Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
West Africa > Liberia > Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are present in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area.
- The population size is unknown.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown.
- This site has a total size of 1,374 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are poaching, logging, and shifting agriculture.
- Wonegizi was selected for a REDD+ pilot project led by Flora & Fauna International.
Site characteristics
The site is located in the northwestern part of the country, bordering Guinea’s Ziama Biosphere reserve. Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area is part of the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem, which is very rich in biodiversity. In addition to the critically endangered western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), the site contains other threatened and vulnerable species, including Jentink's duiker (Cephalophus jentinki), pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), green-tailed bristlebill (Bleda eximius), yellow-bearded greenbul (Criniger olivaceus), Nimba flycatcher (Melaenornis annamarulae), and the white-necked rockfowl or picathartes (Picathartes gymnocephalus, AllAfrica 2019, FFI). The site is also an Important Bird Area (IBA; BirdLife International 2019).
Table 1: Basic site information for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Area | 1374.27 km² |
| Coordinates | 8.14 N, -9.53 W |
| Designation | Proposed Protected Area |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest, Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane Forest |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Camera traps have recorded the presence of chimpanzees at the site, but the population size remains unknown (IUCN 2015).
Table 2: Great ape population estimates in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% confidence interval) | Density estimate (per km²) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2015 | Present | Wonegizi | Index survey | IUCN 2015 | Camera traps |
Threats
In addition to poaching and logging, the site is threatened by farming activities, in particular shifting cultivation (FFI 2016). Rice is the main crop and primary driver of land conversion in the area; other crops include chili peppers and cacao (FFI 2016).
Table 3: Threats to great apes in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | 1.1 Housing & urban areas | Low | 13 communities in the area (AllAfrica 2019) | Human settlements present (AllAfrica 2019) | Ongoing (2019) |
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | High | Unsustainable farming practices (primarily shifting agriculture) (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present | Bushmeat hunting and trade present in the area (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present | Extraction of timber (FFI 2016) | Ongoing (2016) | ||
| 6. Human intrusions & disturbance | Not reported | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Absent | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Absent | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Wonegizi is a REDD+ pilot site. The project follows a community-based approach, in which forest protection is rewarded under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation mechanism (REDD+). Income from the sale of REDD+ carbon credits is used to fund activities that benefit the communities, including the provision of technical support for reducing deforestation due to agriculture whilst increasing agricultural output, establishment of tree nurseries, and salaried forest protection as an alternative income (FFI 2016).
Table 4: Conservation activities in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| 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 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 | Not reported | ||
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | 13.1. Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. REDD, employment) | The site was selected for a REDD+ program (FFI 2016) | Ongoing
(2016) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Impediments
Table 5: Impediments reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Impediment | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of financial means | FFI 2016 |
Research activities
No information on research activities has been documented.
Documented behaviours
Table 6: Great ape behaviors reported for Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Relevant datasets
References
AllAfrica. 2019. Liberia: The Potentials of Wonegizi As a Protected Area. Online: https://allafrica.com/stories/201902080620.html
FFI. 2016. Community-based Conservation: the Wonegizi REDD+ pilot.
BirdLife International. 2019. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Wonegizi mountains. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 01/07/2019.
IUCN. 2015. How a single Pygmy Hippo photo gave rise to the Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area Project. Online: https://www.iucn.org/content/how-single-pygmy-hippo-photo-gave-rise-wonegizi-proposed-protected-area-project
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki Team Date: 02/09/2019