Marahoué National Park
West Africa > Côte d’Ivoire > Marahoué National Park
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are now extirpated in Marahoué National Park.
- This site has a total size of 1,010 km².
- Chimpanzees are extirpated due to hunting and large-scale deforestation driven by the expansion of agricultural areas.
Site characteristics
Marahoué National Park (IUCN category: II) was established in 1968 (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2019). It covers an area of 1010 km2 and is located in the central Côte d´Ivoire in the Bouafle region near Lake Kossou. Marahoué NP is 275 km (170 miles) northwest of Abidjan. Marahoué NP is managed by the Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIPR). The park consists of two ecological zones: close forest in the south-west of the park and savanna in the north-eastern part. In a survey in 2007 signs of different mammal and bird species were found, including forest elephant (Loxodonta africana), pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus). However, the park is strongly affected by illegal activities, especially forest clearing for cocoa plantations and poaching, and the current status of the biodiversity is unknown (Campbell et al. 2008, N’Goran et al. 2006, N’Goran et al. 2007, WCF 2012).
Table 1. Basic site information for Marahoué National Park
| Area | 1,010 km² |
| Coordinates | 7.11, -6.02 |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/ tropical moist lowland forest, moist savanna, plantations |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) population in Marahoué National Park was first estimated at 1407 individuals by Marchesi et al. (1995). However, due to the relatively small number of transects surveyed, large uncertainties are associated with this estimate. In 2007, a survey that covered 167.5 km of systematically located transects across the entire park yielded a conservative population estimate of fewer than 50 individuals (N´Goran et al. 2007). In 2012, a rapid assessment was conducted by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation WCF in collaboration with Afrique Nature, and no signs of chimpanzees were found.
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Marahoué 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 | 1990 | 1407 (weaned) | 1.64 | 15.6 | entire area | Line transects (Distance) | Marchesi et al. 1995 | Total survey effort: 15 km | |
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2006 | < 50 | 0.01 | entire area | Line transects (Distance) | N’Goran et al. 2006 | Total survey effort: 154.5 km | ||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2007 | < 50 | 0.03 | entire area | Line transects (Distance) | N’Goran et al. 2007, Campbell et al. 2008 | Total survey effort: 167.5 km | ||
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2012 | 0 | 0 | entire area | Line transects (Distance) | WCF 2012 | Total survey effort: 36.9 km |
Threats
Marahoué National Park has lost 93% of its forest cover between 2002 and 2008, which may be directly linked to the civil unrest prevailing in the country since 2002 (Campbell et al. 2008). Deforestation was many driven clearing land for agriculture using fires, especially for cocoa plantations, and illegal logging (Campbell et al. 2008, N’Goran et al. 2006, N’Goran et al. 2007, WCF 2012). In addition, the presence of people in the park and illegal hunting of chimpanzees likely caused the extinction of chimpanzees in Marahoué NP (Struhsaker and Bakarr 1999, Denis 2015).
Table 3. Threats to great apes in Marahoué National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | High | presence of people in the park, campsites and small villages (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | especially cocoa plantations (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 2.3 Livestock farming & ranching | Low | signs of cattle grazing (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | 4.1 Roads & railroads | Medium | presence of illegal paths, roads and vehicles (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | poaching widespread (WCF 2012) | Ongoing (2012) | |
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Not reported | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
As chimpanzees are extirpated from Marahoué National Park no conservation activities are implemented.
Table 4. Conservation activities in Marahoué National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not applicable | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not applicable | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not applicable | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not applicable | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | Not applicable | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Not applicable | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not applicable | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not applicable | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not applicable | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | Not applicable | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | Not applicable | ||
| 12. Species Management | Not applicable | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not applicable |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Denis (2015) conducted a comprehensive study into why Marahoué National Park degraded. The study was based on interviews with different stakeholders in Marahoué National Park and pointed out that already since its creation in 1968 farmers were present in the park and in 1990 13% of the park was occupied by people, and this percentage has grown steadily since (Denis 2015). Government support for maintaining the protective status of Marahoué was weak and inconsistent. There is also widespread corruption and a lack of technical means as well as human resources to ensure law enforcement (Denis 2015).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Marahoué National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Corruption | Denis 2015 |
| Lack of government support | Denis 2015 |
| Lack of human resources | Denis 2015 |
| Lack of law enforcement | Denis 2015 |
| Lack of technical means | Denis 2015 |
Research activities
As chimpanzees are extirpated from Marahoué National Park no research is conducted on chimpanzees.
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Great ape behaviors reported for Marahoué National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
References
Denis G. 2015. Le parc de la Marahoué : de la logique de conservation à la logique de prédation. European Scientific Journal March 11(8): 1857-7881
Campbell G et al. 2008. Alarming decline of West African chimpanzees in Côte d´Ivoire. Current Biology 18(19).
Marchesi P et al. 1995. Census and Distribution in Côte d’Ivoire. Primates 36(4): 591-607.
N’Goran KP et al. 2007. Résultats de la première phase du biomonitoring au Parc National de Marahoué (mai 2006 – décembre 2006). Unpublished report. WCF/OIPR. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
N’Goran KP et al. 2008. Résultats importants des activités de biomonitoring au Parc National de la Marahoué (mai 2007 – novembre 2007). Unpublished report. WCF/OIPR. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
Struhsaker TT, Bakarr MI. 1999. A rapid survey of primates and other large mammals in Marahoue National Park, Cote d'Ivoire. In: Schulenberg TS et al. (eds.) Une Evaluation Biologique du Parc National de la Marahoué Park, Côte d’Ivoire. Conservation International.
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN. 2019. Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN Online: www.protectedplanet.net
WCF. 2012. Annual report 2012 – activities of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation for improved conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in West Africa. Online: Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 16/10/2019