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West Africa > Côte d'Ivoire > Mont Sângbé National Park
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Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Mont Sângbé National Park.
- A population of 15 individuals was estimated in 2016.
- The chimpanzee population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 975.54 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion.
- Conservation activities implemented include biomonitoring.
Site characteristics
Mont Sângbé National Park is located in western Côte d’Ivoire, bordered by the Sassandra river to the east (BirdLife International 2022). The Bafing river, an affluent of the Sassandra, flows east across the southern part of the park. The park forms part of the eastern end of the highland chain that extends through Guinea and northern Liberia. The terrain is rugged, with many inselbergs and several peaks that reach over 700 m (BirdLife International 2022; Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). The vegetation consists mainly of dense savanna woodland with some small patches of deciduous forest as islands in the savanna or as galleries along watercourses (BirdLife International 2022).
Table 1. Basic site information for Mont Sângbé National Park
Species | Pan troglodytes verus |
Area | 975.54 km² |
Coordinates | Lat: 8.013935 , Lon: -7.290896 |
Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical dry forest, subtropical/tropical moist forest, savanna, rocky areas (e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) |
Type of governance |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Reconnaissance surveys were conducted at the site in 2015 and 2016. Surveys in the southern sector of the park could not be completed due to the difficulty of the terrain. No traces of chimpanzees were found in the southern sector, but there may have been chimpanzees in the areas that were difficult to access (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). North of the Bafing River appeared to be a group of about 15 individuals. Based on genetic analyses, 14 individuals were identified from over 200 faecal samples; the individuals were found to be extremely inbred (Lester et al. 2021).
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Mont Sângbé 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pan troglodytes verus | 2015-2016 | 15 | Mont Sângbé National Park | Reconnaissance walk | Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022 | A maximum of 13-14 fresh nests were reported at any daily site. | |||
Pan troglodytes verus | 2020 | 70 (40-123) | 0.023 (0.013-0.042) | Mont Sângbé National Park | Line transects & recces | Beda, 2020 | |||
Pan troglodytes verus | 2021 | 54 (30-98) | Mont Sângbé National Park | Line transects & recces | Beda et al. 2021 | ||||
Pan troglodytes verus | 2022 | 53 (35-115) | Mont Sângbé National Park | Line transects & recces | Beda, 2023 |
Threats
The national park is surrounded by savanna and farmland, making it a geographic island with low or no connectivity to other chimpanzee populations (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). Although chimpanzees are not targeted by hunters, they are killed opportunistically. Many in the local population do not have a taboo against eating chimpanzee meat (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Mont Sângbé National Park
Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Widespread destruction of the landscape for cocoa plantations in particular, observed during a 2016 survey (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). | 2016-Ongoing (2022) |
2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Cattle pasturing; herders enter the savanna/dry forest areas of the park. Grass is burnt annually, and this wildfire can penetrate quite deep into the wet forest (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). | Ongoing (2022) |
3 Energy production & mining | Unknown | |||
4 Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | |||
5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium (30-70% of population affected) | Chimpanzees are not targeted for hunting in the park, but have been killed there when the opportunity has presented itself (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). The comparison of the recorded aggression indices during this phase with those from previous phases (2017 to 2021) suggests that poaching is the main threat to the PNMS. A comparison of the data from 2017 to 2022 shows a decline in aggression indices (Beda et al. 2023).
|
2017-Ongoing (2022) |
6 Human intrusions & 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 | 12.1 Other threat | Present (unknown severity) | Climate change will likely impact the site, e.g., impact of rivers drying up or diminishing sources of permanent rivers, as well as other effects due to temperature and rainfall changes (Cohen, H. pers. comm. 2022). | Ongoing (2022) |
12 Other threat | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Mont Sângbé National Park
Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 Counter-wildlife crime | 2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols | In the Mont Sangbé National Park, ecological monitoring is conducted annually by the Western Zone Directorate with support from technical and financial partners. This monitoring focuses on a set of animal species identified as conservation targets and the factors influencing their distribution. The goal of the program for the 2020-2030 period, as outlined in the Park's Management and Development Plan, is to "Contribute to improving the management of the MSNP based on knowledge derived from the results of ecological monitoring and research." The program centers around assessing the conservation status of the SMNP based on the ecological monitoring findings and capitalizing on research outcomes (Beda et al. 2021). | Office ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves | 2017-Ongoing (2022) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Mont Sângbé National Park
Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2 Resources and capacity | 2.1 Lack of capacity/training | Beda, 2023 | Ongoing (2022) |
2 Resources and capacity | 2.5 Lack of equipment/transportation | Beda, 2023 | Ongoing (2022) |
2 Resources and capacity | 2.4 Lack of continuous/long-term funding | Beda, 2023 | Ongoing (2022) |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Mont Sângbé National Park
Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 Site management | |||
2 Resources and capacity | 2.4 Adequate data to inform and evaluate conservation actions | Beda, 2023 | Ongoing (2022) |
3 Engaged community | |||
4 Institutional support | 4.1 Effective legislation and law enforcement | Beda, 2023 | Ongoing (2022) |
5 Ecological context | |||
6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
The site was surveyed as part of the Pan African Programme (PanAf).
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Mont Sângbé National Park
Behavior | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
External links
Relevant datasets
References
BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sangbe Mountain National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 27/06/2022.
Lester, J. D., Vigilant, L., Gratton, P., McCarthy, M. S., Barratt, C. D., Dieguez, P., ... & Arandjelovic, M. (2021). Recent genetic connectivity and clinal variation in chimpanzees. Communications biology, 4(1), 1-11.
Beda, A. A., N’dri, K. P., Zannou, M. G., & Tondossama, A. (2021). Etat de conservation du Parc national du Mont Sangbé : Résultats du suivi écologique, Phase 5. Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves/Direction de Zone Ouest. Man, Côte d’Ivoire. 36p.
Beda, A. A. (2023). Rapport suivi écologique du Parc National du Mont Sangbé 2022: Suivi écologique phase 6, version du 19. 04.2023. Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves/Direction de Zone Ouest. Man, Côte d’Ivoire. 63p.
Beda, A. A. (2020). Etat de conservation du Parc National du Mont Sangbé 2022: Rapport de suivi écologique Phase 4. Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves/Direction de Zone Ouest. Man, Côte d’Ivoire. 45p.
Page created by: Heather Cohen & A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 2022-07-04 Page updated by: Diorne Zausa Date: 2024-11-30