Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve
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Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve.
- The population size is unknown.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 972 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are pollution, logging, urban expansion, and hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on education and awareness campaigns.
Site characteristics
The site is situated on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is an important catchment area, with several streams and three rivers (Mafa, Mofe and Mawua) emptying into it (Sambolah 2007). Lake Piso has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International (BirdLife International 2019), and a wetland of international importance (Ramsar 2003). In addition to the western chimpanzee, the reserve hosts several resident and migratory bird species (FFI 2015). The site has been protected since 2011 (The Analyst News 2018).
Table 1: Basic site information for Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve
| Area: | 972 km² |
| Designation: | Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve |
| Habitat types: | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland, subtropical/tropical mangrove vegetation above high tide level, subtropical/tropical swamp, subtropical/tropical moist montane, savanna, permanent rivers/streams/creeks, sandy shoreline and/or beaches, sand bars, spits, etc., coastal brackish/saline lagoons/marine lakes |
Ape status
Western chimpanzees are reported to still be present at the site (Sambolah 2007). However, there is a lack of data on chimpanzee abundance and status.
Table 2: Great ape population estimates in Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% Confidence Interval) | Density estimate (per km2) | Encounter rate | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western chimpanzee | 2004 | present | Lake Piso forest block | unknown | Sambolah 2007 | 19 observations of chimpanzees or signs of chimpanzees |
Threats
The main threats in the site are pollution (including solid waste, sewage disposal, and industrial pollution), hunting, and habitat destruction as a result of logging, agricultural expansion, road construction and urban expansion (Sambolah 2007, Spalding et al. 2010).
Table 3: Threats to great apes in Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | present | expansion of urban areas [6] | |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | present | conversion of land to rice field [6] and farming [1] | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | high | sand mining [1] | |
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | present | construction of roads [6] | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals | high | hunting pressure was especially high in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s [1] | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | high | overharvest of timber and fuelwood 1, 6] | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | 6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises | high | pressure on mangroves greatly increased during civil conflict, by displaced people who moved to coastal areas [6] | 1990-2003 |
| 7. Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | high | burning of vegetation (savannah woodland) [1] | |
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | present | Ebola virus disease was present in the counties of Bomi and Grand Cape Mount, where the site is located, during the 2014-2016 epidemic (CDC) | 2014-2016 | |
| 9. Pollution | 9.1 Domestic & urban waste water | high | sewage pollution [6] | ongoing |
| 9.2 Industrial & military effluents | high | industrial pollution [6] | ongoing | |
| 9.4 Garbage & solid waste | high | solid waste disposal [1, 6], disposal of rotten fish [1] | ongoing | |
| 10. Geological Events | absent | |||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | unknown | |||
| 12. Other options | unknown |
Conservation activities
Several projects have been funded by the Global Environmental Facility’s Small Grant Program (SGP) aiming to protect wildlife whilst providing sustainable alternative sources of income for the local people. These include, for example, projects promoting sustainable fishing practices (SGPa), as well as sustainable forestry community management (SGPb).
Table 3: Conservation activities in Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | absent | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | absent | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | absent | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | absent | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | absent | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | absent | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | absent | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | absent | ||
| 9. Pollution | absent | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | 10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use | environmental education and awareness raising in nearby communities [1] | 2005-2006 |
| 10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use | project implemented by Ecosanity Services Liberia to engage local communities in the management of waste and raise awareness on the negative impacts of pollution on the reserve [10] | 2016-2017 | |
| 10.4. Regularly play TV & radio announcements to raise primate conservation awareness | create awareness on community forestry through local radio stations [8] | ongoing | |
| 10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions | information spread through posters, billboards, T-shirts to promote a sustainable community forest and create awareness implemented by Farmers Associated to Conserve the Environment [8] | ongoing | |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | the site is classified as a multiple sustainable use reserve since 2011 [5] | ongoing |
| 12. Species Management | absent | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | 13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development) | establish community forests [8] | ongoing |
Impediments
No information on impediments has been documented.
Impediments list
Research activities
No information on research activities has been documented.
Documented behaviours
Relevant datasets
References
[1] Sambolah, R.S. (2007) Biodiversity and environmental Impacts of Human Activities on the proposed
Lake Piso Nature Reserve.Online: https://www.cepf.net/sites/default/files/face_lake_piso_report_2_.pdf
[2] BirdLife International (2019) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Piso (Cape Mount). Online: http://www.birdlife.org
[3] Ramsar (2003) Liberia joins the Ramsar Convention. Online: https://www.ramsar.org/news/liberia-joins-the-ramsar-convention
[4] Fauna & Flora of Liberia (2015). Online: http://www.liberianfaunaflora.org/research/sapo-conservation-centre/7653-lake-piso
[5] The Analyst News (2018) YES Visits Lake Piso Multiple Use Reserve in Robertsport. Online: https://liberiananalyst.com/2018/11/14/yes-visits-lake-piso-multiple-use-reserve-in-robertsport/
[6] Spalding, M., Kainuma, M. and Collins, L. (2010) World atlas of mangroves. Earthscan, London.
[7] CDC. 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak Distribution in West Africa. Online: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/distribution-map.html
[8] SGPa. Promoting Sustainable Fishery In The Lake Piso Basin Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve Without Reducing The Protected And Endangered Species To Maintain Their Population. Online: https://sgp.undp.org/spacial-itemid-projects-landing-page/spacial-itemid-project-search-results/spacial-itemid-project-detailpage.html?view=projectdetail&id=24555
[9] SGPb. Promoting Sustainable Community Forestry Management in the Lake Piso Sustainable Multipurpose Use Reserve, Liberia. Online: https://sgp.undp.org/spacial-itemid-projects-landing-page/spacial-itemid-project-search-results/spacial-itemid-project-detailpage.html?view=projectdetail&id=21597
[10] SGPc. Preventing organic pollution of Lake Piso; a catalyst for clean environment. Online: https://sgp.undp.org/spacial-itemid-projects-landing-page/spacial-itemid-project-search-results/spacial-itemid-project-detailpage.html?view=projectdetail&id=24550
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 26/03/19