Monts Birougou National Park
Central Africa > Gabon > Monts Birougou National Park
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Monts Birougou National Park.
- It has been estimated that 501-1000 apes occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 683 km².
- Key threats are not documented.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
Monts Birougou National Park was established in 2002. The park comprises forests, swamps, savanna, valleys, and mountainous zones up to 900 m asl, which are the source of the Nyanga and Ngounié rivers and their main tributaries (Ramsar 2007). About 20 different primate species are found in the site, including the endangered western lowland gorilla and chimpanzee (Ramsar 2007). Portions of the park have been designated as a Ramsar site since 2007.
Table 1. Basic site information for Monts Birougou National Park
| Area | 683 km² |
| Coordinates | -1.801520 S, 12.303327 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, savanna, subtropical/tropical moist montane forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Based on a 2006-2007 survey, the park has an abundance class of 501-1000 great apes (Sop et al. 2015).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Monts Birougou 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 and Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2006-2007 | 690 (455-1028) | 1 (0.66-1.49) | 1.56 | 690 sqkm | Line transects | Aba'a, R., and Bezangoye A. (2007) | Observers could not discriminate between the nests of gorilla and chimpanzees and therefore could not estimate the densities for each species. | |
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Monts Birougou 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 | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | Unknown | ||||
| 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 |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Monts Birougou 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 Monts Birougou National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Monts Birougou National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Sop, T., Cheyne, S. M., Maisels, F., Wich, S. A., & Williamson, E. A. (2015). Ape Population Abundance Estimates (Online-only annex).
Aba'a, R., et Bezangoye A. (2007) Estimation de la densité, de l’abondance et de la distribution relative des grands mammifères et l’impact des activités anthropiques au Parc National des Monts Birougou et ses environs: Etablissement d’une ligne de base pour le monitoring. Rapport final. WCS-Gabon
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 08/12/2021
Page edited by: Tene Sop Date: 01/03/2021