Watalinga Forest
Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Watalinga Forest
Summary
- Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Watalinga Forest.
- It has been estimated that 645 individuals occur in the site.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 2,256 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and charcoal production.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
- The site is found within Virunga National Park.
Site characteristics
Watalinga Forest is encompassed within the northern sector of Virunga National Park, in North Kivu province of eastern DRC. The site is bisected from north to south by the Semliki river (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). The site represents the southeastern limit of the extensive Ituri Forest. Mixed mature lowland tropical forest dominated by Cynometra alexandra are the principal vegetation types, but other habitats include riverine forest, broken canopy Marantaceae forest, seasonally-inundated swamp forest, papyrus swamps by the Semliki river, isolated secondary forest formations around tree falls and other sites of natural or anthropogenic disturbance (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). The forest cover is almost complete (Nixon & Lusenge 2008).
Table 1. Basic site information for Watalinga Forest
| Area | 2,256 km² |
| Coordinates | 0.813033 N, 29.834703 E |
| Designation | Part of National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
During a 2008 survey, chimpanzee sign was widespread but rare; in total 137 individual chimpanzee nests were observed in 30 nest group sites throughout the site (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). Mean nest group size was 4.9 individuals (range 1-12). Chimpanzees were not directly observed, but vocalisations were heard on six occasions. The highest nest encounter rates (1.77 nests/km) were observed in the Rwenzori mountains adjacent to Ndama village and on the east side of the Semliki river in the Mukakati South survey block (1.66 nests/km). Encounter rates were lowest in the Ndama and Djuma survey blocks. On the Rwenzori recce, chimpanzee nests, dung and trail sign were recorded over a wide range of altitudes between 1010 m and 2400 m (Nixon & Luesenge 2008).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Watalinga Forest
| 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 schweinfurthii | Unknown | 645 | 0.29 | Watalinga Forest 2,256 km2 | Line transects and recce survey | [[ https://www.iucngreatapes.org/eastern-chimpanzee Plumptre et al. 2010]] | |||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2008 | 0.74 | Watalinga Forest | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) and camera trap survey | [Nixon & Lusenge 2008] | survey effort: 216 km |
Threats
During a 2008 okapi survey in Watalinga Forest, human activities were recorded throughout the site and hunting was the most frequently encountered of all activities recorded. Locals also reported that military stationed nearby had shot and eaten three chimpanzees one week before the survey (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). A significant amount of deforestation and land conversion has occurred along the base of the Rwenzoris at this site, and a lack of clarity concerning the boundaries of the park in the region was noted (Nixon & Lusenge 2008).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Watalinga Forest
| 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 | Mbau-Kamango road rehabilitated, facilitating access to forest (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). | Ongoing (2008) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Hunting signs were frequently found during a 2008 survey of the area (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). | Ongoing (2008) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Charcoal production from primary forest trees (Cynometra alexandra) is widespread to the east of the park boundary and trade is greatly facilitated by the presence of the recently completed Mbau-Kamango road (Nixon & Lusenge 2008). | Ongoing (2008) | ||
| 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 Watalinga Forest
| 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 Watalinga Forest
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Civil unrest | Nixon & Lusenge 2008, Plumptre et al. 2010 |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Watalinga Forest
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| bamboo feeding | Nixon & Lusenge 2008 |
| ground nesting | Nixon & Lusenge 2008 |
External links
References
Nixon, S.C., & Lusenge, T. (2008). Conservation status of okapi in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. ZSL Conservation Report No. 9. The Zoological Society of London, London. Online: https://www.zsl.org/sites/default/files/Nixon%20and%20Lusenge%202008%20-%20Conservation%20status%20of%20okapi%20in%20Virunga%20National%20Park%2C%20DRC.pdf
Plumptre, A.J., Rose, R., Nangendo, G., Williamson, E.A., Didier, K., Hart, J., Mulindahabi, F., Hicks, C., Griffin, B., Ogawa, H., Nixon, S., Pintea, L., Vosper, A., McClennan, M., Amsini, F., McNeilage, A., Makana, J.R., Kanamori, M., Hernandez, A., Piel, A., Stewart, F., Moore, J., Zamma, K., Nakamura, M., Kamenya, S., Idani, G., Sakamaki, T., Yoshikawa, M., Greer, D., Tranquilli, S., Beyers, R., Furuichi, T., Hashimoto, C. and Bennett, E. (2010). Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan 2010–2020. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland. 52pp. Online: https://www.iucngreatapes.org/eastern-chimpanzee
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 04/03/2022