Takamanda National Park
Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Takamanda National Park.
- The population sizes are unknown.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 676 km².
- Key threats to great apes are poaching, logging, and increasing accessibility by roads.
- Conservation activities have focused on monitoring wildlife and law enforcement.
Site characteristics
Located in northeastern Cameroon, the site was first established as Takamanda Forest Reserve in 1934 to protect watersheds and conserve the area for timber production (Dunn et al. 2014). In 2008 it was upgraded to national park to protect the gorillas, as well as for its biological and transboundary importance (Dunn et al. 2014). The site and the neighbouring Okwangwo region in Nigeria are important areas for many large mammals; these include, in addition to the Cross River Gorilla and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drills, Preuss's guenon, forest elephants, an buffalos (Sunderland-Groves & Maisels 2003).
Table 1. Basic site information for Takamanda National Park
| Area | 676 km² |
| Coordinates | XXX N, XXX W |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest |
Ape status
Gorillas are concentrated in three localities of the park. The first one consists of 25 sq.km in the east of the park, in the hills north of Kekpane. The second one covers only about 15 sq.km in an extremely steep and rocky area in the northeast of the park. The third site lies north of the Obonyi villages and extends across the Nigeria-Cameroon border into Okwangwo (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Takamanda 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 diehli | Unknown | 8-12 | Takamanda National Park East (Kekpane area) | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | WCS surveys as cited by Dunn et al. 2014 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla diehli | Unknown | 10-15 | Takamanda National Park–North (Atolo area) | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | WCS surveys as cited by Dunn et al. 2014 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla diehli | 2001 | 100 | Takamanda Forest Reserve | Informed guess | Sunderland-Groves, Maisels & Ekinde 2003 |
Threats
Bushmeat is still an important source of income and protein for villages at the site. Although traditional hunting rights were given to local communities and the use of firearms has been prohibited since 1934, firearm hunting is widespread throughout the area (Sunderland-Groves & Maisels 2003).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Takamanda 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 | 4.1 Roads & railroads | High | Increasing accessibility by roads (Dunn et al. 2014). Road between the Takamanda forest and the Mone and Mbulu forests, allows access to the forests and, subsequently, increased export of agricultural and forest products, including bushmeat (Sunderland-Groves, Maisels & Ekinde 2003). | Ongoing (2014) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Trafficking of bushmeat across the border with Nigeria and other parts of Cameroon. Gorilla meat is eaten, their bones are used in traditional medicine and as fetishes, and infants have been sold as pets (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) | |
| 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Present, but threat severity unknown | Unsustainable harvesting of NFTPs (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) | ||
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal logging (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) | ||
| 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
Transboundary cooperation between Okwangwo and Takamanda has been strongly promoted through activities such as regular joint anti-poaching patrols, an annual transboundary workshop, exchange visits and information sharing to capture poachers (Dunn et al. 2014).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Takamanda 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 | 5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols | The CyberTracker system has been implemented for wildlife and law enforcement monitoring at the site. It has also been used for data collection during wildlife surveys (Dunn et al. 2014). | Ongoing (2014) |
| 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 has been a National Park since 2008. | Ongoing (2021) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Takamanda National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Takamanda National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
Dunn, A., Bergl, R., Byler, D., Eben-Ebai, S., Etiendem, D. N., Fotso, R., ... & Williamson, E. A. (2014). Revised regional action plan for the conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) 2014–2019. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Wildlife Conservation Society.
Sunderland-Groves, J. L., Maisels, F., & Ekinde, A. (2003). Surveys of the Cross River gorilla and chimpanzee populations in Takamanda Forest Reserve, Cameroon. Takamanda: the biodiversity of an African rainforest, 8, 129-140.
Sunderland-Groves, J. L., & Maisels, F. (2003). Large mammals of Takamanda Forest Reserve, Cameroon. Takamanda. The Biodiversity of an African Rainforest, 111-127.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 29/11/2021