Lobéké National Park
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Lobéké National Park.
- It has been estimated that 2,658 gorillas and chimpanzees inhabit Lobéké National Park.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 2,153 km².
- Poaching is a key threat to chimpanzees and gorillas.
- The site forms part of the Sangha Trinational transboundary conservation landscape.
Site characteristics
Lobéké National Park is situated in the southeast corner of Cameroon. The park forms part of the Sangha Trinational (TNS) transboundary conservation landscape, which also includes Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo (N'Goran 2017; BirdLife International 2020). With at least 305 bird species recorded, Lobéké National Park is a designated Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2020). The saline swamps found in Lobéké attract large numbers of elephants and bongos, and the park contains a significant proportion of untouched primary forest (BirdLife International 2020). The park has one of the highest concentrations of gorillas and elephants in the continent (Sangha Tri-national Trust fund).
Table 1. Basic site information for Lobéké National Park
| Area | 2,153 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.298493 N, 15.689466 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest, marshes |
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Lobéké 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2015 | 2,658 | Lobéké National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2009 | 2,685 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2006 | 5,598 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2002 | 6,360 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Lobéké 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 | High | Hunting encounter rates increased from 0.11 sign/km in 2002, to 0.17 sign/km in 2009, to 0.25 sign/km in 2015 (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 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 | Absent |
Conservation activities
The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund has contributed to the implementation of several conservation activities across the TNS; the WWF has helped develop and improve management plans for the area through their Jengi programme.
Table 4. Conservation activities in Lobéké 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 | Not reported | ||
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Lobéké National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Several studies have been conducted at Lobéké National Park. A recent study found that changes in land cover from 2001 to 2014 influenced great ape nest distribution (Yuh et al. 2019).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Lobéké National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund
Relevant datasets
References
N'Goran, K.P. (2017). Summary Report on WWF BIOMONITORING activities from 2014 to 2016 Status of Forest Elephant and Great Apes in Central Africa Priority Sites.
BirdLife International. (2020). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lobéké National Park. Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/11/2020.
Yuh, Y. G., Dongmo, Z. N., N’Goran, P. K., Ekodeck, H., Mengamenya, A., Kuehl, H., Sop, T., Tracz, W., Agunbiade, M., & Elvis, T. (2019). Effects of Land cover change on Great Apes distribution at the Lobéké National Park and its surrounding Forest Management Units, South-East Cameroon. A 13 year time series analysis. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36225-2
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 06/12/2020