Lobéké National Park
Summary[edit]
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Lobéké National Park.
- It has been estimated that 2,658 gorillas and chimpanzees occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 2,153 km².
- Poaching is a key threat to chimpanzees and gorillas.
- The site forms part of the Sangha Trinational transboundary conservation landscape.
Site characteristics[edit]
Lobéké National Park is situated in the southeast corner of Cameroon. The park forms part of the Sangha Trinational (TNS) transboundary conservation landscape, which also includes Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo (N'Goran 2017; BirdLife International 2020). With at least 305 bird species recorded, Lobéké National Park is a designated Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2020). The saline swamps found in Lobéké attract large numbers of elephants and bongos, and the park contains a significant proportion of untouched primary forest (BirdLife International 2020). The park has one of the highest concentrations of gorillas and elephants in the continent (Sangha Tri-national Trust fund).
Table 1. Basic site information for Lobéké National Park
| Area | 2,153 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.298493 N, 15.689466 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest, marshes |
Ape status[edit]
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Lobéké 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 | 2015 | 2,658 | Lobéké National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2009 | 2,685 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2006 | 5,598 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2002 | 6,360 | Lobéké National Park | Unknown | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats[edit]
Table 3. Threats to apes in Lobéké 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 | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Hunting encounter rates increased from 0.11 sign/km in 2002, to 0.17 sign/km in 2009, to 0.25 sign/km in 2015 (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[edit]
The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund has contributed to the implementation of several conservation activities across the TNS; the WWF has helped develop and improve management plans for the area through their Jengi programme.
Table 4. Conservation activities in Lobéké 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 | 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[edit]
Table 5. Challenges reported for Lobéké National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities[edit]
Several studies have been conducted at Lobéké National Park. A recent study found that changes in land cover from 2001 to 2014 influenced great ape nest distribution (Yuh et al. 2019).
Documented behaviours[edit]
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Lobéké National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links[edit]
The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund
Relevant datasets[edit]
References[edit]
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.
BirdLife International. (2020). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lobéké National Park. Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/11/2020.
Yuh, Y. G., Dongmo, Z. N., N’Goran, P. K., Ekodeck, H., Mengamenya, A., Kuehl, H., Sop, T., Tracz, W., Agunbiade, M., & Elvis, T. (2019). Effects of Land cover change on Great Apes distribution at the Lobéké National Park and its surrounding Forest Management Units, South-East Cameroon. A 13 year time series analysis. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36225-2
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 06/12/2020