Nki National Park
Central Africa > Cameroon > Nki National Park
Summary[edit]
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Nki National Park.
- It has been estimated that 3,421 gorillas and chimpanzees occur in the site.
- The great ape population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 3,093.62 km².
- Great apes are mainly threatened by hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on anti-poaching measures.
- The site is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape.
Site characteristics[edit]
Nki National Park is located in the south-eastern Cameroon, bordering the Republic of Congo to the south and Boumba-Bek National Park to the north. The national park was established in 2005 (UNEP-WCMC 2021). Nki National Park is part of the TRIDOM conservation landscape, which is spread over three countries: Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo (WWF n.d.). The TRIDOM landscape is very rich in biodiversity, and 97% of its surface is covered by forest (WWF n.d.), representing approximately 10% of the Congo Basin rainforest (WWF n.d.). TRIDOM is also home to an indigenous Baka population of around 10,000 people (WWF n.d.). In addition to gorillas and chimpanzees, the site harbors a wide variety of mammals, including elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, sitatungas, and several species of duikers (WWF n.d.).
Table 1. Basic site information for Nki National Park
| Area | 3,093.62 km² |
| Coordinates | 2.508848 N, 14.466650 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical swamp forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status[edit]
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Nki 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 | 2005 | 9,437 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2012 | 11,417 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) | N'Goran 2017 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla & Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2015 | 3,421 | Nki National Park | Line transects (Distance) and reconnaissance data | N'Goran 2017 |
Threats[edit]
Poaching, facilitated by the traffic of automatic weapons, has been a major threat at the site (WWF n.d., N'Goran 2017). Other human activities, such as illegal mining and logging are also a threat to wildlife and their habitat at Nki National Park (N'Goran 2017).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Nki 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 | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal mining (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Although elephants have been the main target, poaching is also a major threat to apes and other wildlife at the site (N'Goran 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal logging (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 site is part of WWF's Jengi programme, which supports the management of Nki National Park and other sites that are part of the TRIDOM and TNS conservation landscapes. Anti-poaching measures seem to be showing positive results, as camera traps have recently captured a large herd of elephants (WWF 2017, WWF 2020).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Nki 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 | Government eco-guards are permanently stationed in the park and anti-poaching patrols are regularly conducted (WWF 2017). | Ongoing (2017) |
| 5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols | Wildlife monitoring team spends at least 15 days inside the park; camera traps help monitor wildlife (WWF 2017). | Ongoing (2017) | |
| 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 | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site was declared a National Park in 2005 | Ongoing (2021) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges[edit]
Table 5. Challenges reported for Nki National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities[edit]
Documented behaviours[edit]
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Nki National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links[edit]
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.
UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Nki from the World Database of Protected Areas, November 2021. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net
WWF n.d.TRIDOM: Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkébé. https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/where_we_work/tridom___tri_national_dja_odzala_minkebe/
WWF (2017). Anti-poaching measures show encouraging signs of recovery in Nki National Park.https://www.wwf-congobasin.org/?305371/Anti%2Dpoaching%2Dmeasures%2Dshow%2Dencouraging%2Dsigns%2Dof%2Drecovery%2Din%2DNki%2DNational%2DPark
WWF (2020). The elephants are returning to Nki National Park. https://cameroon.panda.org/?32710/The-elephants-are-returning-to-Nki-National-Park
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:05/11/2021