The Jane Goodall Institute and MINEF in the Mengamé Reserve
In 2002, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) signed a convention
with the Cameroon Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF) to
establish
a community centered conservation and wildlife research program in the
newly proclaimed Mengamé Reserve (115,000 ha). Located in a priority
biodiversity corridor on the border of Cameroon and Gabon, the Mengamé
Reserve plays an important role in emerging transboundary protected area
initiatives and partnerships such as the Central African World Heritage
Forest Initiative and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
In a baseline data collection phase, over the course of 15 months, JGI
conducted a full wildlife and vegetation census in the reserve, as well
as a complete socioeconomic survey of 30 villages surrounding Mengamé.
A key component of the census and our first publication is focused on
great ape (Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
populations and their distribution in the reserve in relation to the extensive
human exploitation activities of fishing, hunting and non-timber forest
product collection, as well as extensive cocoa and banana plantations
within the reserve buffer zone.
Sampling census methods used random line transects with variable lengths
over the entire reserve and periphery to total 150,000 ha. A standard
standing nest count was conducted to assess ape population densities.
Density figures were then cross-referenced with a GIS system to assess
distribution of ape populations using a 5 x 5 km grid of the Mengamé
Reserve.
Nine teams composed of a Cameroonian student (or recent graduate) leader,
2 village assistants, 1 eco-guard and a Baka guide encountered much wildlife
in the forest. One team had to sleep high in the trees to avoid the elephants
waiting to ambush them. Another team was cutting a transect and disturbed
a python in ambush position. Another team barely avoided disaster by a
viper. As we entered the forest with the census team to complete the last,
54th transect, we spotted several grey cheeked mangabeys; hornbills circled
above, engines roaring. We followed the tracks of elephants, forest buffalos
and bushbucks. We spotted the night nests of chimpanzees, gorillas and
giant pangolins.
As one might guess by its name, the "Sanctuaire à Gorilles
de Mengamé", gorilla population numbers are high. Our results
confirmed that Mengamé contains significant populations of both
gorillas and chimpanzees. During the census, 93 nesting sites of gorillas
(containing 425 nests) and 56 nesting sites (containing 120 nests) of
chimpanzees were found along 142.5 km of transects. The gorilla nest sites
were interesting. The last nest cluster on this transect was from the
previous night; all the nests were on fallen logs, high off the forest
floor. We could smell the gorillas all around us, likely wondering why
we were inspecting their nests and faeces, snickering as I tested out
the more comfortable looking nests. Nest counting techniques gave average
densities of 2.53 weaned individual gorillas/km² and 0.18 weaned
chimpanzees/km².
Therefore, estimated populations of gorillas and chimpanzees at 1,200
and 200 respectively raise interesting research questions. Do these populations
traverse the river which separates Cameroon from Gabon? Are there similar
population densities in northern Gabon? Are these populations distinct
from those decimated by the Ebola outbreak in northern Gabon?
The spatial distribution of ape populations shows a high abundance in
the southeast of the reserve, which is characterized by swamp forests;
here, the density of weaned individuals is higher, with 4.50 weaned individuals/km²
for gorillas and 0.29 weaned individual chimpanzees/km². The southeast
swamp areas are the greatest distance from the villages and are used less
frequently by local and immigrant hunters than drier portions of the reserve.
I understood why this should be the case as we crossed swamps for days
on end during the census.
The first footsteps are tentative and carefully placed. Sinking into elephant
foot prints is almost humorous; extracting legs, feet, and boots from
the grip of the swamp. Each step is a calculated movement; left foot on
palm frond cut and laid precisely by the Baka guide ahead, right foot
on the fallen tree beneath the surface of the mud. The next 5 steps are
along this same tree, balancing by means of a palm branch walking stick
(made on demand at the beginning of each swamp by machete wielding companions)
in a white knuckle grip in my left hand. Right hand may be high in the
air, stretched out to the side, or bracing on nearby trees, sticks, or
the mud itself. Upon stepping off the submerged balancing tree, feet are
tentatively placed into the swamp, hoping to catch foliage, tree branches
or other supportive structure. With deep steps, the swamp belches and
bubbles; dark mud mustiness fills the air, one's shoes and trouser pockets.
After 7 hours, legs are exhausted from the suction and extraction process
of each step, the mind is tired of trying to locate safe places to step,
with a line of people behind you pushing you for quick decisions, and
the sun pulling you across the sky.
Overall, the data suggest that distance to villages and therefore human
activities is an ecological determinant in the distribution of great apes.
They are absent in areas with sustained human presence through regular
activity routines, infrastructure and noise.
Threats to great apes in Mengamé are diverse and include
- destruction and fragmentation of habitat by farming practices,
- hunting using snares and shotguns,
- hunting of elephants with heavy caliber guns,
- direct effects on the forest from logging activities, causing direct large-scale modification of the habitat and indirect effects such as the increase in hunting due to increased access to the forest via logging roads.
Recommendations for Future Action
The Jane Goodall Institute may commence long-term community-centered
conservation activities after analyzing the results of the wildlife census,
of the vegetation census and the village socioeconomic studies in the
Mengamé Reserve and within the 30 communities surrounding the reserve.
It is our hope that increased knowledge and understanding of existing
interactions between the protected area and neighboring human populations
will help to formulate programs to reduce the occurrence and impact of
anthropogenic activities on wildlife populations, and at the same time
implement measures to reduce wildlife crop raiding damage, and address
the underlying conflicts which exacerbate the extent and degree of crop
raiding damage in neighboring communities.
Increased attention will be placed on understanding the relationship between
logging activities and wildlife populations; to determine whether the
disturbance has an effect on the ecosystem in total or more directly on
the ecology and behaviour of wildlife populations.
As a preliminary community-centered conservation activity, the Jane Goodall
Institute will develop a monitoring system that includes: (1) identification
of threats to wildlife populations based on systematic patrols in the
forest, and (2) monitoring of the status of great ape populations over
time. In addition to our direct program activities, we seek to:
- Develop a better understanding of the anthrozoonosis risk in the area, with an emphasis on Ebola. A follow-up system dealing with both wildlife and human health in the management of the reserve and its periphery should also be implemented.
- Assess the status of mammalian fauna, with special emphasis on great apes, in the neighbouring forest management units and on the Gabon side, in the inter-zone between Mengamé Reserve and Minkébé Reserve. Provide guidance for logging companies to conduct wildlife census in their forest concessions in partnership with MINEF and in the interests of conservation of the Mengamé Reserve with the JGI.
Use of the census data, together with these recommendations, will help us to identify and implement an appropriate conservation strategy, which optimizes the preservation of the reserve and of its natural resources, while assisting community development and livelihood. Consideration must be given to the development of the sort of economic activities which contribute to sustainable natural re-source management. The Jane Goodall Institute believes that the survival of great ape populations is strongly linked with increased and diverse economic opportunities for local communities, and is itself a key component towards conservation of biodiversity through community-centered activities.
Christina Ellis
Christina Ellis joined the Jane Goodall Institute in 2000 to spearhead a program designed to reduce the bushmeat trade by addressing sustainable community livelihoods. She now serves as a Vice President, Director of Africa Field Programs for JGI.
Full ape census and elephant census reports are available on
http://www.janegoodall.org
For more information please contact:
The Jane Goodall Institute
8700 Georgia Ave, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA