (WCS n.d.).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Deng Deng 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	5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols	Biological and socio-economic surveys and monitoring (WCS n.d.).	Ongoing
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	Environmental education and raising awareness for the protection of great apes and biodiversity conservation (WCS n.d.).	Ongoing
11. Habitat Protection	11.4. Create/protect habitat corridors	Corridor between Deng Deng National Park (DDNP) and Belabo Council Forest (https://erudef.org/deng-deng-conservation-corridor-project/).	Ongoing
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	Not reported

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Deng Deng National Park

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Deng Deng National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Deng Deng National Park - WCS

Relevant datasets

A.P.E.S Portal

References

Maurice, M. E., Lionel Ebong, E., Fuashi, N. A., Godwill, I. I., & Zeh, A. F. (2019). The ecological impact on the distribution of Pangolins in Deng-Deng National Park, Eastern Region, Cameroon. Global Journal of Ecology, 4(1), 008-014.
Maisels, F., Ambahe, R., Ambassa, E., Fosso, B., Poumegne, J-B., & Fotso, R. (2011). Gorilla Population in Deng Deng National Park and a Logging Concession. Gorilla Journal 42.
WCS (n.d.). WCS Cameroon Deng Deng National Park Project. Online: https://cameroon.wcs.org/Wild-Places/Deng-Deng-National-Park.aspx

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 18/12/2021