Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
Central Africa > Cameroon > Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
Summary[edit]
- Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve.
- The population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 409.82 km².
- Key threats to great apes
- Conservation activities are not reported.
Site characteristics[edit]
The site is located in southwestern Cameroon and it is contiguous with Korup National Park. The name Nkwende means "a water source for animals" in Ejagham (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015). The highest peak at the site is about 737 m above sea level. Part of the reserve extends to the Okoroba village, where rock formations, commonly known as "chimpanzee stone" to the locals, are alleged to be a refuge to chimpanzees. The forest around the villages is secondary forest due to logging and agricultural activities, but primary forests still exist in higher altitudes (Bobo, Aghomo & Ntumwel 2015).
Table 1. Basic site information for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Area | 409.82 km² |
| Coordinates | 5.410812 N, 9.270493 E |
| Designation | Forest Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, marshes, arable land, Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status[edit]
A 2002-2004 survey recorded the presence of chimpanzees; gorillas were not encountered (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). According to a later study, chimpanzees are locally extinct (Bobo, Ntumwel & Aghomo 2013).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Nkwende Hills Forest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes troglodytes | 2002-2004 | 0.72, 0.17, 4.3 | Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 | ||||
| Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2002-2004 | 0 | Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007 |
Threats[edit]
Table 3. Threats to apes in Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| 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 | Cartridges, snares and hunting trails found during a survey in 2002-2004 (Forboseh, Eno-Nku & Sunderland 2007). | Ongoing (2007) | |
| 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]
Table 4. Conservation activities in Nkwende Hills Forest 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 | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges[edit]
Table 5. Challenges reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities[edit]
Documented behaviours[edit]
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links[edit]
Relevant datasets[edit]
References[edit]
BOBO, K. S., NTUMWEL, C. B., & AGHOMO, M. F. (2013). 1. LOCAL PERCEPTION ON WILDLIFE USES AND RELATED LOSS OF CULTURAL VALUES AROUND THE NKWENDE HILLS FOREST RESERVE_ SOUTH-WEST CAMEROON By K. SERGE BOBO_ C. BONITO NTUMWEL AND MF FLORENCE AGHOMO. Life sciences Leaflets, 39, 1-to.
Bobo, K. S., Aghomo, F. F. M., & Ntumwel, B. C. (2015). Wildlife use and the role of taboos in the conservation of wildlife around the Nkwende Hills Forest Reserve; South-west Cameroon. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 11(1), 1-24.
Forboseh, P. F., Sunderland, T. C. H., & Eno-Nku, M. (2007). Priority setting for conservation in south-west Cameroon based on large mammal surveys. Oryx, 41(2), 255-262.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date:05/11/2021