Gishwati-Mukura National Park

East Africa > Rwanda > Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Summary

• Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
• It has been estimated that 28 individuals occur at the site.
• The chimpanzee population trend is increasing.
• The site has a total size of 35.58 km².
• Key threats to chimpanzees are deforestation, illegal cattle grazing, hunting & mining.
• Conservation activities have focused on conducting anti-poaching patrols, establishing “eco-clubs” for conservation education, and running a long-term research project.

Site characteristics

Located in northwest Rwanda, Gishwati-Mukura National Park is located roughly between Volcanoes National Park to the north and Nyungwe Forest National Park to the south. The park is made up of two parts: the larger Gishwati forest, and small Mukura forest. The forests are situated on the ridge that divides the Congo and Nile water catchment areas, along the Albertine Rift in the west of the country (Visit Rwanda). In addition to eastern chimpanzees, other primates inhabiting the site include golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s and blue monkeys. A recent survey of birds detected 155 species, including 20 which are endemic to the Albertine Rift (Inman & Ntoyinkama 2020).The Gishwati Forest was declared a Forest Reserve in 1951; in 2015 Gishwati Forest was gazetted as part of the Gishwati-Mukura National Park (Inman & Ntoyinkama 2020). The site is part of the Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, since 2020.

Table 1. Basic site information for Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Area	35.58 km²
Coordinates	-1.751373 S, 29.441319 E
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The chimpanzee population in the Gishwati forest has increased in size, from 13 individuals in 2007, to 19 individuals in 2010, and more recently, in 2019, chimpanzee trackers were able to identify 28 individuals (Chancellor et al. 2020).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Gishwati-Mukura 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 schweinfurthii	2009-2010	19			Gishwati Forest Reserve	Genetic analysis	Chancellor et al. 2012
Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii	2019	28			Gishwati Forest	Full count	Chancellor et al. 2020

Threats

Deforestation has been a major problem in the area; by 2001, only 1,500 acres of the forest’s original 250,000 remained (NASA Earth Observatory). Other important threats include illegal cattle grazing, hunting, illegal mining and logging, and agricultural expansion (Chancellor et al. 2020).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Gishwati-Mukura 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	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Deforestation is a key threat at the site; by 2001, only 1,500 acres of the forest’s original 250,000 remained (NASA Earth Observatory; Chancellor 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
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

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

In 2010, the Gishwati Area Conservation Program, sponsored by Great Ape Trust, was given the responsibility for managing and implementing conservation interventions in Gishwati Forest for 3 years. As part of the program, a key objective was to restore a forest corridor between Gishwati and Nyungwe Forest National Park to connect the chimpanzee populations and preserve genetic diversity.

Table 4. Conservation activities in Gishwati-Mukura 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	5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Eco Guards monitor illegal and unsustainable human activities including cattle grazing, logging, charcoal production, and mining in Gishwati forest (Chancellor et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
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	10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use	Establishment of eco-clubs in nearby primary and secondary schools, where children learn about conservation and the local flora and fauna (Chancellor et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site was declared a National Park in 2015 (Inman & Ntoyinkama 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.3. Run research project and ensure permanent human presence at site	Since 2008, long-term chimpanzee research began in Gishwati (Chancellor et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

https://www.cepf.net/sites/default/files/guidebook-gishwati-mukura-national-park.pdf

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Visit Rwanda - Gishwati-Mukura National Park
Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve UNESCO

Relevant datasets

A.P.E.S Portal

References

Chancellor, R. L., Langergraber, K., Ramirez, S., Rundus, A. S., & Vigilant, L. (2012). Genetic Sampling of Unhabituated Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gishwati Forest Reserve, an Isolated Forest Fragment in Western Rwanda. International Journal of Primatology, 33(2), 479-488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-012-9591-6
Chancellor, R., Rundus, A., Nyiratuza, M., Nyandwi, S., & Aimable, T. (2020). Community‐based conservation and chimpanzee research in Gishwati forest, Rwanda. American Journal of Primatology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23195
Inman, S. & Ntoyinkama, C. (2020). Recent Survey of Birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda. Scopus, 40(1), 7–15.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 30/12/2020