Ala Forest Reserve
Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) have been present in Ala Forest Reserve.
- Chimpanzees are extinct or nearly extinct at the site.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 199 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and logging for oil palm, cocoa, and teak plantations.
- Conservation activities not documented.
Site characteristics
Table 1. Basic site information for Ala Forest Reserve
| Area | 199 km² |
| Coordinates | |
| Designation | Forest Reserve |
| Habitat types | Arable land, plantations, subtropical/tropical heavily degraded forest, subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Ape status
Chimpanzees are extinct or nearly extinct in Ala Forest Reserve (Greengrass 2006). During a 2006 survey, no chimpanzees, nor signs of chimpanzees, were encountered (Greengrass 2006).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Ala Forest 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 ellioti | 2006 | 0 | Ala Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Greengrass 2006 |
Threats
The northern half of the reserve is dominated by teak, oil palm, and cocoa plantations (Greengrass 2006). In the southern half of the reserve, even though the forest seems to be in a better condition, logging pressure is very high and large mammals are very scarce (Greengrass 2006).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Ala Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | Oil palm and cocoa plantations in the northern half of the reserve (Greengrass 2006) | Ongoing (2006) | |
| 2.2 Wood & pulp plantations | High | Land cleared for teak plantations (Greengrass 2006) | Ongoing (2006) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | High | A road crosses the reserve from north to south (Greengrass 2006) | Ongoing (2006) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Hunter trails and a large number of discarded cartridges were found in the southern part of the reserve, where chimpanzees were last seen (Greengrass 2006) | Ongoing (2006) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Logging pressure is high in the area were chimpanzees were last seen (Greengrass 2006) | Ongoing (2006) | ||
| 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 | Unknown |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Ala Forest 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 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 |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Ala Forest Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Corruption | Greengrass 2006 |
| Lack of financial means | Greengrass 2006 |
| Lack of law enforcement | Greengrass 2006 |
Research activities
No information on research activities has been documented.
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Ala Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Greengrass, E.J. (2006). A survey of chimpanzees in south-west Nigeria. Report to the NCF-WCS Biodiversity Research Programme.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 19/11/2020