Cross River National Park

West Africa > Nigeria > Cross River National Park

Summary

• Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Cross River National Park.
• The population sizes are unknown.
• The population trends are unknown.
• The site has a total size of 4,000 km².
• Illegal logging and hunting are the most important threats to great apes in the park.
• Conservation activities have not been documented.

Site characteristics

Situated in southeast Nigeria, Cross River National Park (CRNP) was established in 1991 and is divided into two sections: the smaller Okwangwo Division (1,000 sq. km), and the larger Oban Division (3,000 sq. km). The sections are separated by about 50 km of disturbed forest (BirdLife International 2020). Over 350 species have been observed in the park, which is one of the most ornithologically diverse sites in Nigeria and is designated as an Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2020). The Okwanwgo section is adjacent to Takamanda National Park in Cameroon; together they represent the most important area for the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla (WCS). Oban is contiguous with Korup National Park in Cameroon, and it is an important watershed, draining into the Cross river in the northern part, and Calabar, Kwa, and Korup rivers in the south (BirdLife International 2020). A total of 1,303 flowering plants, 141 lichens, and 56 moss species have so far been documented in Oban, making it remarkably rich in floral diversity. Both sections of CRNP are home to several mammal species, including forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), Preuss's red colobus (Procolobus preussi), mandrills (Mandrillus leucophaeus), leopards (Panthera pardus), and Sclater's guenon (Cercopithecus sclateri), a Nigerian endemic (BirdLife International 2020). The contiguous Oban-Korup forest is famous for its rich butterfly diversity (WCS).

Table 1. Basic site information for Cross River National Park

Area	4,000 km²
Coordinates	5.579848, 8.748074
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical//tropical moist montane forest, permanent rivers, subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Cross River 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 diehli	2007	25-50			Okwangwo Division	Unknown	Oates et al. 2007

Threats

Illegal logging is the most important threat to the park and has worsened since the withdrawal of funding by the European Union. CRNP is important for the protection of the catchment of the Cross river. As the human population grows, the demand for farmland is leading to encroachment in areas of the park previously considered inaccessible. Traditional exploitation of natural resources such as hunting, fishing and shifting cultivation, adversely impact the park (BirdLife International 2020).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Cross River National Park

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, but threat severity is unknown		A number of agricultural concessions for oil palm and pineapple were illegally awarded inside the park boundary (WCS).	Ongoing
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Hunting is widespread in both sections of the park; as a result, the density of all large mammals is low (WCS; Adetola & Adetoro 2014).	Ongoing (2014)
5. Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Present, but threat severity is unknown		Collection of NTFPs such as bush mango is widespread and leads to the seasonal establishment of camps in the park (WCS; Adetola & Adetoro 2014).	Ongoing (2014)
5. Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Illegal logging has been described as a main threat. Timber is often floated out of the park along major rivers (WCS; Adetola & Adetoro 2014).	Ongoing (2014)
5. Biological resource use	5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Present, but threat severity is unknown		Fish stocks and aquatic life have declined as a result of water poisoning for fishing (Adetola & Adetoro 2014; BirdLife International 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
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

Table 4. Conservation activities in Cross River 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 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	Not reported
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 Cross River National Park

Challenge	Source
Lack of financial means	Adetola & Adetoro 2014
Lack of technical means	Adetola & Adetoro 2014
Lack of trust and support from local communities	Adetola & Adetoro 2014

Research activities

Tolerance factors in human-wildlife conflicts in protected areas: the case of Cross River National Park, Cross River State Nigeria
Hunting Intensity on Wildlife Population in Oban Sector of Cross River National Park
The Role of Traditional Laws and Taboos in Wildlife Conservation in the Oban Hill Sector of Cross River National Park (CRNP), Nigeria

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Cross River National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

WCS Cross River National Park, Oban Division
WCS Cross River National Park, Okwango Division

References

Adetola, B.O. & Adetoro, A.O. (2014). Threats to biodiversity conservation in Cross River National Park, Nigeria. International Journal of Conservation Science, 5(4), 547-552.
BirdLife International (2020) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Cross River National Park (Oban Division). Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/11/2020.
Oates JF, Sunderland-Groves J, Bergl R, Dunn A, Nicholas A, Takang E, Omeni F, Imong I, Fotso R, Nkembi L & Williamson EA. (2007). Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). Oates J F, Sunderland-Groves Jacqueline, Bergl Richard, Dunn Andrew, Nicholas Aaron, Takang Ebai, Omeni Fidelis, Imong Inaoyom, Fotso Roger, Nkembi Louis, Williamson Liz (ed.). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 06/12/2020