Moyen-Bafing National Park
West Africa > Republic of Guinea > Moyen-Bafing National Park
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Moyen-Bafing National Park.
- It has been estimated that more than 5,000 individuals occur in the proposed Moyen-Bafing National Park.
- The chimpanzee population trend is likely stable.
- This site has a total size of 6426 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are agriculture, bauxite mining and a proposed hydraulic dam.
- Conservation activities implemented by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) include the establishment of a national park, environmental education, supporting sustainable agriculture, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and reforestation.
- Moyen-Bafing National Park is in the final stage of being officially designated a National Park.
Site characteristics
Moyen-Bafing National Park (NP) is a protected area in its final stages of official designation in Northern Guinea. The site covers an area of 6426 km² and is located around the Bafing river close to the border with Mali (WCF 2017a). The national park encompasses seven classified forests: Bakoum, Bakoun (since 1951, 295.07 km2), Bani (since 1952, 189 km2), Boula (since 1955, 275 km2), Dar-Es-Salam (also Darou-salam, since 1954, 174.74 km²), Dokoro (since 1952, 78 km2) and Sobory (since 1956, 11.75 km2, WCF 2016, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019). Moyen-Bafing NP is created to meet the aim of the Government of Guinea to designate 25% of its terrestrial area as protected areas and it covers 8% of Guinea’s terrestrial territory (WCF 2017b). The main aim of this site is to offset the negative effects that bauxite mines run by the Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) and the Compagnie de Bauxite de Guinée (CBG) have on western chimpanzees in Sangaredi. Its designation has been mandated by the Guinean Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests in 2015, and park creation is implemented by the Guinean Office of Parks and Reserves (OGUIPAR) and the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF 2018). The design of the national park includes several zones with different degree of anthropogenic usage: a core area incorporating all seven classified forests, a buffer area in which only sustainable activities may be conducted, and a zone called ‘development zone’ (WCF 2015). The Moyen-Bafing NP covers different habitat types: wooded and herbaceous savanna, gallery forests, bamboo forests, wooded grasslands, bowé, wetlands and rivers (WCF 2016, 2018). The area is also characterized by a high biodiversity with at least 33 different mammal species, including leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Panthera lion), golden cat (Caracal aurata), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), black-and-white colobus (Colobus polykomos), crested porcepine (Hystrix cristata), bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), yellow-back duiker (Cephalophus sylvicultur), Guinean baboon (Papio papio), and bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus, WCF 2016, 2017b). Surveys also confirmed the presence of a species new to the region, the Gambian mongoose (Mungos gambianus, WCF 2018). The forests of Bani and Dar-es-Salam are important areas for antelopes as they harbor the second highest diversity in antelope species across Guinea (Brugière 2012). An ornithological survey confirmed the presence of 147 bird species, including Scavenger Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), African Vulture (Gyps africanus) and Rüppell Vulture (Gyps rueppellii). A botanical survey found 206 plant species, 14 of which listed as threatened, and two plant species were new to science (WCF 2018). A study on the protected area network that ranked the most important Key Biodiversity Areas of Guinea based on the occurrence of globally threatened large and medium-sized mammals, ranked Bakoun Classified Forest as rank six and the forests of Bani and Dar-es-Salam on rank 12 (Brugière & Kormos 2009).
Table 1. Basic site information for Moyen-Bafing National Park
| Area | 6426.00 km² |
| Coordinates | 11.59, -11.18 |
| Designation | National Park (in process of creation) |
| Habitat types | Dry savanna, subtropical/tropical dry shrubland, subtropical/tropical dry forest, subtropical/tropical dry lowland grassland, permanent rivers, arable land, shrub dominated wetlands |
Ape status
In a nationwide survey Rebecca Kormos confirmed the presence of western chimpanzees in Bakoun Classified Forest based on a questionnaire survey (Ham 1998). This was confirmed by a survey conducted in 2001 (Catterson et al. 2001). Chimpanzee presence was confirmed in the classified forests of Boula and Dokoro (Granier and Martinez 2002). In 2013/14 the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) conducted detailed surveys of the area along the Bafing river and estimated that more than 5,000 chimpanzees occur in an area of approximately 8,000 km2 (WCF 2014). Chimpanzee densities were highest in the classified forests (WCF 2014). High chimpanzee densities were confirmed by a follow-up survey in 2015/16 by the WCF (WCF 2016). Since 2017, the WCF implements a biomonitoring study with camera traps (WCF 2017b).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Moyen-Bafing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 1997 | Present | Bakoun CF | Interview method | Ham 1998 | Questionnaire survey | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2001 | Present | Bakoun CF | Index survey | Catterson et al. 2001 | Reconnaissance survey | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2003-2004 | Present | Boula and Dokoro CF | Index survey | Granier & Martinez 2004 | Reconnaissance survey | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2013-2014 | 5,542 | 0.58 (weaned individuals) | 8153 km² around the Bafing river | Line transects (Distance) | WCF 2014 | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2015-2016 | 4,365 | 4228 km² | Line transects (Distance) | WCF 2016 |
Threats
A detailed demographic survey conducted by the WCF in 2016 found that 405 villages are located in Moyen-Bafing NP. 23 of those villages are in classified forests, 11 of which are not legally recognized (WCF 2016). Overall, human densities are low with 9.54 inhabitants per km² as 70% of the villages have less than 150 inhabitants (WCF 2016). People use the area for agriculture and hunting wildlife. Bush-fires for clearing agricultural areas are very prominent threats to ecosystems (WCF 2016). Further threats include overgrazing, poor agricultural methods, soil erosion, and overfishing (Bakarr 2001, WCF 2016, 2017b, 2018). Excessive deforestation and uncontrolled bush-fires reinforce negative effects of climatic changes, such as reduced rainfall, drought and dried up rivers (WCF 2016). In addition, a hydraulic dam is planned to be constructed upstream on the Bafing river, the Koukoutamba dam project lead by the Senegal River Basin Development Authority (OMVS:Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du fleuve Sénégal), which could threaten 750 chimpanzee due to the permanent flooding of areas in the Moyen-Bafing NP (WCF 2016). There are also mining concessions by the Société Bauxite de Dabola-Tougué Corporation (SBDT) that encompass two classified forests in the southern part of Moyen-Bafing NP and if developed could threaten an estimated 1300 chimpanzees (WCF 2016). The area is very isolated so that people lack access to basic public services such as education, health, sanitation and drinking water (WCD 2018). Consequently, the local population relies strongly on the provision of ecosystem services and is involved in activities further damaging the local ecosystem, such as deforestation or bushfires (WCF 2018). Access to water is further limited by the effects of climate change resulting in a decrease of rainfall and the drying up of rivers (WCF 2018).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Moyen-Bafing National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | Medium | 405 villages | 405 villages (WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Medium | Agricultural activities widespread (Bakarr et al. 2001, WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | Medium | Area used for grazing livestock (Bakarr et al. 2001, WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Absent | Two mining concessions but not active (WCF 2016); Koukoutamba dam project is being planned | |||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Absent | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium | Hunting occurs, but hunting taboos also widespread (Bakarr et al. 2001, Boesch et al. 2017, WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Deforestation reinforces negative impacts of climate change (WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | 7.1 Fire & fire suppression | High | Bush-fires for clearing agricultural land (WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | 11.2 Droughts | Unknown | Reduced rainfall, drought, and dried up rivers increase the pressure on chimpanzee habitat as more habitat is converted for human uses (WCF 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
As part of the project “Projet de Conservation de Chimpanzés” local hunters were trained in 2001 to collect monitoring data on the number and movement of chimpanzees in Bakoun Classified Forest (Kormos et al. 2003). Since 2014, the WCF is implementing different environmental awareness raising activities, often focused on the protection of western chimpanzees, including radio and TV broadcasts, an extracurricular environmental education program at schools (Club P.A.N. program), and theater awareness raising campaigns in several villages with discussion rounds (WCF 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017b, 2018). To counteract the negative effects of deforestation the WCF started a plant nursery in 2016 and the first reforestation project has been launched in 2018 covering 4.34 ha (WCF 2016, WCF 2018). Since 2018, the WCF implements bushfire prevention activities such as cutting fire breaks [WCF 2018]. The design of the national park includes several zones with different degree of anthropogenic usage: a fully protected core area incorporating all seven classified forests, a buffer zone in which only sustainable activities may be conducted, and a zone called ‘development zone’ (WCF 2015). The process of park creation involves regular community consultation meetings to understand people’s need and an environmental and social management plan was drafted (WCF 2016, WCF 2017b). As water shortage is a serious concern in the area, the WCF is implementing a monitoring study focused on water levels of the rivers, to inform measures that can improve water security for the human population and for the flora and fauna (WCF 2017b).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Moyen-Bafing National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.11. Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land | Introduced Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration to support environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices, support market gardens (WCF 2018) | Since 2018 |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | Not reported | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | 7.2. Protect important food/nest trees before burning | Bushfire prevention activities such as cutting fire breaks (WCF 2018) | Since 2018 |
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | 10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use | Different environmental awareness raising activities implemented (WCF 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017b, 2018) | Since 2014 |
| 10.2. Involve local community in primate research and conservation management | Community-based monitoring system of chimpanzees implemented (Kormos et al. 2013) | Started in 2001, end point unknown | |
| 10.4. Regularly play TV & radio announcements to raise primate conservation awareness | Radio and TV shows used to raise environmental awareness (WCF 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017b, 2018) | Since 2014 | |
| 10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions | Environmental awareness raising activities include theater plays, discussion rounds and extra-curricular school activities (WCF 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017b, 2018) | Since 2014 | |
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.1. Create buffer zones around protected primate habitat | Design of national park includes a core area, a buffer area for sustainable activities only and a so-called area for development (WCF 2015) | Since 2015 |
| 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | Seven classified forests, and National Park in process of creation (WCF 2015, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2019) | Since 1952 | |
| 11.8. Plant indigenous trees to re-establish natural tree communities in clear-cut areas | Plant nursery and reforestation activities (WCF 2016, 2017b, 2018) | Since 2016 | |
| 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) | Hydrology study implemented by WCF (WCF 2017b) | Since 2017 |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Moyen-Bafing National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
In 2014/15, a study on the ecological and socio-economic drivers of mammal densities was conducted in Moyen-Bafing NP (Boesch et al. 2017). Similar data was collected in a follow-up survey in 2017 (WCF 2017b). A temporary research site was set up in Bakoun Classified Forest by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, and the WCF as part of the Pan African Programme (PanAf) ‘The Cultured Chimpanzee’ from 2014 to 2015 (Boesch et al. 2016). Further research includes research on chimpanzee behavior (since 2017), study on the degradation of chimpanzee nests (since 2015), a meteorological study measuring rainfall, humidity and temperature (since 2016), a bushfire study on areas that burn regularly (since 2014) and a study on the hydrology of the rivers (since 2016, WCF 2017b). In 2018, a botanical survey was implemented as a collaboration between the WCF with the Kew Royal Botanical Garden and the National Herbarium of Guinea, that discovered two plant species new to science (WCF 2018). The same year an ornithological monitoring study was implemented by the WCF and Biotope (WCF 2018).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Moyen-Bafing National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Algae fishing | Boesch et al. 2016 |
References
Bakarr M et al. 2001. in IUCN 2008. From forest to the sea: biodiversity connections from Guinea to Togo. Conservation priority setting workshop. Washington D.C., USA: Conservation International
Boesch C et al. 2016. Chimpanzees routinely fish for algae with tools during the dry season in Bakoun, Guinea, American Journal of Primatology. 79: e22613
Boesch L et al. 2017. Wild mammals as economic goods and implications for their conservation, Ecology and Society 22(4):36
Brugière D, Kormos R. 2009. Review of the protected area network in Guinea, West Africa, and recommendations for new sites for biodiversity conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation, 18:847
Brugière D. 2012. Identifying priority areas for the conservation of antelopes in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, using the complementarity approach, Oryx, 46(2): 253-259
Catterson TM et al. 2001. Programmatic environmental assessment of co-management of reserved forests in Guinea, prepared for: USAID/GUINEA
Granier N, Martinez L. 2004. Première reconnaissance des chimpanzés Pan troglodytes verus dans la zone transfontalière entre la Guinée et le Mali (Afrique de l’Ouest), Primatologie, 6:423-447.
Ham R. 1998. Nationwide chimpanzee census and large mammal survey Republic of Guinea. Projet de conservation des chimpanzés en Guineée. Report to the European Union.
Kormos R et al. 2003. The Republic of Guinea, in Kormos, R. Boesch, C., Bakarr, M.I. & Butynski, T.M. [eds.] Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK
WCF. 2012. Annual report 2012 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2014. Annual report 2014 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2015 Annual report 2015 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2016. Annual report 2016 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2017a. Guinea approves creation of largest sanctuary for the West African chimpanzee. Press release of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation from 30 October 2017. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2017b. Annual report 2017 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
WCF. 2018. Annual report 2018 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2019. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
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