Monte Alén National Park
Central Africa > Equatorial Guinea > Monte Alén National Park
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Monte Alén National Park.
- The population sizes are unknown.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 2,000 km².
- Key threats to great apes are hunting, logging, and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion.
- Conservation activities are not reported.
Site characteristics
Established in 1990, Monte Alén National Park is located in Equatorial Guinea. The size of the park was doubled in 1998 with the inclusion of Mount Mitra, and in 2000 another section to the south was added (BirdLife International 2020). Since 1992, the European-Union-funded ECOFAC program has been involved in the management of the park (Cadecott & Miles 2005).
Table 1. Basic site information for Monte Alén National Park
| Area | 2,000 km² |
| Coordinates | 1.533574 N, 10.126031 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Ape status
The site has been identified as a priority area for gorillas and chimpanzees in Equatorial Guinea, as it holds very high ape and large mammal densities (Murai et al. 2013).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Monte Alén 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 troglodytes & Gorilla gorilla gorilla |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Monte Alén National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present, but threat is severity unknown | Agricultural expansion (Sunderland 2005; Kenfack 2014) | Ongoing (2014) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Commercial trapping and hunting (Caldecott and Miles 2005; BirdLife International 2020). | Ongoing (2020) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Logging activity (Sunderland 2005; Kenfack 2014) | Ongoing (2014) | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Absent | ||||
| 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
INSERT PARAGRAPH(S)
Table 4. Conservation activities in Monte Alén 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
Table 5. Challenges reported for Monte Alén National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Volatility of funding | Kenfack 2014 |
| Lack of capacity/training | Kenfack 2014 |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Monte Alén National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
BirdLife International. (2020). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Monte Alen National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/12/2020.
Miles, J. O. C. L., & Annan, K. (2005). World atlas of great apes and their conservation. Univ of California Press.
Murai M, Ruffler H, Berlemont A, Campbell G, Esono F, Agbor A, et al. (2013). Priority Areas for Large Mammal Conservation in Equatorial Guinea. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75024. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075024
Sunderland, T. C. H. (2005). A biodiversity assessment of the Monte Mitra forest, Monte Alén National Park, Equatorial Guinea. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Kenfack, C.E. (2014). El paisaje del Monte Alén /Montes de Cristal. CIFOR report, retrieved from: https://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/brief/4507-brief.pdf
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:29/12/2020