Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
Summary
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve.
- It has been estimated that 11,345 individuals occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 1,566.72 km².
- Key threats to great apes are logging, hunting, mining, and clearing forest for agriculture.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
The Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve is situated in southeastern Cameroon. Located between Nki National Park and Dja Biosphere Reserve, the site is also part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape (WWF). In 2014, the government of Cameroon, in collaboration with WWF and the World Bank, created the reserve. Along with the reserve, five new forestry concessions were created, covering nearly 500,000 ha in the same forest block (Ngoyla Mintom forest block), on the lands belonging to the indigenous Baka and Bantu peoples (FPP 2019). Mammal species inhabiting the site include forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, mandrills, buffalos, bongos, sitatungas, panthers, duikers, water chevrotains; more than 280 bird species and 230 fish species are also found at the site (WWF).
Table 1. Basic site information for Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
| Area | 1,566.72 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.657628 N, 13.788269 E |
| Designation | Wildlife Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
Ape status
Great ape abundance declined between 2011 and 2015 (N'Goran 2017).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Ngoyla Wildlife 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2011 | 20,076 | Ngoyla Mintom forests | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2015 | 11,345 | Ngoyla Mintom forests | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Absent | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present, but threat severity unknown | Expansion of slash and burn agriculture (WWF n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | Present, but threat severity unknown | Industrial and artisanal mining (WWF n.d.). | Ongoing | |
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Present, but threat severity unknown | Logging roads facilitate access to the forest and illegal hunting and bushmeat trade (Mbom & Akana 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Bushmeat poaching (N'Goran 2017, WWF n.d.). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | Industrial timber exploitation and illegal small scale logging (WWF n.d.). | 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
Table 4. Conservation activities in Ngoyla Wildlife 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 | 13.1. Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. REDD, employment) | Promotion of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and REDD + initiatives (WWF n.d.). | Unknown |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
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.
WWF (n.d.).Ngoyla-Mintom Project. Online: https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/where_we_work/cameroon/ngoyla_mintom_/
Mbom, S. & Akana, D. (2017). The Road to Destruction? Online:https://infocongo.org/en/the-road-to-destruction/
FPP (2019). There’s a long, long way to go: the story of FPIC in Cameroon’s Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 14/11/2021