Luo Scientific Reserve
Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Luo Scientific Reserve/Wamba
Summary
- Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are present in Luo Scientific Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 173 to 231 individuals occur in the site.
- The bonobo population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 481 km².
- Key threats to bonobos are habitat encroachment as a result of agricultural expansion, and hunting, particularly during past periods of civil conflict .
- Conservation activities have focused on the maintenance of infrastructure, medical services, and education.
- Long-term studies on wild bonobos began at Wamba, Luo Scientific Reserve, in 1973.
Site characteristics
Table 1. Basic site information for Luo Scientific Reserve
| Area | 481 km² |
| Coordinates | 0.045 N, 22.543 E |
| Designation | Protected area with sustainable use of resources |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
Ape status
The study of bonobos at Wamba (in the northern sector of the current Luo Scientific Reserve) started in 1973. The number of bonobos were steadily increasing until some cases of illegal hunting occurred in the 1980's. In order to protect bonobos in this area, a Congolese research center and Japanese researchers established a station for scientific research in 1992, which included both northern and southern sectors on both banks of the Luo River. During two periods of civil war, from 1996 to 2003, bonobos in the northern sector decreased to 40% and those in the southern sector disappeared from half of the area. Bonobos in the northern sector steadily increased from 2003 when research activities resumed, and almost recovered to the previous population size, but the current trend in the southern sector is unknown (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Luo Scientific 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 paniscus | 1996 | 173 | 0.36 | Luo Scientific Reserve (481 km²) | Line transects (Distance) | Hashimoto & Furuichi, 2001 | |||
| Pan paniscus | 1996 | 231 | 0.48 | Luo Scientific Reserve (481 km²) | Full count | Hashimoto & Furuichi, 2001 | Density was estimated by number of individuals/ranging area for two study groups. |
Threats
Bonobos in the northern sector decreased to 40% between 1991 and 2002 probably due to hunting by soldiers and local people, but they steadily recovered after 2003 when research resumed. During the war, people who fled from the village made a number of small homesteads in the forest. Currently, local people are expanding their agricultural fields into the protected area (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Luo Scientific Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Absent | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Medium | Agricultural expansion into the protected area (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020) | Ongoing (2020) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Absent | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Absent | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium | Bonobos in the northern sector decreased to 40% between 1991 and 2002 during civil conflict due to hunting by soldiers and local people, but they steadily recovered after 2003 when we resumed the study (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020). | 1991-1996; 1996-2002 | |
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Absent | ||||
| 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
In order to strengthen public awareness, an NGO called “Support for Conservation of Bonobos” was established to help in the maintenance of infrastructure, medical services, and education that had been seriously damaged by the war. A joint patrolling program involving people from all homesteads in Wamba village is also implemented (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Luo Scientific 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 | 13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development) | Support for local community (maintenance of infrastructure, medical services, and education; Furuichi pers. comm. 2020) | Ongoing (2020) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Luo Scientific Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Civil unrest | Nackoney et al, 2014; Idani et al, 2008 |
| Lack of trust and support from local communities | Furuichi pers. comm. 2020 |
Research activities
In the northern sector, behavioral and ecological studies of bonobos have been conducted since 1973, except for a break between 1992 and 2002 due to political instability and civil war. In the southern sector, an ecological survey was being conducted until 1992; currently no research activities are being carried out in this sector (Furuichi pers. comm. 2020).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Luo Scientific Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Kano T (1992) The Last Ape: Pygmy Chimpanzee Behavior and Ecology. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California
Kano T, Bongoli L, Idani G, Hashimoto C (1996) The challenge of Wamba. Etica & Animali 8/96: 68-74
Hashimoto C, Furuichi T (2001) Current situation of bonobos in the Luo Reserve, Equateur, Democratic Republic of Congo. In: All apes great and small, vol.1: African Apes Kluwer Acad/Plenum, New York, pp 83-93
Idani G, Mwanza N, Ihobe H, Hashimoto C, Tashiro Y, Furuichi T (2008) Changes in the status of bonobos, their habitat, and the situation of humans at Wamba in the Luo Scientific Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo. In: Furuichi T, Thompson J (eds) The bonobos: behavior, ecology, and conservation. Springer, New York, pp 291-302
Furuichi T et al. (2012) Long-term studies on wild bonobos at Wamba, Luo Scientific Reserve, D. R. Congo: towards the understanding of female life history in a male-philopatric species. In: Kappeler PM, Watts DP (eds) Long-term field studies of primates. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 413-433
Nackoney J, Molinario G, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Hansen MC, Furuichi T (2014) Impacts of civil conflict on primary forest habitat in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990–2010. Biol Conserv http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.12.033
Page completed by: Takeshi Furuichi Date: 01/12/2020