Nki National Park
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Nki National Park.
- It has been estimated that 3,421 gorillas and chimpanzees occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 3,093.62 km².
- Great apes are mainly threatened by hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching measures.
- The site is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape.
Site characteristics
Nki National Park is located in the south-eastern Cameroon, bordering the Republic of Congo to the south and Boumba-Bek National Park to the north. The national park was established in 2005 (UNEP-WCMC 2021). Nki National Park is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape, which is spread over three countries: Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo (WWF n.d.). The TRIDOM landscape is very rich in biodiversity, and 97% of its surface is covered by forest (WWF n.d.), representing approximately 10% of the Congo Basin rainforest (WWF n.d.). TRIDOM is also home to an indigenous Baka population of around 10,000 people (WWF n.d.). In addition to gorillas and chimpanzees, the site harbors a wide variety of mammals, including elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, sitatungas, and several species of duikers (WWF n.d.).
Table 1. Basic site information for Nki National Park
| Area | 3,093.62 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.508848 N, 14.466650 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Nki 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 | 2005 | 9,437 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2012 | 11,417 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2015 | 3,421 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) and reconnaissance data | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats
Poaching, facilitated by the traffic of automatic weapons, has been a major threat at the site (WWF n.d., N'Goran 2017). Other human activities, such as illegal mining and logging are also a threat to wildlife and their habitat at Nki National Park (N'Goran 2017).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Nki 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 | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal mining (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Although elephants have been the main target, poaching is also a major threat to apes and other wildlife at the site (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal logging (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 site is part of WWF's Jengi programme, which supports the management of Nki National Park and other sites that are part of the TRIDOM and TNS conservation landscapes. Anti-poaching measures seem to be showing positive results, as camera traps have recently captured a large herd of elephants (WWF 2017, WWF 2020).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Nki 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 | 5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Government eco-guards are permanently stationed in the park and anti-poaching patrols are regularly conducted (WWF 2017). | Ongoing (2017) |
| 5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols | Wildlife monitoring team spends at least 15 days inside the park; camera traps help monitor wildlife (WWF 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 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 | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site was declared a National Park in 2005 | Ongoing (2021) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Nki National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Nki National Park
| 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.
UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Nki from the World Database of Protected Areas, November 2021. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net
WWF n.d.TRIDOM: Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkébé. https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/where_we_work/tridom___tri_national_dja_odzala_minkebe/
WWF (2017). Anti-poaching measures show encouraging signs of recovery in Nki National Park.https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/?305371/Anti%2Dpoaching%2Dmeasures%2Dshow%2Dencouraging%2Dsigns%2Dof%2Drecovery%2Din%2DNki%2DNational%2DPark
WWF (2020). The elephants are returning to Nki National Park. https://cameroon.panda.org/?32710/The-elephants-are-returning-to-Nki-National-Park
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:05/11/2021