Lac Télé Community Reserve
Central Africa > Republic of the Congo > Lac Télé Community Reserve
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Lac Télé Community Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 7,647 (CI: 4,044–12,183) gorillas and chimpanzees occur in the site.
- The population trends are unknown.
- The site has a total size of 4,400 km².
- Key threats to great apes are hunting and logging.
- Conservation activities have focused on monitoring with SMART, anti-poaching patrols, and providing alternative forms of income to reduce the bushmeat trade.
Site characteristics
Lac Télé Community Reserve is located in the northeastern Republic of the Congo. Consisting of 70% wetland, Lac Télé Community Reserve is one of the world's largest swamp-forest (WCS). The site is located between the Sangha and Oubangui rivers, which seasonally flood the forest, grassland, and floating prairies, and pump water into the lakes, ponds and rivers found at the site. In the centre of the reserve lies an area of firm land, which is an important habitat for gorillas (WCS). The reserve supports one of the densest populations of western lowland gorillas, and it is also home to chimpanzees, elephants, buffaloes, duikers, and hippopotamuses (Ramsar). The reserve was designated a Ramsar site in 1998. In 2017, the Lac Tumba Transboundary Ramsar Site was established, which includes Lac Télé and Grands Affluents in Congo, as well as Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Ramsar). The reserve is owned by the local communities; approximately 20,000 people in the reserve (WCS; Ramsar). These communities heavily depend on the reserve's natural resources for fish, agriculture, construction materials canoes, and medicines (WCS; Ramsar).
Table 1. Basic site information for Lac Télé Community Reserve
| Area | 4,400 km² |
| Coordinates | 1.316971 N, 17.223215 E |
| Designation | Community Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical swamp forest, Wetlands (inland) – Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, peatlands |
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Lac Télé Community 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2007 | 5,402 (2,778–10,486) | 1,029 km2 of the south-eastern Reserve periphery including Raphia swamp forests | Line transects (Distance) | Rainey et al. 2010 | ||||
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2007 | 7,647 (4,044–12,183) | 1,029 km2 of the south-eastern Reserve periphery including Raphia swamp forests | Line transects (Distance) | Rainey et al. 2010 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Lac Télé Community Reserve
| 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 | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Mammal species hunted for commercial bushmeat markets, not only locally, but also in urban areas further away, e.g., in Kinshasa (WCS). | Ongoing | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Low | Deforestation concentrated along the rivers and in terra firma forests. Trees are logged mainly for firewood collection and slash-and-burn agriculture. Although at the moment is it small-scale, the threat is expected to increase as road networks expand in the area (WCS). | Ongoing | |
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Absent | ||||
| 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 reserve is managed by the Ministry of Forest Economy (MEF) in partnership with WCS Congo.
Table 4. Conservation activities in Lac Télé Community 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 | 5.11. Provide training to anti-poaching ranger patrols | WCS Congo, together with the Government of Congo, are recruiting and training rangers to patrol and protect the landscape and its wildlife (WCS). | Ongoing |
| 5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols | Provide rangers with training on the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART)(WCS). | Ongoing | |
| 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) | Providing alternative forms of income (to reduce bushmeat trade) by developing and implementing a cocoa conservation management program; sustainable fisheries and commerce of dried fish; and a micro-credit program (WCS). | Ongoing |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Lac Télé Community Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Lac Télé Community Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
WCS Lac Télé Community Reserve
Ramsar Lac Télé/Likouala-aux-herbes
Relevant datasets
References
Rainey, H. J., Iyenguet, F. C., Malanda, G.-A. F., Madzoké, B., Santos, D. D., Stokes, E. J., Maisels, F., & Strindberg, S. (2010). Survey of Raphia swamp forest, Republic of Congo, indicates high densities of Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla. Oryx, 44(01), 124. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060530999010X
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 29/12/2020