Kankan Faunal Reserve
West Africa > Republic of Guinea > Kankan Faunal Reserve
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Kankan Faunal Reserve.
- Chimpanzee densities are too low to estimate the total size of the population.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 5,314 km².
- Agricultural activities are the most prevalent threat to chimpanzees.
- The extent of on-going conservation activities is unknown.
- Kankan Faunal Reserve features a high diversity of antelopes and is part of the Sankarani-Fié Ramsar site.
Site characteristics
Kankan Faunal Reserve (also called “Réserve Naturelle de Kankan”) is located in western Guinea and shares a border with Côte d’Ivoire. It is part of the region “Haute-Guinée” and the prefecture Kankan. Kankan was initially established as a national park in 1925 when Guinea was still a French colony (Brugière & Kormos 2009). The Guinean government now recognizes Kankan as a ‘Faunal Reserve’ but its legal status is not clear (Brugière & Kormos 2009). The reserve does not have a designated IUCN category nor is it listed in the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2018). Kankan Faunal Reserve covers a total area of 5,314.48 km2 and is characterized by savanna habitat with permanent waterways (Brugière & Kormos 2009). The reserve is an important area for antelopes as it has the highest diversity in antelope species across Guinea, including the three rarest species found in Guinea (Brugière 2012). The presence of leopards (Panthera pardus), baboons (Papio sp.”), green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) and hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) has been confirmed (Brugière & Kormos 2009, WCF 2012). Lions (Panthera leo) might also still be present in the reserve (Henschel et al. 2014) Kankan Faunal Reserve is part of the Sankarani-Fié Ramsar, situated within the Sankarani River basin (Ramsar 2017). This Ramsar site is characterized by important fish spawning grounds (Ramsar 2017).
Table 1. Basic site information for Kankan Faunal Reserve
| Area | 5,314.48 km² |
| Coordinates | 9.77, -8.38 |
| Designation | Faunal Reserve (but legal status is not clear and IUCN Management Category not reported) |
| Habitat types | Dry savanna, permanent rivers, arable land |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
In the nationwide chimpanzee survey, Rebecca Kormos found no signs of chimpanzees in the northern part of Kankan Faunal Reserve and suggested that chimpanzee might be extinct in the area or persist at very low numbers (Ham 1998). According to Fleury-Brugière & Brugière (2010), a survey by Dufour (2007) observed chimpanzee nests in the southern part of the reserve. In 2009 the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation surveyed the central part of the reserve, but found no signs of chimpanzees on the 74 km of transects that were surveyed (WCF 2012). The survey team also conducted a questionnaire survey and local residents reported that chimpanzees are present in the area. The WCF team also encountered a small group of chimpanzees the western sector of Kankan, and one group in the northern part of the reserve (WCF 2012).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Kankan Faunal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | Unknown | Present | Southern part of the reserve | Unknown | Dufour 2007 as found in Fleury-Brugière & Brugière (2010) | The original report by Dufour was not found in the public domain | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2009 | 0 | Central part of the reserve | Line transects (Distance) | WCF 2012 | Total survey effort: 74 km, no signs of chimpanzees found, but local residence reported presence of chimpanzees |
Threats
There are approximately 17,000 people living in the reserve (WCF 2012). During their survey of the northern part of Kankan, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation found agriculture to be the most prevalent threat, with 0.77 signs/km, followed by roads (WCF 2012). However, there were only few signs of hunting and wood extraction (WCF 2012). In contrast, the evaluation of management effectiveness of protected areas based on questionnaires found poaching to be an important threat (METT 2009). Most human activities were found in the western part of the reserve close to the town of Kankan (WCF 2012).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Kankan Faunal Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | Medium | 17,000 people live in the reserve (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | 0.77 signs of agriculture/km (56 signs of agriculture, survey effort: 73.138 km, WCF 2012) | Highest encounter rate found for signs of agricultural (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Absent | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | High | 0.72 roads/km (53 roads, survey effort: 73.138 km, WCF 2012) | Second highest encounter rate (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium | 0.07 signs of hunting/km (5 signs of hunting, survey effort: 73.138 km, WCF 2012) | Few signs of hunting encountered by WCF survey (WCF 2012), but METT questionnaire survey found it to be an important threat (METT 2009) | Ongoing (2009, 2012) |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Low | 0.01 signs of wood extraction/km (1 sign of wood extraction, survey effort: 73.138 km, WCF 2012) | Few signs of wood harvesting encountered (WCF 2012), commercial wood extraction present (METT 2009) | Ongoing (2009, 2012) | |
| 5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Medium | Fishing in rivers with fine mesh nets (METT 2009) | Ongoing (2009) | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | Medium | 0.01 signs of fire/km (1 sign of fire, survey effort: 73.138 km, WCF 2012) | Few signs of fire (WCF 2012), but METT questionnaire survey found it to used frequently by hunters (METT 2009) | Ongoing (2009, 2012) |
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | 9.1 Domestic & urban waste water | Present | Fishers use a toxic plant for fishing which leads to water pollution, plant reduces oxygen content in water and degrades river ecosystem (METT 2009) | Since 2007 | |
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
The non-governmental organization Non Nobis is active in the western part of Kankan. This area is called “Diwasi”. The NGO is especially active in the fields of sanitation and education. It is not clear what kind of environmental activities are or have been implemented. The NGO, however, seems to propose to create a protected area. It has also been suggested that a privately owned protected area for game hunting will be created but the specificity and who is leading these efforts is not clear (WCF 2012).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Kankan Faunal 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 | Not reported | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & 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 awareness raising activities targeted at reducing fires and poaching (but not explicitly targeted towards primates, METT 2009) | Unknown (2009) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | Designated as Faunal Reserve since 1925 but current legal status is unclear (METT 2009) | Since 1925 |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
The report on the evaluation of management activities stated that the park employees are paid by the state but that there is no additional budget to manage the park. It also stated a lack of infrastructure and equipment (METT 2009).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kankan Faunal Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of financial means | METT 2009 |
| Lack of technical means | METT 2009 |
Research activities
Two wildlife surveys have been conducted in Kankan Faunal Reserve: one by Sylvain Dufour for Sylvatrop (Dufour 2007) and one by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in 2009 (WCF 2012).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Kankan Faunal Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
References
Brugière D, Kormos R. 2009. Review of the protected area network in Guinea, West Africa, and recommendations for new sites for biodiversity conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation, 18:847
Brugière D. 2012. Identifying priority areas for the conservation of antelopes in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, using the complementarity approach, Oryx, 46(2): 253-259
Dufour S. 2007. Programme de gestion communautaire et participative de la faune sauvage dans la Réserve de Faune de Kankan, République de Guinée. Conakry: Rapport pour Sylvatrop
Fleury-Brugière M.-C., Brugière D. 2010. High Population Density of Pan troglodytes verus in the Haut Niger National Park, Republic of Guinea: Implications for Local and Regional Conservation, International Journal of Primatology, 31: 383-392
Ham R. 1998. Nationwide chimpanzee census and large mammal survey Republic of Guinea.
Henschel P et al. 2014. The lion in West Africa is Critically Endangered, PLoS ONE 9(1): e83500.
METT. 2009. Management Effectiveness Evaluations – Reserve de faune de Kankan et parc Diwasi. Online: papaco.org
Non Nobis Online: www.non-nobis.org
Ramsar. 2017. Online: Ramsar 2017
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2018. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
WCF. 2012. Etat de la faune et des menaces dans les aires protégées terrestres et principales zones de forte biodiversité de Rep. de Guinée. Report. Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Sangaredi, Republic of Guinea. Online: www.wildchimps.org
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 17/12/2018