Messok Dja
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Messok Dja.
- It has been estimated that 2,938 chimpanzees and gorillas occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is stable.
- The site has a total size of 1,500 km².
- Key threats to great apes are poaching, the spread of artisanal and semi-industrial mining, and illegal logging.
- Conservation activities have not been documented.
- Messok Dja is part of the Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkebe (TRIDOM) landscape.
Site characteristics
The site is located in northwestern Republic of Congo. Messok Dja is part of the Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkebe (TRIDOM) landscape, one of the most intact forest blocks remaining in the Congo Basin. A biodiversity survey by WWF found the dense forest in Messok Dja to be an important migration corridor for animals between National Parks in Cameroon and Republic of Congo (WWF 2018). Indigenous people, especially the Baka, depend on the Messok Dja forest for food, medicine, housing, and more. Messok Dja forest is currently part of two commercial logging operations (WWF 2018).
Table 1. Basic site information for Messok Dja
| Area | 1,500 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.029165 N, 14.532618 E |
| Designation | Unclassified |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Messok Dja
| 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 | 2013 | 2,190 | Messok Dja forest | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2016 | 2,938 | Messok Dja forest | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats
Poaching, the spread of artisanal and semi-industrial gold mining and illegal logging are important threats in the Messok Dja forest. The discovery of iron deposits across the region and the planned development of the Chollet hydropower dam in the Dja river also pose additional pressures (WWF 2019).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Messok Dja
| 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 | 0.186 hunting sign/km (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 | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Messok Dja
| 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 Messok Dja
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Messok Dja
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
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.
WWF. (2018). Decoding Conservation: How the lands and ecosystems that wildlife and communities depend upon are protected. Retrieved from: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/forest_publications_news_and_reports/?339714/Decoding-Conservation-How-the-lands-and-ecosystems-that-wildlife-and-communities-depend-upon-are-protected
WWF. (2019). Republic of Congo: Engaging communities in the future of Messok Dja. Retrieved from: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/forest_publications_news_and_reports/?356639/Republic-of-Congo-Engaging-communities-in-the-future-of-Messok-Dja
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 06/12/2020