Liberia Nationwide
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Liberia.
- It has been estimated that 7,008 (CI: 4,260–11,590) individuals occur in the country.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 106,970.49 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting, logging, and mining.
- Conservation activities focus on community forest management and law enforcement.
- About 70% of the country’s chimpanzee population occurs outside fully protected areas; largest exclusively forest dwelling chimpanzee population in West Africa; second largest West African chimpanzee population after Guinea.
Site characteristics
Liberia is located on the coast in West Africa and shares borders with Sierra Leone to the west, Guinea to the north and Côte d’Ivoire to the east. Liberia’s c. 4.33 million ha of forest (Christie et al., 2007) are distributed within the two largest remaining areas of continuous forest in West Africa (Kunkel, 1965; Gatter, 1997) and contain c. 40% of the remaining Upper Guinea forests. The country potentially hosts as yet unknown species and lies within a conservation priority ecoregion (Jenkins et al.,2013). It has high levels of biodiversity and falls within the richest 5% of land area for threatened amphibians (e.g., golden-backed frog Amnirana occidentalis), birds (e.g., Timneh parrot Psittacus timneh) and mammals (e.g., pygmy hippo Choeropsis liberiensis, western red colobus Piliocolobus badius) (Jenkins et al., 2013). It currently contains three national parks: Sapo, Gola Forest and Grebo-Krahn National Parks. Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve and East Nimba Nature Reserve are also protected areas.
Table 1: Basic site information for Liberia
| Area | 106,970.49 km² |
| Coordinates | 6.46 N, -9.39 W |
| Designation | Not applicable |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, Subtropical/tropical dry lowland forest, Plantations, Rural gardens, Urban areas, Subtropical/Tropical heavily degraded former forest |
Ape status
Tweh et al. (2014) conducted the first and only systematic survey of chimpanzees and large mammals across the entire country of Liberia during August 2010–May 2012. They used traditional line-transect methods to estimate the distribution and abundance of chimpanzees, the distribution and diversity of large mammal species, and the distribution and abundance of anthropogenic threats related to hunting, logging, mining, extraction of non-timber forest products and agriculture. They estimated the country’s chimpanzee population at more than 7,000 chimpanzees. They found chimpanzees predominantly in primary forest and rarely in human-disturbed habitats across much of the country, with the highest relative densities in the two forest blocks in the south-east and north-west.
Table 2: Great ape population estimates in Liberia
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% confidence interval) | Density estimate (per km²) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2012 | 7,008 (4,260-11,590) | 0.047 (0.028–0.08) | 0.34 | Nationwide | Line transects (Distance) | Tweh et al. 2014 | Total survey effort: 326.18 km | |
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2015 | 6,050 (2,902-13,690) | Nationwide | Model estimate | Heinicke et al. 2019 | Based on density distribution predicted for geographic range of western chimpanzees using models and transect survey data |
Threats
Chimpanzees and other mammals are increasingly threatened by widespread hunting, as well as the habitat destruction that will inevitably result from proposed plans for large-scale timber and mineral extraction (MPEA, 2010). The majority of mineral and timber extraction activities encountered during the survey by Tweh and colleagues (2014) were artisanal. However, since the end of the civil war in 2003, and following the complete war-time collapse of the country’s economy, international logging and mining companies have shown renewed interest in Liberia’s rich timber and mineral resources. The country’s economy is largely resource-driven and thus, in an attempt to fuel economic growth, extensive tracts of natural habitat have already been assigned to forestry and mining concessions (MPEA, 2010).
Conservation activities
Conservation activities in Liberia focus mainly on law enforcement to reduce hunting pressure, environmental education, and habitat protection. The majority of conservation activities are financed and implemented by local conservation NGOs (The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Birds) in collaboration with the Forestry Development Authority.
Impediments
Corruption (e.g., Blair 2013, Global Witness 2013), lack of capacity/training (Junker pers. obs. 2012), lack of technical means (Junker pers. obs. 2012), and conflict on land tenure (Global Witness 2013) are the main impediments to effective conservation in Liberia.
Table 5: Impediments reported for Liberia
| Impediment | Source |
|---|---|
| Conflict on land tenure | Global Witness 2013 |
| Corruption | Blair 2013, Global Witness 2013 |
| Lack of capacity/training | Junker pers. obs. 2012 |
| Lack of technical means | Junker pers. obs. 2012 |
Research activities
Anderson et al. (1983) were the first to study chimpanzee behavior and ecology in Sapo NP, and Greengrass and colleagues (2015) studied the impact of hunting pressure in the area in and around Sapo NP (Greengrass 2015). The effectiveness of participation in livelihood-support programs was tested near Gola NP (Jones et al. 2019). Chimpanzee abundance surveys were carried out in Sapo NP (N’Goran et al. 2010, Tweh et al. 2018, FFI unpubl. data), Gola NP (Tweh et al. 2014), Grebo-Krahn NP (Tweh et al. 2014), and across the entire country (Tweh et al. 2014). All chimpanzee surveys also recorded data on hunting pressure.
Documented behaviours
Chimpanzees in East Nimba frequently build ground nests, an observation made only once elsewhere in the country during the nationwide survey (Junker pers. obs. 2012, Jones pers. obs. 2015). Chimpanzee nut cracking sites were recorded all across the country during the nationwide chimpanzee survey (Junker unpubl. data).
Relevant datasets
Nationwide data on chimpanzee density (2012)
Nationwide data on empty cartridge and snare density (proxy for hunting pressure) (2012)
Nationwide data on large mammal species diversity (2012)
Nationwide data on tree diversity (circumference > 10 cm) (2012)
Nationwide recordings of chimpanzee nut-cracking sites (2012)
Nationwide data on chimpanzee taboos, human meat preferences and consumption behavior, human attitudes towards chimpanzees and other wildlife species, education level, religious orientation, income, and other socio-economic variables (2012 & 2015)
Data on Ebola occurrence, infection frequency, socio-economic conditions and trust in communities/government/medical facilities and other institutions during the Ebola crisis (2015)
Data on chimpanzee density and hunting pressure for Sapo NP (2009)
Data on chimpanzee density and hunting pressure for Sapo NP (2009)
Data on chimpanzee density and hunting pressure for Sapo NP (2016/2017)
Data on chimpanzee density and hunting pressure for Gola NP (2010-2012)
Data on chimpanzee density and hunting pressure for Grebo-Krahn NP (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
References
Anderson R, Williamson EA, Carter J. 1983. Chimpanzees of Sapo Forest, Liberia: density, nests, tools and meat-eating. PRIMAaXS 24: 594-601.
Blair D. 2013. Saved: Liberia’s rainforests win reprieve from logging. Telegraph (23 December 2013)
Christie T, Steining MK, John D, Peal A. 2007. Fragmentation and clearance of Liberia’s forests during 1986–2000. Oryx 41: 539–543.
Global Witness, Safe My Future Foundation (SAMFU), Sustainable Development Institute (SDI). 2012. Signing Their Lives Away: Liberia’s Private Use Permits and the Destruction of Community-Owned Rainforest.
Greengrass E. 2015. Commercial hunting to supply urban markets threatens mammalian biodiversity in Sapo National Park. Oryx 50: 397–404.
Gatter W. 1997. Birds of Liberia. Yale University Press.
Heinicke et al. 2019. Advancing conservation planning for western chimpanzees using IUCN SSC A.P.E.S. – the case of a taxon-specific database. Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab1379
Jenkins CN, Pimm SL, Joppa LN. 2013. Global patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity and conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1302251110.
Ministry Of Planning And Economic Affairs (MPEA). 2010. Liberia’s Vision for Accelerating Economic Growth. A Development Corridor Desk Study. Unpublished report.
N’Goran KP, Kouakou YC, Herbinger I. 2010. Report on the Population Survey and Monitoring of Chimpanzees in Sapo National Park, Liberia (June–December 2009). Unpublished report.
Tweh C, Lormie M, Kouakou CY, Hillers A, Kühl HS, Junker J, et al. 2014. Conservation status of chimpanzees Pan troglodytes verus and other large mammals in Liberia: a nationwide survey. Oryx:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605313001191.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 05/09/2019