Ivindo National Park
Central Africa > Gabon > Ivindo National Park
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Ivindo National Park.
- The great ape population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 3,000 km².
- Poaching is a key threat to great apes at the site.
- Conservation activities have focused on monitoring and research activities.
Site characteristics
Ivindo National Park is located in the central area of Gabon. The site was declared a national park in 2002. Archaeological findings near the park show human habitation as early as 120,000 BP (WCS). Within the park, the famous Langoué baï is found. Langoué baï is an ancient forest clearing, frequently visited by forest elephants, gorillas, forest buffalos, red river hogs, and a resident population of sitatunga (WCS). Langoué baï serves as the base for the Wildlife Conservation Society Gabon’s Forest Program, which protects and monitors populations of gorillas and elephants. Leopards, aardvarks, pangolins, and central chimpanzees are also found at the site. At least 397 species of birds have been identified at Ivindo, including the rare picarthes (Rayden & Essame Essono 2010).
Table 1. Basic site information for Ivindo National Park
| Area | 3,000 km² |
| Coordinates | 0.184631 N, 12.650341 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Ivindo 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 troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
Threats
The park is surrounded by forestry concessions, which can have negative impacts if the forestry companies do not adhere to legal requirements for the control of illegal hunting (Rayden & Essame Essono 2010). A 2010 study found that a large number of the forestry companies are not legally compliant and improvements need to be made to control illegal hunting in the surrounding concessions (Rayden & Essame Essono 2010).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Ivindo 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 | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Hunting linked to the presence of forestry concessions around the park (Rayden & Essame Essono 2010). | Ongoing (2010) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Commercial logging around the park (Rayden & Essame Essono 2010). | Ongoing (2010) | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Ivindo 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 | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site is a designated National Park. | Ongoing |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Communities were not consulted before the park was established, and are not involved in the park management (Lang, 2016).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Ivindo National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Since 2003, WCS Gabon has had a near-permanent presence at the Langoué research station. Monitoring of gorillas first took place between 2001 and 2008; in 2013 monitoring and research activities were resumed. This research has shown a currently unidentified skin condition is prevalent in many groups, in some severe cases causing deep lesions (WCS).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Ivindo National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Parcs Gabon - Parc National de l’Ivindo
Gabon Wildlife Camps - Ivindo National Park
Relevant datasets
References
Rayden, T., & Essame Essono, R. (2010). Evaluation of the management of wildlife in the forestry concessions around the national parks of Lopé, Waka and Ivindo, Gabon. Report to the WCS.
Lang, C. (2016). Human rights abuses and livelihood impacts at the Ivindo National Park in Gabon. Online: https://medium.com/conservationwatch/human-rights-abuses-and-livelihood-impacts-at-the-ivindo-national-park-in-gabon-d8f00b511d3f
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 02/01/2021