Lac Tumba landscape
Central Africa > Democratic Republic of the Congo > Lac Tumba landscape
Summary
- Bonobos (Pan paniscus) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in the Lac Tumba landscape.
- The population sizes are unknown.
- The great ape population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 78,972 km².
- Key threats to bonobos are poaching, habitat loss, and diseases.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
- The site holds the world’s largest swamp forest, and the world’s second largest wetland area.
Site characteristics
The Lac Tumba (or Lake Tumba) landscape is situated in western Democratic Republic of Congo, and extends into neighbouring Republic of Congo, forming the Lac Tumba-Lac Tele transboundary landscape. The landscape is made up mainly of marshes, seasonally flooded forests and meadows. It is home to the largest Ramsar freshwater wetland of international importance. The forest of Lac Tumba is the world’s largest swamp forest, and the world’s second largest wetland area (WWF n.d.). About 60% of the Lac Tumba landscape is inundated and seasonally flooded forest (Inogwabini et al. 2007). The landscape is home to a wide variety of large mammals, including bonobos, chimpanzees, Angolan pied colobus, Allen's swamp monkeys, black mangabeys, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, forest elephants, buffalos and leopards (Inogwabini et al. 2007). In addition, the swamps have a rich diversity of fish and attract freshwater-dependent species such as sitatunga, water chevrotain, slender-snout crocodiles, Nile crocodile, and hippopotamus (Inogwabini et al. 2007).
Table 1. Basic site information for Lac Tumba landscape
| Area | 78,972 km² |
| Coordinates | -1.597554, 17.117188 |
| Designation | Protected Landscape |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical swamp forest, subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, savanna |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Bonobo groups were found in five areas in a 2005 survey: (1) Bolombo-Losombo, (2) Mbala-Donkese, (3) Ngombe-Botuali, (4) Botuali-Ilombe, and (5) Mompulenge–Mbanzi-Malebo–Nguomi (Inogwabini et al. 2007). There were two sub-groups in the latter area, separated by 50 km of unbroken gallery forest, Mopulenge-Mbanzi and Malebo-Nguomi. One group of chimpanzees was found in the area between Bosobele and Lubengo (Inogwabini et al. 2007).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Lac Tumba landscape
| 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 paniscus | 2005 | 0.057 | Bolombo-Losombo (552 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | ||||
| Pan paniscus | 2005 | 17 (15-19) | 0.27 (0.24-0.29) | Mbala-Donkese (160 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | |||
| Pan paniscus | 2005 | 198 (176-212) | 0.27 (0.24-0.29) | Ngombe-Botuali (1,829 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | |||
| Pan paniscus | 2005 | 103 (92-111) | 0.27 (0.24-0.29) | Botuali-Ilombe (955 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | |||
| Pan paniscus | 2005 | 2,297 (1,880-3,550) | 2.2 (1.8-3.4) | Malebo-Nguomi (1,993 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | |||
| Pan paniscus | 2005 | 1.2 | Mopulenge-Mbanzi (1,380,390 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 | ||||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2005 | 0.019 | Bosobele-Lubengo (4,047 sq. km) | Reconnaissance and line transect methods | Inogwabini et al. 2007 |
Threats
Poaching, habitat loss, and diseases are the main direct threats to bonobos in Lac Tumba (IUCN & ICCN 2012). Although logging has been considered moderately severe, the situation is considered reversible if sufficient efforts are made, such as closing of logging roads and rehabilitation of the natural vegetation (IUCN & ICCN 2012). Unmonitored fishing and bushmeat hunting are common at the site (Inogwabini et al. 2007). The Bateke people inhabiting the Malebo area believe that bonobos are their ancestors, and therefore a traditional taboo prevents them from hunting bonobos (Inogwabini et al. 2007).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Lac Tumba landscape
| 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 | High | Unplanned and unsustainable subsistence agricultural practices (Inogwabini et al. 2007). | Ongoing (2007) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Low | Development of communications infrastructure (roads, railways) (IUCN & ICCN 2012). | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Poaching is facilitated by increasing availability of weapons and ammunition and the location of the area at the junction of major river routes (Inogwabini et al. 2007, IUCN & ICCN 2012). | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Legal and illegal industrial logging. Easy river access is used for transportation of timber to Kinshasa (IUCN & ICCN 2012). Logging for the wenge Mellitia laurenti (Inogwabini et al. 2007). | Ongoing (2012) | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | 8.4 Problematic species/diseases of unknown origin | Present, but threat severity unknown | Threat of disease (IUCN & ICCN 2012). | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
The landscape is a priority conservation landscape funded by the Central African Regional Programme for the Environment of the US Agency for International Development through the International Congo Basin Forest Partnership. The site was selected as a priority conservation site in 2000 (Inogwabini et al. 2007).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Lac Tumba landscape
| 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
Table 5. Challenges reported for Lac Tumba landscape
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of law enforcement | IUCN & ICCN 2012 |
| Lack of government support | IUCN & ICCN 2012 |
| Lack of understanding of conservation issues | IUCN & ICCN 2012 |
| Insufficient subsistence alternatives | IUCN & ICCN 2012 |
Research activities
Preliminary bonobo and chimpanzee nesting by habitat type in the northern Lac Tumba Landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo
Bonobo Food Items, Food Availability and Bonobo Distribution in the Lake Tumba Swampy Forests, Democratic Republic of Congo
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Lac Tumba landscape
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Relevant datasets
References
WWF (n.d.). Lac Tumba. Online: https://www.wwfdrc.org/en/our_work/landscapes/lac_tumba_landscape/
Inogwabini, B. I., Matungila, B., Mbende, L., Abokome, M., & wa Tshimanga, T. (2007). Great apes in the Lake Tumba landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo: newly described populations. Oryx, 41(4), 532-538.
IUCN & ICCN (2012). Bonobo (Pan paniscus): Conservation Strategy 2012–2022. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Primate
Spécialist Group & Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. 65 pp
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 29/11/2021