The Role of the Cross River National Park in Gorilla Conservation
The Cross River National Park (CRNP) is the only moist tropical rain
forest national park in Nigeria. It is surrounded by moist tropical rain
forest around the northern and central parts and mangrove swamps on the
coastal fringes. The park, in the extreme southeastern corner of Nigeria,
covers approximately 4,000 km² within the Cross River State, approximately
on 5°04'-6°25' N and 8°30'-9°30' E. The park is officially
managed as 2 divisions, the Oban Division in the south and Okwangwo Division
in the north. The Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)
occurs within the Okwangwo Division.
The Okwangwo Division, a complex of rainforest, montane forest and derived
savanna, is renowned for its rich diversity of flora, about 1,545 species
representing 98 plant families. Some of the plant species are endemic
to the area and others are completely new to botanical science.
This park has among the highest diversity in the region as it houses about
78% of the primate species occurring in Nigeria. Interestingly, the areas
where the Cross River gorillas live are unique in the sense that such
habitats also host other charismatic primates such as the chimpanzee (Pan
troglodytes) and drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus). Hence the
3 largest primate species of Nigeria live sympatrically in the park and
the surrounding habitats (Mbe Mountains, Afi Mountains and Takamanda Forest
Reserve, Cameroon).
Developing Infrastructure for Gorilla Conservation
Kanyang Gorilla Station. The gorilla is the theme animal of the
CRNP, and therefore the park management has developed a research-cum-tourist
station at Kanyang to facilitate research on the gorilla as well as promote
scientific knowledge on the park and gorilla-based eco-tourism in the
future.
Mbe mountain is a strategic habitat of Cross River gorillas and presently
harbours about 30-40 individuals. The area recorded some improvement in
protection and scientific research during 1995 and 1997 following funding
from the EU. Presently the area, a community forest use area, has been
receiving much attention; this may improve the conservation of the Cross
River gorilla. CRNP and the Primates Preservation Group (PPG) are
presently trying to maintain researchers' presence in the area as well
as to talk with the stakeholders over continued conservation of the area.
Lack of funds has been a major drawback towards the realisation of this
goal.
Although the PPG has enthusiastic field workers who would love to continue
long-term gorilla research and tracking in the mountains, there are currently
no funding possibilities to keep the group working continuously.
Butatong Divisional Head Office. The Butatong divisional head office
was initiated and developed by the EU/WWF/Federal Government of Nigeria
(Okwangwo Project). The divisional office contains facilities such as
offices, staff quarters, visitor accommodation and recreation points,
nature trails and arboretum. There is a ranger station from which the
Okwa and Okwangwo sectors are patrolled. Here, rangers are provided with
hostel type accommodation and from there they start their daily patrols.
Support Zone Initiative. In recognition of the fact that rural
communities that depended on the rain forest for their survival have lost
access to the areas now designated as park, and to give the task of park
management and conservation a human face, the park management initiated
and developed a concept known as "Support Zone Development Programme".
Under this scheme, consultations are made with support zone communities
and development assistance is taken to them. Some of the assistance programs
include creation and maintenance of access roads, provision of basic health
care services, agricultural inputs, and vocational training for identified
hunters to prepare them for alternative employment and livelihood.
There is also a program to relocate certain enclave villages from the
park to alternative areas outside the park to enhance park protection
as well as reduce the impacts of human perturbations.
Cross River Gorilla Distribution around the CRNP
The Cross River gorillas range in an area of mainly semi-deciduous, mon-tane and derived savanna within approximately 5°50'-6°30' N and 8°50'-9°40' E. The area spans the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. The gorillas are distributed in isolated sub-populations in and around a complex of hilly escarpments with steep valleys and odd peaks that generally rise higher than surrounding forested lands. Some of these reach nearly 2,000 m. At present, 4 isolated sub-populations are recognized though there may be more. The recognized sub-popula-tions are those of the Mbe Mountain Ranges, the Afi Mountains, the Boshi Extension Forests (CRNP) and the Takamanda Forest Reserve of Cameroon which is contiguous with the CRNP. Gorillas range as far north as the Obudu Plateau, thus giving the subspecies the most northerly and westerly distribution of all gorilla populations.
Promoting Gorilla Research and Conservation
The CRNP, having selected the gorilla as its theme animal, pursued over
the last decade a gorilla based field biological research within the Okwangwo
Division of the park and the Mbe Mountains (not yet officially included
in the park). It is part of the management's plan to include this latter
area (about 100 km²) into the park because of the presence of gorillas
(30-40 individuals).
Currently, a 10 man ranger force based at the Kanyang gorilla station,
at the foot of the Mbe Mountains, patrols and protects the mountains in
cooperation with the landlord communities. Following initial long-term
in-house research organized by the Okwangwo Program Management, between
1995 and 1997, the Cross River based NGO PPG, in collaboration with the
CRNP and other local institutions, has maintained a continuous research
presence in the mountains from 1998 to date.
Boshi
The Cross River National Park and the PPG are also carrying out survey
work in the Boshi Extension looking specifically at gorilla ecology and
threats. These on-going studies will determine their ranging behaviour
in the area. There are some indications that the animals migrate seasonally
across the Nigerian border into Takamanda Forest Reserve.
The park has intensified its efforts to provide protection measures by
bringing a team of rangers to the area. Logistic support, however, has
not been adequate to effectively mobilize this team. The area is vast
and would require a minimum of 20 rangers in the field to patrol regularly.
It is necessary to coordinate activities more effectively in the east
around the international border and in the west around Bumaji, Busi etc.,
where human activities are rampant.
Park Surveillance and Law Enforcement
A team of 34 park rangers effects park protection in Okwangwo Division.
The rangers carry out their activities by organizing patrols and surveillance
in and around the park. During these patrols, various observations are
made. These include the continued trans-border poaching of elephants between
Nigeria and Cameroon (carried out mostly by Cameroonians, especially by
two notorious and evasive hunters). Persistent farming occurs around the
support zone villages of Balegete (Elumsof), Okwa, Okwangwo, Bashu and
Otchakwe, and there is incursion of cattle grazing by Fulani herdsmen
along the Bushi-Ranch axis. There is also widespread poisoning of some
rivers with gamalin 20 (herbicide) by fishermen, reported around the village
communities of Butatong, Bashu, Ba-mba, Okwangwo, Okwa and Beebo.
The Division also recorded an increase in activities of timber and non-timber
forest products extractors. The forest products harvested were mostly
Capolobia, Garcinia and ebony; this development was attributed to the
scarcity of these species in the community forest around the park and
the neighbouring Cameroonian village of Obonyi.
Appreciable success in surveillance and law enforcement was registered,
however. The rangers made a number of arrests of offenders and in collaboration
with the police detained them at Obudu and Okondi Police Stations. The
prosecution of these offenders was carried out by a committee from the
CRNP head office in Akamkpa.
Among the items seized and destroyed were camping huts, wire traps and
animal carcasses. Other seized items included guns, knives and axes which
were later returned to the owners after plea by the Chiefs and community
leaders in the area. Offenders were, however, made to pay various charges
as a penalty for trespassing and contravening park laws in order to serve
as a deterrent.
Further enforcement of park surveillance and patrols was enhanced by the
improvement of access roads to ranger posts. This was achieved by the
upgrading of the road to the Divisional Headquarters, Butatong and the
completion of work on the bypass to Butatong which started in 1996.
Camping gear and other patrol items that will facilitate rangers' operations
will be purchased when funds are available. At the moment, an effort to
identify suitable radio equipment that will function effectively in the
difficult terrain of the rain forest is in progress.
Edem A. Eniang
Edem A. Eniang is working as a researcher in the Cross River National Park.
Clement Ebin, the General Manager of the Cross River
National Park, in a tent donated by us