Kom Wum Forest Reserve
Summary
- Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) are present in Kom Wum Forest Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 10 to 83 individuals occur in the site.
- The population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 80 km².
- Key threats include hunting, logging, extraction of non-timber forest products, and agricultural expansion.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
The Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (KWFR) was created in 1951; it stretches across Boyo and Menchum divisions in northwestern Cameroon. The KWFR is surrounded by the villages Mughom and Bueni Bu, Mbengkas, Baiso and Mbongkissu (Fotang et al. 2021; Fotang et al. 2023a). The landscape is a mosaic of grassland and lowland-montane tropical forest. The site is characterized by primary forest, old secondary forest and grassland. It is home to seven diurnal primate species including putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans ludio), mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), olive baboon (Papio anubis), tantalus monkey (Chlorocebus tantalus), patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), and Preuss’s monkey (Allochrocebus preussi) and the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Fotang et al. 2023b).
Table 1. Basic site information for Kom Wum Forest Reserve
| Area | 80 km² |
| Coordinates | |
| Designation | Forest Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, grassland |
Ape status
Using a combination of survey methods it was estimated that 10 (direct observation) to 83 (distance sampling) chimpanzees live in the area depending on the estimation method (Fotang et al. 2021).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Kom Wum Forest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes ellioti | 2018- 2019 | Present | Kom Wum Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) and Line transects | Fotang et al. 2023 | ||||
| Pan troglodytes ellioti | 2018 | 10-83 | Kom Wum Forest Reserve | Line transects (Distance) and other | Fotang et al. 2021 | 1) direct observation, 2) camera trapping, 3)distance sampling, 4) marked nest count, and 5) standing crop nest count, survey effort: 150 km. | |||
| Pan troglodytes ellioti | 2015- 2016 | 11.29 | Kom Wum Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Chuo et al. 2017 | survey effort 42 km. Four chimpanzees were directly observed |
Threats
Based on an analysis of suitable chimpanzee habitat, the reserve is degraded and the population could go extinct unless immediate action is taken; currently, chimpanzees are confined to less than 10% of the area. The study found increasing chimpanzee occurrence with increasing elevation, secondary forest density, distance to villages and primary forest density. Hunting and forest degradation are the major threats to chimpanzees in the reserve (Fotang et al. 2023b).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Kom Wum Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | High | Habitat destruction for the creation of new settlements (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | The lowland areas (< 800 m) are often cultivated with rice and maize and suffer from logging (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | High | Extensive cattle grazing and cattle rearing (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Illegal hunting with guns and trapping (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | High | Harvesting of non-timber forest products (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | ||
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Timber harvesting (Fotang et al. 2023b). | Ongoing (2023) | ||
| 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
Table 4. Conservation activities in Kom Wum Forest 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 | Not reported | ||
| 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 | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kom Wum Forest Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Kom Wum Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Ground nesting | Chuo et al. 2017 |
| Ant dipping | Chuo et al. 2017 |
| Ant digging | Chuo et al. 2017 |
| Crab clobber stones | Chuo et al. 2017 |
External links
References
Chuo, M. D., Angwafo, T. E., Chefor, F., & Fru, B. S. (2017b). Estimation of chimpanzee’s (Pan troglodytes ellioti) abundance in the Kimbi-Fungum National Park and Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, Nw, Cameroon. Journal of Biodiversity Management and Forestry, 6(3), 20-30. DOI: 10.4172/2327-4417.1000185
Fotang, C., Bröring, U., Roos, C. et al. Mapping suitable habitat for Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-Western Cameroon. Primates (2023a). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329- 023-01054-z
Fotang, C., Dutton, P., Bröring, U., Roos, C., Willie, J., Angwafo, T. E., ... & Birkhofer, K. (2023b). Tool use by Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees for driver ant predation in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-West Region Cameroon. Folia Primatologica, 1(aop), 1-13.
Fotang, C., Bröring, U., Roos, C. et al. Human Activity and Forest Degradation Threaten Populations of the Nigeria–Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Western Cameroon. Int J Primatol 42, 105–129 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-020-00191-2
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 24/02/2023