Niokolo-Koba National Park
West Africa > Senegal > Niokolo-Koba National Park
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Niokolo-Koba National Park.
- It has been estimated that 23 individuals occur at the site.
- The chimpanzee population trend is estimated to be stable.
- This site has a total size of 9130 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are illegal bushmeat hunting and mining activities.
- The park management implements anti-poaching patrols, roadblocks and supports communities around the park.
- Niokolo-Koba National Park is contiguous with Badiar National Park in Guinea.
Site characteristics
The Niokolo-Koba National Park (also called Parc National du Niokolo Koba – PNNK) is located in southeastern Senegal and is contiguous with Badiar National Park in northern Guinea. Niokolo-Koba National Park has been established in 1954 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019). PNNK is also a World Heritage Site since 1981 and has been listed as a World Heritage site in danger since 2007 (UNESCO 2019a, UNESCO 2019b). It is also an Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2019). Most of the park is flat, but there are several hills in its eastern part with Mt Assirik being the highest elevation with 311 m (BirdLife International 2019). PNNK is characterized by savanna with gallery forests, grasslands, bamboo forests, and seasonally inundated flood-plains and marshes (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019). The river Gambie and several of its tributaries cross the park. PNNK features a rich biodiversity with more than 70 mammal species, 329 bird species, 36 reptile species reptiles, 20 amphibian species and many species of invertebrates (BirdLife International 2019). Some of the present mammal species include lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), African civet (Civettictis civetta), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and African elephant (Loxodonta africana, Henschel et al. 2014, McGrew et al. 2014, Lindshield et al. 2019). In addition to western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), the presence of several primate species has been confirmed, including green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus), patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), lesser bushbaby (Galago senegalensis), and Guinea baboon (Papio papio, Lindshield et al. 2019). There are also more than 1500 plant species (BirdLife International 2019).
Table 1. Basic site information for Niokolo-Koba National Park
| Area | 9130.0 km² |
| Coordinates | 13.031594, -13.068463 |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Dry savanna, subtropicial/tropical dry shrubland, subtropicial/tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropicial/tropical dry forest, permanent rivers, seasonal/intermittent freshwater marsches/pools |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
In 1967, De Bournonville confirmed the presence of chimpanzees in Niokolo-Koba National Park (De Bournonville 1967). McGrew et al. (1981) estimated the chimpanzee population size to be around 24 individuals based on studying unhabituated chimpanzees around Mt. Assirik. Similarly, Pruetz et al. (2002) estimated a population size of 23 individuals based on nest count surveys.
Table 2. Great ape population estimates in Niokolo-Koba 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 verus | 1967 | Present | PNNK | Interview method, Index survey | De Bournonville 1967 | ||||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 1976-1979 | 24 | 0.09 | Assirik area | Full counts | McGrew et al 1981 | |||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2000 | 23 | 0.13 | Assirik area | Line transects (Distance) | Pruetz et al. 2002 |
Threats
In 2007, Niokolo-Koba National Park was listed as a World Heritage site in danger because of poaching, livestock grazing, and the Sambangalou dam project (UNESCO 2019b). The park is also negatively affected by drought (UNESCO 2019b). A road bisects the park and a large-scale gold mining operation at the eastern border of PNNK exerts further pressure on the park’s resources (Lindshield et al. 2019). In addition, anthropogenic bushfires have been reported, as well as illegal logging and fishing (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019). There are plans to construct a dam 930 km upstream from the mouth of the Gambia River. While contributing to development by providing energy and irrigation opportunities, there are fears of environmental and social risks, especially for downstream wetlands and indirect impacts caused by population resettlement (BirdLife International 2019).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Niokolo-Koba National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Absent | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.3. Livestock Farming & Ranching | Medium | Livestock grazing (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | 3.2. Mining & Quarrying | Present | Artisanal gold mining (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1. Roads & railroads | Medium | A road bisects the park (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1. Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Medium | Illegal hunting has been reported (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 5.3. Logging & wood harvesting | Present | Illegal logging has been reported (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019, UNESCO 2019b) | Ongoing (2019) | ||
| 5.4. Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Present | Illegal fishing (BirdLife International 2019) | Ongoing (2019) | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Absent | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | 7.1. Fire & Fire suppression | Present | Anthropogenic fires (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield et al. 2019) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | 11.2. Droughts | Medium | Droughts cause the drying of rivers and reduce flooding of marshes and flood-plains, causing damage also to forests (BirdLife International 2019) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Niokolo-Koba National Park is managed by Direction des Parcs Nationaux (DPN). Conservation activities include anti-poaching patrols and road checkpoints (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019). Park agents also engage with communities living close to the park to discourage illegal behavior, for example by supporting tourist guides, fishermen groups and providing veterinary assistance (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019). The management plan from 2000 has expired and a request has been submitted to UNESCO to reniew the management plan (BirdLife International 2019, UNESCO 2019b).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Niokolo-Koba 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 | 5.4. Implement road blocks to inspect cars for illegal primate bushmeat | Road checkpoints on the road bisecting the park (Lindshield at al. 20019) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Park agents regularly conduct anti-poaching patrols (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019) | Ongoing (2019) | |
| 6. Human intrusions & 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 | Designated a national park in 1954 (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2019) | Since 1954 |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | 13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development) | Communities living close to the park are supported , e.g., tourist guides, fishermen groups and providing veterinary assistance (BirdLife International 2019, Lindshield at al. 20019) | Ongoing (2019) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
No challenges have been reported.
Table 5. Challenges reported for Niokolo-Koba National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Research on chimpanzees in Niokolo-Koba National Park has been ongoing intermittently since the 1970s. A research site was established near Mt. Assirik by the Stirling African Primate Project (coordinated by William McGrew and Caroline Tutin) in 1976 to study the local chimpanzee community (Carter et al. 2003). Since then a wide variety of studies has been implemented on the ecology and social organization of chimpanzees, including diet, tool use and nesting behavior.
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Niokolo-Koba National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Ant dipping | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Ant eating | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Ant fishing | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Cave use | compiled in Kühl et al. 2019 |
| Fruit cleaving | Marchant & McGrew 2005 |
| Honey eating | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Honey extraction with tool | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Making ground nests | Pruetz et al. 2008 |
| Stone throwing | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Termite eating | McGrew et al. 2003 |
| Termite fishing | McGrew et al. 2003 |
References
BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Parc National du Niokolo-Koba. Online: www.birdlife.org
Carter et al. 2003.Senegal. In: Kormos and Boesch (eds) Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Chimpanzees in West Africa. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International, Washington DC.
De Bournonville D. 1967. Contribution à l’étude du chimpanzé en République de Guinee. Bulletin de l’Institute Fondamental d’Afrique Noire, Serie A 24, 1188–1269.
Henschel P et al. 2014. The lion in West Africa is Critically Endangered, PLoS ONE 9(1): e83500.
Kühl HS et al. 2019. Human impact erodes chimpanzee behavioral diversity. Science. 363, 1453–1455.
Lindshield S et al. 2019. Informing Protection Efforts for Critically Endangered Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and Sympatric Mammals amidst Rapid Growth of Extractive Industries in Senegal. Folia Primatologica 90: 124-136.
Marchant LF & McGrew WC. 2005. Percussive technology: chimpanzee baobab smashing and the evolutionary modelling of hominin knapping. In: Roux & Bril (eds) Stone knapping – the necessary conditions for a uniquely hominin behaviour.
McGrew WC et al. 1981. Chimpanzees in a hot, dry and open habitat: Mt. Assirik, Senegal, West Africa. Journal of Human Evolution, 10, 227–244.
McGrew WC et al. 2003. Ethoarchaeology and elementary technology of unhabituated wild chimpanzees at Assirik, Senegal, West Africa. PaleoAnthropology 5(2):1–20
McGrew WC et al. 2014. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and their mammalian sympatriates: Mt. Assirik, Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal. Primates 55: 525–532.
Pruetz JD et al. 2002. Survey of savannah chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in south-eastern Sénégal. American Journal of Primatology 58: 35–43.
Pruetz et al. 2008. Arboreal nesting as anti-predator adaptation by savanna chimpanzees in southeastern Senegal. American Journal of Primatology 70: 393-401
Pruetz JD et al. 2012. Update on the Assirik chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) population in Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal. Pan Africa News 19: 8–11.
Tutin CEG et al. 1983. Social organization of savannah-dwelling chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus, at Mt. Assirik, Senegal. Primates 24: 154–173.
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2019. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
UNESCO. 2019a. Niokolo-Koba National Park. Online: whc.unesco.org
UNESCO. 2019b. State of Conservation - Niokolo-Koba National Park. Online: whc.unesco.org/soc
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 21/11/2019