Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

West Africa > Côte d'Ivoire > Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Summary

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• Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone
• It has been estimated that 36 (CI: 13-97) individuals occur in the site.
• The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of ​​988 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are forest clearing and uncontrolled fires that affect savannahs and some less dense gallery forests; poaching.
• Conservation activities are patrols and the employment of former hunters.

Site characteristics

Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone was proposed in 2017 to partially replace the former community reserve GEPRENAF of Mont Tingui, covering an important hilly area, rich in biodiversity, contiguous to Comoé National Park. There are several chimpanzee communities using mainly the long stretches of gallery forest among hilly savanna, which are also used by forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) coming out of Comoé National Park. There are also other important species, such as white naped mangabey (Cercocebus lunulatus) leopards, white and black bellied pangolins, bongo and many others.

Table 1. Basic site information for Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Area	988 km²
Coordinates
Designation	Proposed community reserve
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Savanna - Moist, Savanna - Dry

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

This area contains one of the region's remnant chimpanzee populations that have had to learn to migrate due to deforestation and human encroachment. Indeed, cases of seasonal movements of several groups between the Comoé National Park and the site have been noted by the local populations and the managers of the site.

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

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					Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Threats

The area is under a high human pressure from artisanal gold miners, poachers, cattle herders and farmers, which is posing an increasing threat to the remaining chimpanzees.

Table 3. Threats to apes in Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	Medium		Pasture development in the biodiversity zone (ZDB), with isolated settlements.	Ongoing (2022)
3. Energy production & mining	3.2 Mining & quarrying	Medium		Gradual increase in clandestine gold panning activities in the south-east (Wendéné area) and north-west (Gorowi area).	Ongoing (2022)
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Threat is present, but severity is unknown		Uncontrolled removals of medicinal plants and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as well as the lack of data on these removals.	Ongoing (2022)
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

Conservation activities include the Project for the Participatory Management of Natural Resources and Fauna (GEPRENAF). During the period from 1996 to 2002, the project initiated a new approach to the conservation of biodiversity by encouraging people to use community management of natural resources through the sustainable exploitation of these resources through the creation of Biodiversity Management Zones (ZDB). Through training and support activities for AGEREF, the project has contributed to creating the conditions necessary for the sustainable exploitation of natural resources. During the years 2014, 2017 and 2021, the Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves, manager of the Comoé National Park, supported the ZBD by carrying out an aerial inventory of the large mammalian fauna.

Table 4. Conservation activities in Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

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	5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Carrying out occasional patrols by members of AGEREF.	2002-2018
	5.18. Employ hunters in the conservation sector to reduce their impact	Since 2012, the Ivorian Office of Parks and Reserves has employed former local hunters on the site for ecological monitoring activities and development work in the neighbouring Comoé National Park.	Ongoing (2022)
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

The major concern lies in the fact that the Monts Tingui ZBD does not have any legislative or regulatory text which confers a protected status on it. This situation results in problems both at the level of management and governance. At the level of governance, some villages, notably those of Gorowi and Amaradougou, are expressing their desire to withdraw from the initiative. As a result, these localities no longer participate in AGEREF activities. As a result of these governance problems, the parties who had made their land available claim the management of the site according to their own rules. At the management level, the main concern is the absence of a site development plan with and a virtual absence of management activities. Thus, it should be noted (i) the non-materialization of the limits coupled with a dispute over certain sections of these limits, (ii) the weakness of the operational system with a lack of management tools (strategy and monitoring plans, ecological monitoring , etc.), a significant lack of personnel, materials, infrastructure, skills and budget, (iii) the absence of management zoning in line with the objectives of the site. This state of the management system does not provide up-to-date knowledge of the site's resources (fauna, flora and ecosystems) and has adverse repercussions on the site's resources. Besides, the data available on the flora date from 1997-1998 and those on the fauna from the year 2002. Also, various pressures are recorded on the biodiversity of the site: - a gradual increase in clandestine gold panning activities in the south-east (zone Wendéné) and to the northwest (Gorowi area); - development of grazing in the biodiversity zone (ZDB), with isolated installations; - uncontrolled harvesting of medicinal plants and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as well as the absence of data on these harvestings; - the absence of documentation on human-wildlife conflicts existing in the area. In this context, there is very little interest in identifying and adopting adaptation/mitigation measures in the face of the possible effects of climate change.

Table 5. Challenges reported for Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Challenge	Source
Lack of capacity/training	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool
Lack of government support	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool
Lack of law enforcement	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool
Lack of human resources	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool
Lack of logistical means	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool
Lack of trust and support from local communities	Site management effectiveness evaluation report with IMETT tool

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Mont Tingui Special Biodiversity Zone

Behavior	Source
Not reported

References

Page completed by: Kouamé n'dri Pascal, Toulo Alain & Juan Lapuente Date: 27/01/2023