Regional action plan for the conservation of the …...Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of...

Fewer than

300 leftToday, the total population of Cross River gorillas may number fewer than 300 individuals.

Survival

HopeImplementation of the recommendations in this plan will make a significant difference to the survival of the Cross River gorilla.

Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

The actions recommended in this plan are estimated

to cost $ 4.6 million over a five-year period. Almost

one-third of those funds have already been committed

through government and donor support for general

conservation efforts in the region.

Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

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RegionalActionPlanfortheConservationoftheCrossRiverGorilla(Gorilla gorilla diehli)

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Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) Compiled and edited by John Oates 1, Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves 2, Richard Bergl 3, Andrew Dunn 4, Aaron Nicholas 5, Ebai Takang 6, Fidelis Omeni 7, Inaoyom Imong 8, Roger Fotso 9, Louis Nkembi 10, and Liz Williamson11

1 HunterCollegeandtheGraduateCenter,CityUniversityofNewYork,andAfricaProgram,WildlifeConservationSociety,USA.

2 CenterforInternationalForestryResearch,Indonesia,andUniversityofSussex,UK.3 GraduateCenter,CityUniversityofNewYork(currentlyatNorthCarolinaZoologicalPark),USA.4 WildlifeConservationSociety–Nigeria.5 WildlifeConservationSociety–Cameroon.6 MinistryofForestryandWildlife,Cameroon.7 MinistryofEnvironment,HousingandUrbanDevelopment,FederalGovernmentofNigeria.8 WildlifeConservationSociety–Nigeria.9 WildlifeConservationSociety–Cameroon.10EnvironmentandRuralDevelopmentFoundation,Cameroon.11IUCN/SSCPrimateSpecialistGroup,SectiononGreatApes.

Executive Summary

This documenT represenTs Theconsen-susofexpertswhometataworkshopin

April2006inCalabar,CrossRiverState,Nige-ria,toformulateasetofpriorityactionsthatwouldincreasethesurvivalprospectsfortheCrossRivergorilla(Gorilla gorilla diehli).TheCrossRivergorillaisrecognizedbyIUCNasCriticallyEndangered,andisthemostthreat-enedtaxonofapeinAfrica.Itisthemostwest-erlyandnortherlyformofgorilla,andoccursonlyinalimitedareaaroundthemountainousheadwatersoftheCrossRiver,straddlingtheborderbetweenCameroonandNigeria.

Participantsatthe2006workshop,whichbuiltupontheoutcomesofpreviousmeetingsinCalabarin2001andLimbe,Cameroon,in

2003,includedrepresentativesofforestryandwildlifeconservationagenciesfromthetworangecountries,oflocalandinternationalnongovern-mentalconservationanddevelopmentorganiza-tions,andofuniversity-basedresearchers.

TheCrossRivergorillawasnamedasanewspeciesin1904,butwaslargelyneglectedbytheoutsideworlduntilthefirstsystematicsur-veysofitspopulationsbeganin1987.Sincethenithasreceivedincreasingattentionfromscientistsandconservationists.Theworkofthelasttwodecadeshasrevealedthatfewerthan300CrossRivergorillasmayremain,spreadacrossanareaofabout12,000km2.Withinthatarea,mostgorillasignshavebeenfoundin11discretelocalities,mostofwhichare10km

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Afi Mountain, Nigeria. Afi is the most westerly locality for any gorillas and experiences a prolonged dry season.


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The outlook for these apes is far from

hopeless, but a concerted and sustained

effort will be required if their long-term

survival is to be assured.

Sunrise over Kagwene Mountain, Cameroon, an area that is frequented by Cross River gorillas.

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ormoreapart.Asdescribedinthisplan,recentgeneticstudiessuggestthatgorillasat10oftheselocalities(extendingeastfromAfiMountaininNigeriatoKagweneMountaininCameroon)constituteonepopulation,dividedintothreesubpopulationswhichstilloccasionallyexchangemigrants;potentialgorillahabitatstillconnectsalloftheselocalities,althoughsometimestenu-ously.ItisnotyetclearwhethertherecentlyrediscoveredgorillasintheBechati-Fossimondi-BesaliarearepresentaperipherallyisolatedpopulationorretaingeneticcontactwiththeAfi-to-Kagwenepopulationtothenorthwest.Inthebroaderlandscapewithinwhichthe11knowngorillalocalitiesareembeddedarelargeareasofapparentlysuitablehabitatintowhichtheexistingpopulationhasthepotentialtoexpand,andwhichmayalsobeoccupiedbysomeyettobediscoveredgroupsofgorillas.

GeneticanalysispointstoarelativelyrecentmarkedreductioninthetotalpopulationsizeofG. g. diehliandthisislikelytohavebeenduetohuntingbyhumans.ThehuntingofwildlifetosupplyalargebushmeattradeisrampantthroughoutthispartofAfricaandalthoughgorillasarelegallyprotectedacrosstheirrange,individualsarestilloccasionallykilledbyhunt-ers.Huntingthereforeremainsaseriousthreattothepersistenceofsuchasmall,fragmentedpopulation.Inaddition,thegorilla’sforesthabi-tatcontinuestobeerodedandfragmentedbyfarming,burningbypastoralists,andtheexten-sionandexpansionofroads.Humansettle-mentsarescatteredthroughoutthelandscapeinhabitedbythegorillas,andthepopulationof

thesesettlementscontinuestogrowatahighrate;ontheedgesofthislandscape,areareaswithsomeofthedensesthumanpopulationsinAfrica.Despitetheseever-growingpressuresontheCrossRivergorillasandtheirhabitat,theoutlookfortheseapesisfarfromhopeless,butaconcertedandsustainedeffortwillberequirediftheirlong-termsurvivalistobeassured.

Thisplanoutlinesaprogramofactionthat,ifputintoeffect,couldensuretheCrossRivergorilla’ssurvival.Theactionswerecommendareestimatedtocost$4.6millionoverafive-yearperiodandaroundone-thirdofthosefundshavealreadybeencommittedthroughgovernmentanddonorsupportforgeneralconservationeffortsintheregion.About$3millionthereforeremainstoberaised.Therecommendationsinthisplanfallintotwocategories:recom-mendationsforactionsthatneedtobetakenthroughouttheCrossRivergorillas’range,andsite-specificrecommendations.

AmongthosethatapplyacrosstherangeofG. g. diehliarethefollowing:

• Giventhenatureoftheirdistribution,alandscape-basedapproachshouldbetakenfortheconservationofCrossRivergorillasthatmustincludeeffectivecooperationbyconser-vationmanagersacrosstheCameroon-Nigeriaborder.

• Thereisaneedtoexpandeffortstoraiseawarenessamongallsegmentsofhumansoci-etyaboutthevalueofconservationingeneralandabouttheuniquenessoftheCrossRivergorillainparticular.

A Cross River gorilla in the wild, Afi Mountain, Nigeria. Photographing them is extremely difficult because of their rarity, the rugged terrain they inhabit, and their wariness of humans.

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• Communityparticipationinconservationeffortsisessential,andforthistooccurthereneedstobemutualunderstandingamonggovernmentagencies,non-governmentalorganizationsandlocalpeople.

• Ecotourismcanbringbenefitsforconser-vationbutcanalsohavenegativeimpacts.GiventheprecariousstatusofCrossRivergorillas,plansforhabituatingtheseapesfortouristviewingmustbeevaluatedwithgreatcare,givingfullconsiderationtoallriskstotheapes.

• Improvementsareneededbothintheexistinglegislationprotectinggorillas,andinhowthelawsareenforced.

• Continuedresearchisneededtobetterunderstandthepopulationbiologyofthegorillas,includingsurveysofpoorly-knownareas(especiallywithinpotentialcorridorsconnectingpopulationnuclei),themonitor-ingofknownpopulations,andmoreinten-sivegeneticsampling.

Sitesidentifiedforspecificactionsare(inNigeria)AfiMountainWildlifeSanctuary,theMbeMountainsandtheOkwangwoDivisionofCrossRiverNationalParkinNigeria,and(inCameroon)theproposedTakamandaNationalPark,MoneRiverForestReserve,theMbuluForest,KagweneMountain(aproposedgorillasanctuary),andtheBechati-Fossimondi-Besalihillarea.Amongrecommendationsthatapplytoseveralofthesesitesarethefollowing:

• Improvelawenforcementandinstituteapatrolsystem(allsites).

• Improveprotected-areainfrastructure(Afi,Okwangwo).

• Developorfinalizeamanagementplanorstrategy(allsites).

• Re-traceordemarcateconservationareaboundaries(allsites).

• Takestepstoupgradethenationalconser-vationstatusofsites(Takamanda,Mone,Mbulu,Kagwene).

• Elaboratecommunity-basedland-useplanswithinsites,inbufferzones,and/orincorri-dors(Afi,Mbe,Mbulu,Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali).

• Developecotourismplans,notnecessarilyfocussedongorillas(Afi,Okwangwo).

• Developfire-protectionplans(Afi,Mbe,Kagwene).

TheCameroon-Nigeriaborderregion,wheretheCrossRivergorillaoccurs,isabiodiversityhotspotofglobalsignificancethatsupportsahighdiversityofanimalandplantspecies,largenumberswithrestrictedranges,andmanyofwhicharethreatened.ThreatenedprimatesthatsharepartsoftheCrossRivergorilla’shabitatincludethedrill(Mandrillus leucophaeus),Preuss’sguenon(Cercopithecus preussi)andtheNigeria-Cameroonchimpanzee(Pan troglodytes vellerosus).Successfuleffortstosecurethefuture

oftheCrossRivergorillaanditshabitatwould,therefore,provideawiderangeofimportantconservationbenefits.Wehopethatthisplanwillassistinguidingtheactionsneededtoimprovetheconservationprospectsforthiscriti-callyendangeredape(andforthisbiodiversityhotspotasawhole),andinraisingthefundsneededtoundertakethem.

Kagwene Mountain, Cameroon, where a sanctuary is being developed specifically to protect Cross River gorillas.

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Résumé

ce documenT représenTe le consensusdesexpertsréunisàl’occasiond’unatelier

organiséenAvril2006àCalabar,dansl’étatdeCrossRiverauNigeria,pourdéfinirunensembled’actionsprioritaires,quidevraientaccroîtrelesperspectivesdesurviedugorilledelarivièreCross(Gorilla gorilla diehli).LegorilledelarivièreCrossquiestreconnuparl’UICNcommeuneespèceendangercritiqued’extinc-tion,estégalementletaxonleplusmenacédesgrandssingesd’Afrique.C’estlaformedegorillelaplusoccidentaleetnordiquedel’airederépar-titiondesgorilles,etelleaunezonededistri-butionrestreintedanslesystèmemontagneuxformantlessourcesduCrossRiver,àchevalsurlafrontièreentreleCamerounetleNigeria.

Cetatelierde2006,quiacapitalisélesrésul-tatsdesréunionsantérieuresorganiséesen2001àCalabarauNigeriaeten2003àLimbeauCameroun,aconnulaparticipationentreautredesreprésentantsdesservicesdesforêtsetdelaconservationdelafaunedesdeuxpays,desorga-nisationsnongouvernementaleslocalesetinter-nationalesdeconservationetdedéveloppement,ainsiquedeschercheursvenantdesuniversités.

LegorilledelarivièreCrossfutdécritcommenouvelleespèceen1904,maisquiaétélarge-mentnégligéeparlemondeextérieuravantlemise-en-oeuvredespremierssondagessystéma-tiquesen1987,datededémarragedespremiersinventairessystématiquesdesespopulations.Depuiscetteépoque,ilfaitl’objetd’uneatten-tiontoujourscroissantedesscientifiquesetdesspécialistesdelaconservation.Lesrésultats

destravauxréalisésaucoursdesdeuxdernièresdécenniesrévèlentqu’ilseraitpossiblequ’ilrestemoinsde300individus,disséminéssurunter-ritoired’environ12000km2.Al’intérieurdeceterritoire,lamajoritédesindicesdeprésencedegorilleontétérelevésdans11localitésisoléesetdistanteslesunesdesautresd’aumoins10km.Telquedécritdansceplan,lesétudesgénétiquesrécentessuggèrentquelesgorillesauniveaude10deceslocalités(s’étalantdel’EstduMontAfiauNigeriajusqu’auMontKagweneauCame-roun),constituentuneseulepopulation,répartieentroissous-populationsquioccasionnellementéchangentdesmigrants;l’ensembledeceslocali-tésrestentconnectéesentreellespardeshabitatspotentielspourlesgorilles,mêmesicertainshabitatssontrelativementréduits.Iln’estpasencoreclairementétablisilesgorillesrécem-mentredécouvertsdanslazonedeBechati-Fos-simondi-Bessalireprésententunepopulationpériphériqueisolée,ouunepopulationquimaintientunliengénétiqueaveclapopulationdusecteurAfi-KagweneplusauNordOuest.Al’échelledelagranderégionquienglobeles11localitésàgorilles,ilexistedevasteshabitats,detouteapparencepropicespourlesgorilles,àl’intérieurdesquelslespopulationsactuellespourraientpotentiellements’étendre,maisquipeutêtreaussiabriteraientdéjàdespopulationsdegorillesnonencoredécouvertes.

LesanalysesgénétiquesindiquentuneimportanteréductionrécentedelatailledespopulationsdeGorilla gorilla diehlietceciseraitprobablementuneconséquencedelachasseparleshommes.Lachassepourapprovisionnerle

marchédelaviandedebrousseestuneactivitéendémiquedanscetterégiondel’Afrique,etbienquelesgorillessoientprotégésparlaloidanstoutesonairededistribution,desindividussontoccasionnellementtuésparleschasseurs.Lachassedemeureunemenacesérieusepourlasur-vied’unepopulationaussiréduiteetfragmen-tée.Deplusceshabitatsforestiersdesgorillescontinuentd’êtreérodésetfragmentésparl’agriculture,lesbrûlis,lepâturageainsiquel’ex-tensionetl’expansiondesroutes.Leshabitationshumainessontdisséminéespartoutàtraversl’airededistributiondesgorilles,etlespopula-tionsdecesgroupementscontinuentàcroîtreàunrythmeeffréné;àlalisièredecetterégionsetrouventcertainesdeszoneslesplusdensémentpeupléesenAfrique.Malgrécespressionstou-jourscroissantessurlegorilledelarivièreCrossetseshabitats,l’avenirdecesgrandssingesestloind’êtredésespéré,maisnousavonsbesoind’effortsconcertésetsoutenuspourassurerleursurvieàlongterme.

Ceplandéfinitlesgrandeslignesd’unpro-grammed’actionqui,simisenœuvre,pourraitassurerlasurviedugorilledelarivièreCross.Lesactionsquenousrecommandonssontesti-méespouruncoûttotalde$4,6millionsurunepériodedecinqans,etletiersdecettesommeestdéjàsécuriséàtraverslesoutiendesgouver-nementsetdesbailleurspourleseffortsgéné-rauxdeconservationdanslarégion.Environ$3millionrestentàrechercher.Lesrecomman-dationsdeceplansontrepartiesendeuxcaté-gories:desrecommandationspourlesactionsàentreprendreàl’échelledetoutel’airede


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distributiondugorilledelarivièreCross,etlesrecommandationsspécifiquespourchaquesite.

Parmilesrecommandationsquis’appliquentpourtoutel’airededistributionduGorilla gorilla diehli,figurent:

• L’adoptiond’uneapprochepaysagepourlaconservationdugorilledelarivièreCross,comptetenudesonmodededistribution.Cetteapprochedoits’accompagnerdelacoo-pérationeffectiveentrelesgestionnairesdelaconservationdesdeuxcotésdelafrontièreentreleCamerounetleNigeria.

• L’accroissementdeseffortspoursusciterlaprisedeconscience,parmitouteslescouchesdelasociétéhumaine,surlavaleurdeconser-vationengénéraletlasingularitédugorilledelarivièreCrossenparticulier.

• Laparticipationdelacommunautéàl’effortdeconservationestessentielle,etpourcefaire,ilyaunbesoind’ententemutuelleentrelesagencesgouvernementales,lesorganisa-tionsnongouvernementales,etlespopula-tionslocales.

• L’écotourismepeutgénérerdesbénéficespourlaconservation,maispeutaussiavoirdesimpactsnégatifs.ComptetenudustatutprécairedugorilledelarivièreCross,toutprojetd’habituationdecesgrandssingespourletourismedevisiondoitêtreévaluéavecbeaucoupdeprécautionsetprendreentière-mentenconsidérationtouslesrisquespourlesgrandssinges.

• Desaméliorationssontnécessairesaussibienpourleslégislationsexistantesprotégeantles

gorilles,quepourlafaçondontcesloissontappliquées.

• Lapoursuitedestravauxderechercheestnécessairepourpermettreunemeilleureconnaissancedelabiologiedesgorilles,ycomprislaprospectiondeszonespeuconnues(spécialementàl’intérieurdescorridorspotentielsconnectantlesnoyauxdepopula-tions),lesuividespopulationsconnues,etunéchantillonnagegénétiqueplusintensif.

Lessitesidentifiéspourlesactionsspécifiquessont:(auNigeria)SanctuairedeFauneduMontAfi,MontMbeetleDépartementdeOkwangoduParcNationaldeCrossRiverauNigeria,et(auCameroun)leParcNationaldeTakamandaencoursdecréation,laRéserveForestièredelaRivièreMone,laForêtdeMbulu,leSanctuairedegorillesduMontKagweneencoursdecréa-tion,etlescollinesdeBechati-Fossimondi-Besali.Parmilesrecommandationsquis’appliquentàplusieursdecessitesonpeutciter:

• Améliorerlamiseenapplicationdelaloietinstituerunsystèmedepatrouilles(touslessites)

• Améliorerl’infrastructuredesairesprotégées(Afi,Okwango)

• Développeretfinaliserunestratégieouunpland’aménagement(touslessites)

• Reconstitueretmatérialiserleslimitesdesairesdeconservation(touslessites)

• Prendrelesmesuresnécessairespouramélio-rerlestatutdeconservationdessites(Taka-manda,Mone,Mbulu,Kagwene)

• Elaborerunplanparticipatifd’affectationdesterresàl’intérieurdessites,danslazonetamponet/oudanslescorridors(Afi,Mbe,Mbulu,Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali)

• Développerdesplanspourl’écotourisme,pasnécessairementfocaliséssurlesgorilles(Afi,Okwango)

• Développerdesplansdeprotectioncontrelesfeux(Afi,Mbe,Kgwene)

LarégionfrontalièreentreleCamerounetleNigeria,lezonededistributiondugorilledelarivièreCross,estunpointchauddebiodiversitéd’uneimportancecapitalequiabriteunegrandediversitéd’espècesanimalesetvégétales,ungrandnombred’espècesousous-espècesayantuneairededistributionrestreinte,etplusieursespècesetsous-espècesendanger.Lesprimatesmenacésquipartagentunepartiedel’habitatdugorilledelarivièreCrosscomprennentantreautreledrill(Mandrillus leucophaeus),lecerco-pithèquedePreuss(Cercopithecus preussi)etlechimpanzédelafrontièreNigeria-Cameroun(Pan troglodytes vellerosus).L’aboutissementdeseffortspoursécuriserlasurviedugorilledelarivièreCrossdevraitainsigénérerunelargegammedebénéficesimportantspourlaconser-vation.Nousespéronsqueceplanserviranonseulementdeguidepourlesactionsnécessairespouraccroîtrelesperspectivesdeconservationdecegrandsingegravementendanger,etcepointchauddebiodiversitéengénéral,maisaussiàlarecherchedesfondsnécessairespourlamiseenœuvredecesactions.


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The cross river gorilla(Gorilla gorilla diehli)isthenorthernandwestern-mostgorillasubspecies

andisrestrictedtothehillyrain-forestregionalongtheNigeria-Cameroonborder,whichformstheheadwatersoftheCrossRiver(Map1).Itspopulationisseparatedbyabout300kmfromthenearestpopulationofwesternlowlandgorillas(Gorilla gorilla gorilla),andbyaround200kmfromtherecently-discoveredgorillapopulationintheEboForestofCameroon.BasedonthesmallsizeoftheremainingCrossRivergorillapopulation,itsfragmen-tationacrossalargecomplexlandscape,andcontinuingthreatstoitssurvivalfromhabitatdestructionandhunt-ing,thissubspeciesislistedasCriticallyEndangeredintheIUCNRedList(IUCN2006).

Gorillasinthisregionfirstbecameknowntosciencein1904whentheGermantaxonomistPaulMatschiedescribedskullscollectedfromtheareaoftoday’sTaka-mandaForestReserveinCameroon,asrepresentinganewspecies,Gorilla diehli. SubsequentstudiesofgorillaanatomyandtaxonomyreclassifiedCrossRivergoril-lasasasubspeciesofGorilla gorilla (Rothschild1904,1908),andlatersubsumedthem(alongwithallwesterngorillas)withinthemonotypicsubspeciesGorilla gorilla gorilla(Coolidge1929).However,newmeasurementsandanalysesofmuseumspecimens,incombinationwithre-analysesofexistingdata,ledtoarealizationthattheskel-etonsofgorillasintheCrossRiverregionaresignificantlydistinctfromthoseofotherwesterngorillastomerittheirrecognitionasthesubspeciesG. g.diehli (Stumpfetal.1998,SarmientoandOates2000,Stumpfetal.2003).

Today,thetotalpopulationofCrossRivergorillasmaynumberfewerthan300individuals.Thispopulationisspreadacrossabroadlandscape(Map2),includingamore-or-lesscontinuousforestareaofabout8,000km2

Introduction

Map 1. The distribution of four gorilla subspecies in relation to tree cover (shown in green). The Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli) is the most northern and western subspecies. The black triangle shows the location of the gorilla population in the Ebo Forest, Cameroon. The taxonomic affinities of the Ebo gorillas have not been resolved. Map by Richard A. Bergl.


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Introduction,continued

fromAfiMountaininthewesttoKagweneMountainintheeast,togetherwithapossiblyisolatedoutlyinglocalityintheforestsnearBechatiinthesoutheast.IntheAfi-to-Kagwenelandscape,thegorillasareconcen-tratedinruggedhillareasthataredifficultforpeopletoreachandthereforeleastdisturbedbyfarmingandhunt-ing.Newgeneticstudies(Bergl2006,BerglandVigilant2007)suggestthatindividualanimalsdooccasionallymovebetweenknowngorillalocalitiesinthislandscapeandthereforethegorillasofAfi-to-Kagwenemaybecon-sideredasonepopulation(seepp.11–12).

TheruggednatureoftheterraininhabitedbytheCrossRivergorillas,andthegenerationsofhuntingtowhichtheyhavebeenexposed,haveledthemtoberare,waryofhumans,andexceedinglydifficulttostudy.Afewanecdotalaccountsoftheirnaturalhistorywerepub-lishedbetween1932and1957(e.g.,Allen1932,March1957)butitwasnotuntiltheearly1980sthattheoutsideworldbegantoshowseriousinterestinthesurvivalofthisspecialgorillapopulation.In1987,thefirstsystematicpopulationsurveytookplace,butwasrestrictedtoNigeria(Harcourtetal.1989).Followingthissurvey,coordinatedbytheNigerianConservationFoundation(NCF),plan-ningforformalconservationwasinitiatedinNigeriain1990bytheWorldWideFundforNature(WWF),workinginpartnershipwithNCFandthegovernmentofCrossRiverState.ThateffortledtotheestablishmentofCrossRiverNationalParkin1991,withgorillasprotectedinthepark’sOkwangwoDivision.

In1996,long-termecologicalresearchonCrossRivergorillascommencedatAfiMountaininNigeria(McFar-land2007),andin1997aconcentratedsurveyeffortcommencedinCameroon(Groves1999).Theseinitiativeshavegrownintoabroadprogramofresearchandconser-

vationactivitiesinbothNigeriaandCameroon(Oatesetal.2003).Thisprogramhasinvolveduniversities,govern-mentagenciesinbothcountries,andnon-governmentalconservationorganizations(inparticular,theWildlifeConservationSociety[WCS],NCF,WWF,FaunaandFloraInternational[FFI]),thePandrillusFoundation,andCameroon’sEnvironmentandRuralDevelopmentFoun-dation(ERuDeF).

AseriesofworkshopstoplanforthemoreeffectiveconservationofCrossRivergorillasthroughouttheirrangehasbeenorganizedbyWCS,thefirsttakingplaceinCalabarin2001(BasseyandOates2001),thesecondinLimbein2003(Sunderland-GrovesandJaff2003),andthethirdinCalabarin2006.Theseworkshopshaveencouragedgreatertransboundarycooperationingorillaconservation,andledtotherecommendationfortheupgradingoftheconservationstatusofCameroon’sTaka-mandaForestReserve,adjacenttoOkwangwoinNigeria.Thegoalofthe2006workshopwasspecificallytoformu-laterecommendationsforthisactionplan.

Socioecology of Cross River Gorillas

undersTanding The cross river gorillas’basicecologicalneedsisessentialformakinginformed

decisionsontheirconservation.Overthelastdecade,CrossRivergorillaecologyhasbeenstudiedatAfiMoun-taininNigeria(byK.McFarland)andatKagweneMoun-taininCameroon(byJ.Sunderland-Groves).ResearchatthesesitesindicatesthatCrossRivergorilladiet,rangingbehaviorandgroupingpatternsdifferfromthoseofotherpopulationsofwesterngorillasinsomeimportantways,

andmayevenvarysignificantlywithintheCrossRivergorillapopulation.

CrossRivergorillasliveinanareawithamoremark-edlyseasonalclimatethananyotherwesterngorillas;theareahasalongerandmoreintensedryseason,andhigherwetseasonrainfall.AtAfiMountain,herbaceousvegeta-tionisadietarystapleacrosstheyear,butfruitfromawidevarietyofspeciesiseatenwhenavailable.Comparedtootherwesterngorillas,theAfigorillasfeedmoreheavilyonlianaandtreebarkthroughouttheyear,andconsumelessfruitduringperiodsofseasonalfruitscarcity,whichareprolongedandmoresevere.WhereasAfigorillastraveledlongerdistanceswhenconsuminglargeamountsoffruit,Kagwenegorillastraveledshorterdistanceswhenfruitwasabundant(K.McFarland,2007;J.Sunderland-Groves,unpublishedobservations).

Acrosstheirrange,CrossRivergorillasgenerallyliveinsmallgroups(commonly4–7individuals),butsomegroupsarelarger.DuringMcFarland’sresearchtheAfistudygroupmostoftencontained18individualsandusedatotalrangeofapproximately30km2,largerthanthatofmostotherwesterngorillagroupsthathavebeenstudied.TheAfigroupcovereditsrangeinacyclicalpatternovera3-monthperiod,butuseddifferentpartsatvaryingintensitiesinrelationtovariationinfoodavailabilityandpredationpressure.TheAfigroupformedforagingandsleepingsubgroupsandsupergroupsforperiodsofoneormoredays,particularlywhenconsumingwidelydispersedfruitandherbresources;highlyvariablenestgroupsizesatKagwenesuggestsimilarflexibilityingroupingpatterns.AtbothAfiandKagwene,CrossRivergorillasconstructednight-nestsintreesmoreoftenthanhasbeenreportedamongwesternlowlandgorillas.


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Threats to Cross River Gorilla Survival

raTher liTTle is known abouTthepastdistribu-tionandabundanceofCrossRivergorillas,buta

fewolderreportssuggestthattheirnumberswerehigherinthepast(e.g.,March1957).ArecentgeneticstudysuggeststhattheCrossRivergorillapopulationhasunder-goneamarkedreductioninsize,perhapswithinthelast100–200years(Bergl2006).Thisdeclineisprobablytheresultoftheincreasingavailabilityanduseofguns.Otherfactorscontributingtothedeclinearehabitatlossandfragmentationcausedbythespreadofagriculture,cattle-grazingandroadconstruction.

HuntingAlthoughCrossRivergorillasareaprotectedspeciesacrosstheirrange,isolatedcasesofthembeingkilledbyhuntersstilloccur,andthelossofevenafewindividualsposesaseriousthreattotheviabilityofthepopulation,giventhesmallnumberspresentateachlocality.Hunt-ingwasidentifiedasamajorthreattothefutureexistenceofgorillasasfarbackasthe1930s(Anon.1934).Gorillahuntinginthisregion,aselsewhere,isnotpurelyforsub-sistence;gorillameatisconsumed,theirbonesareusedintraditionalmedicineandasfetishes,andinfantshavebeensoldaspets.Becausegorillasaresuchimpressiveanimals,huntersoftenkeeptheskullsofindividualstheyhavekilled,sothesetrophiesarefoundinmanyvillages.Whilehuntingcertainlyhadasignificantimpactonthispopulation,traditionalpracticesinsomelocalitiesmayhavedeterredgorillahunting.Forexample,throughoutmuchoftheCrossRivergorillarangeinCameroon,thereisatraditionalprohibitiononthesaleofgorillameat,andhencehuntershavenotsoughtoutthisspecies.Similarly,peopleintheKagweneMountainsandBechati-Fossi-mondiforestregionofCameroon,andsomepeopleontheObuduPlateauinNigeria,haveatraditionalbanon

eatinggorillas.Theprolongedpresenceofresearchproj-ectsatsomeCrossRivergorillalocalitiesoverthepast10years,coupledwithconservationeducationactivitiesandincreasedlawenforcement,haveundoubtedlyhelpedtoreducegorillahunting.

Habitat Loss and FragmentationInthenorthoftheCrossRivergorilla’srangeandintheBamendaHighlandstotheeast,muchofthemontaneforestthatprobablyharboredgorillasinthepasthasbeenlosttoagricultureand,throughburningbypastoralists,convertedtograssland.Thisprocesscontinuesatthemarginsofthesubspecies’presentrange,wheretherearehighhumanpopulationdensities.Manysmallhumansettlementsarescatteredthroughoutthegorillas’range(someintheformoflegalenclaveswithinprotectedareas)andthecontinuingexpansionofthesesettlementshasthepotentialtofurtherfragmenttheforestandmakeitimpossibleforgorillastomigratebetweentheirmountainstrongholds.Theimprovementofoldroadswithinthegorillas’rangeandthebuildingofnewroadsarealsocon-tributingtohabitatlossandfragmentation,astheyopenupnewareasforsettlementandcultivation,andactaspossiblebarrierstomigration.

DiseaseCasesofdevastatingepidemicdiseasessuchasEbolaandanthraxhavenotyetbeenrecordedamongapesintheCrossRiverregionofCameroonandNigeria.Butwithhumans,domesticatedanimalsandgorillaslivingcomparativelyclosetogetherandoftenusingthesamehabitat,thereisaseriousriskofavarietyofpathogensandparasitesspreadingtothegorillas.ThesmallsizeoftheCrossRivergorillasubpopulationsmakesthemextremelyvulnerabletotheeffectsofintroduceddisease,andgroupscouldbeeffectivelyeliminatedbyvirulentinfections.

The Pet Trade

Eventodaythereisacontinuingtradeininfantgoril-lasaspets. Inattempts tocapture infants,huntersmaykillseveraladultgorillasthataretryingtopro-tect the mother and young animal. The only con-firmed Cross River gorilla in captivity is housed atthe Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, but manymorehaveprobablybeencapturedfromthisregioninthepast.Younggorillasonlysurvivethesetraumasif theyaregivenspecialcare. In2003, twogorillassmuggledacrossthebordertoNigeriasomeyearspreviously were repatriated to Cameroon and arealsonowhousedattheLimbeWildlifeCentre,whichhadatotalof11gorillasinitscollectioninearly2007.Thesegorillasarebelieved tobeWestern lowlandgorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), but their smuggling(and the subsequent smuggling of four gorillas toNigeriathatwerethensoldtoMalaysia)highlightsapotentialthreattoCrossRivergorillas.Long-termeducationeffortsandlobbyingatthegovernmentallevelarebeginningtohaveanimpactonthetradeinlivegorillas.

Bushmeat being carried as a head-load, Cameroon.

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Legislation Protecting Cross River Gorillas

boTh cameroon and nigeria are members of internationalconventionsthatcommitthemtopro-

tectingendangeredwildlife,andbothcountrieshavelawsinforcethatprotectgorillas.However,inbothcountriessuchlawsaregenerallypoorlyenforced.

CameroonInCameroon,themanagementofwildliferesourcesingeneral,andofgreatapesinparticular,istheresponsibil-ityoftheMinistryofForestryandWildlife(MINFOF).SpecificlegislationprotectinggorillasiscontainedwithintheForestryandWildlifeLawof1994.Forresearchinprotectedareas,MINFOFissuespermitsuponthepresen-tationofresearchauthorizationgivenbytheMinistryofScientificResearchandInnovation(MINRESI).

Underthe1994ForestryandWildlifeLaw,wildlifespe-ciesarecategorizedasClassA,BorCbasedontheirrar-ity;categorizationofwildlifespecieswasupdatedin2006.GorillasarelistedasClassAanimalsandassucharefullyprotected:itisstrictlyforbiddentopursue,captureorkillthem,exceptinrareandexceptionalcases.PossessionofaClassAspeciesorproductsderivedfromthemcanbegroundsforprosecution,andthoseconvictedcanbefinedand/orjailed.

CameroonhasaNationalAnti-PoachingStrategyadoptedin1999andrevisedin2000thegoalofwhichistohelpimproveimplementationofthe1994ForestryandWildlifeLaw.Thisstrategyemphasizessensitization,thedevelopmentoflivelihoodalternatives,cooperationwithpartners,thepromotionofsporthunting,andothersimi-larinitiatives.Additionally,aForestandWildlifeControlStrategyhasbeendevelopedtobetterenforcetheForestryandWildlifeLaw.Relatedtothis,CameroonhasalsoformulatedaNationalActionPlanfortheConservation

ofGreatApes.Finally,Cameroonhassignedandratifiedanumberofinternationalconventionsandsub-regionalagreements;notablytheConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora(CITES),CBD,CMS,andtheCentralAfricanForestsCommission(COMIFAC).

NigeriaForestryandwildlifemattersintheFederalRepublicofNigeriaareadministeredatboththefederalandstatelev-elsofgovernment.Statesexercisecontrolovergameandforestreservesandwildlifesanctuaries,whilethefederalgovernmentisinchargeofnationalparks.TheNigeriannationalparks,currentlyseveninnumber,wereestab-lishedundertheNationalParksDecree(No.36)of1991,laterreplacedbytheNationalParkServiceDecree(No.46)of1999,andareadministeredbytheNationalParkService(aparastatalundertheFederalMinistryofEnvi-ronment,HousingandUrbanDevelopment).

GreatapesareprotectedbybothfederalandstatelawsinNigeria.However,implementationoftheselawsremainsacauseofconcernforlocalandinternationalconservationists.Allwildlifeinnationalparksisprotectedbylawas,theoretically,areallendangeredspecieslistedinthefederalEndangeredSpecies(ControlofInternationalTradeandTraffic)Decreeof1985,whichisadministeredbytheFederalMinistryofEnvironment,HousingandUrbanDevelopmentthroughitsDepartmentofForestry.Statewildlifelawsvarygreatly,dependingontheextenttowhichcolonial-eralegislationhasbeenupgraded.GorillasinNigeriaoccuronlyinCrossRiverState,whosewildlifeconservationlawiscurrentlyunderrevision.ThedraftlawincludesfullprotectionfortheCrossRivergorillainthestate,includingallforestreserves,wildlifesanctuariesandcommunityland,withstrictpenaltiesfordefaulters.

ThefederalEndangeredSpeciesActisthelegalinstru-mentthroughwhichwildlifetradeandinternational

agreementsareenforceable.Nigeriaparticipatesinmanyinternationalconservationconventions.NigeriaratifiedtheAfricanConventionontheConservationofNatureandNaturalResourcesin1968,CITESin1974,andtheConventiononBiologicalDiversityin1994.NigeriasignedtheConventiononMigratorySpeciesin1987.TheEndangeredSpeciesActhasbeenassessedbythesecretar-iatofCITESandfoundtolacktheingredientsnecessaryforeffectiveimplementationoftheConvention,andinad-equateimplementationofCITESledtheStandingCom-mitteeoftheConventiontoimposeasuspensionoftradeinCITES-listedspecieswithNigeriainSeptember2005.

Rangers patrolling Afi Mountain, Nigeria.

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Gorilla Distribution and Site Descriptions

The landscape across which TheCrossRivergorillapopulationisscatteredhasasurfaceareaof

approximately12,000km²andrangesinelevationfromlessthan200minthevalleysofsomeofthemajorCrosstributaries(suchastheR.Oyi)to2,037matKagweneontheedgeoftheBamendaHighlands.Thenaturalvegeta-tioninthelowlandsofthisregionismoistsemi-decidu-oustropicalforest;thischangestosubmontaneforestat700–800m,withatransitiontomontaneforestatabout1,500m(Map2).Wheretherearehumansettlements,amosaicoffarmland,farmbushandsecondaryforestoccurs,andalongthenorthernfringeofthislandscapemostoftheupperelevationforesthasbeenconvertedtograsslandthatismaintainedthroughannualburningbypastoralistsandfarmers.Withinthislandscape,eightareascanbedelineatedassitesforactioninCrossRivergorillaconservation:Afi,MbeandOkwangwoinNigeria;Taka-manda,Mone,Mbulu,KagweneandBechati-Fossimondi-BesaliinCameroon(Table1).

NigeriaAboutone-thirdofthelandscapeacrosswhichCrossRivergorillasarespreadliesinNigeria.Here,gorillasoccurinthreeareas,allwithinCrossRiverState:theAfiMoun-tainWildlifeSanctuary,theMbeMountains,andtheOkwangwoDivisionofCrossRiverNationalPark.

AfiMountainWildlifeSanctuaryAfiMountainWildlifeSanctuary(AMWS)isthewestern-mostoftheCrossRivergorillalocalities.Thesanctuarywascreatedin2000toprotectwildlifeinapproximately100km²oflowlandandhillforestinthenorthwesterncornerofthe380km2AfiRiverForestReserve.Rockypeakswithsparsevegetationrisetoanelevationof

1,300minthehilliesteasternsectionsofAMWS.Onthewesternflankofthemountain,thereisalargegrasslandroostofmigratoryEuropeanbarnswallows(Hirundo rus-tica),estimatedtocontainupto20millionbirdsattimesandreputedtobethelargestwinteringroostsiteofswal-lowsinAfrica.

SixteenvillagessurroundAMWSandfarmsfromthesesettlementsadjoin,andinsomecasesencroachupon,mostofthesanctuaryboundary.Scatteredlogginghasoccurredinlowlandareas,butnotinthemountainouspartsofthewildlifesanctuary.Firesstartedinthelow-landsduringbushclearingforfarmshavesweptacrossmostouterslopesofthemountaininthelastdecade.Openareascreatedbyfireandlandslipsarecommononsteepslopesandtheseareasoftensupportlargeherb

patcheswhichareanimportantstaplefoodforthegoril-las.LocalpeoplestillhuntillegallyonAfiMountain,butpoachinghaslessenedsincethewildlifesanctuarywascreatedandparticularlysincemoreeffectivepatrollinghasbeeninitiatedbythestategovernment(withsupportfromNGOpartners).TheAfigorillas’rangeisconcentratedinapproximately40km2ofthecentralportionoftheAfiMountainmassif,butgorillasignshavebeenreportedintheadjoiningOlumhillstothenortheastandinthelow-landstothewest.

MbeMountainsImmediatelytotheeastofAfiMountain,andadjoiningtheAfiRiverForestReserve,aretheMbeMountains,anareaofcommunityforestthathasreceivedattentionfrom

Table 1. Key sites for Cross River gorillas.

Country / Site Status Altitude (m)

Area (km²)

Gorilla range (km²)

Estimated numbers

Nigeria

AfiMountain WildlifeSanctuary 130–1,300 ca.100 40 25–30

MbeMountains ProposedCommunityWildlifeSanctuary 110–900 85 25 25–30

OkwangwoDivision,CrossRiverNP1

NationalPark 110–1,700 640 65 25–50

Cameroon

Takamanda1ForestReserve,proposedNationalParkandadjacentareasofnon-classifiedforest

80–1,500 676 80 45–65

MoneRiver ForestReserve 110–1,200 538 35 20–30

Mbulu Unclassified 500–2,000 ca.1,000 30 20–30

KagweneMountain ProposedGorillaSanctuary 1,700–2,000 19 19 20–30

Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali

Unclassified 500–1,200 80–100 ca.25 20–30

TOTAL 200 – 295

¹OnesubpopulationlivesinthehillrangeswhichextendfromaboveObonyiinTakamanda,Cameroon,tosouthofOkwaintheOkwangwoDivision,Nigeria.


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Map 2. The known current distribution of Cross River gorillas in the Cameroon-Nigeria border region based on surveys conducted in the last decade. As described later in this plan, there is evidence that gorillas occasionally move beyond the hill areas (shown in red) in which their activities are concentrated. Map by Richard A. Bergl.


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conservationistssincesurveyslocatedgorillastherein1983.TheMbeforestalsocoversabout100km2,anditshillsriseto900m.TherearetenuousforestconnectionsbetweenAfiandMbe,butapavedroadrunsthroughthisconnection.Ninevillageslieclosetothenorthern,west-ernandsouthernedgesofMbeandtheirfarmsencroachongorillahabitat;asatAfi,dry-seasonfiressetforbushclearingsometimesburnintotheforest.TheMbecom-munitieshaveagreedtolimittheirhuntingonthemountainandnegotiationsareunderwaytocreateacom-munity-runconservationareacoveringthegorillahabitat.GorillasintheMbeMountainsareconcentratedinanareaofridgesandvalleysinthecenterofthiscommunityforest,thoughtheyalsooccasionallyusethelowlandstothesouthofthemountain.Thearearoutinelyusedbygorillasisapproximately25–30km2.

CrossRiverNationalPark,OkwangwoDivisionEastagainfromtheMbeforest,andseparatedfromitbytheOkonRiver,liesthenorthernpartofCrossRiverNationalPark(CRNP).CRNPconsistsoftheOkwangwoDivision(640km2)northoftheCrossRiverandtheObanDivision(about3,000km2)southoftheCross.Theparkwascreatedin1991fromfourformerforestreserves.GorillasoccuronlyinOkwangwo.ElevationsinOkwangworangefrom150minrivervalleysinthesouthtoaround1,700montheedgeoftheObuduPlateauinthenorth,andwithintheparkboundariesthereisarareforestcontinuumfromlowlandthroughsubmontanetomontanetypes.GorillasareknownfromtwoareasofOkwangwo:(1)theformerBoshiExtensionForestReserve(establishedin1958toprotectgorillas)thatoccupiesridgesandvalleysextendingnorthwestfromtheObuduPlateau,and(2)theOkwaHillsinthecentral

regionofOkwangwo,immediatelywestofCameroon’sTakamandaForestReserve.BoshiExtensionisthemostnorthernCrossRivergorillalocality;therangeoftheBoshiExtensiongorillascoversroughly25–30km2,centeredontheMache,AsacheandEnyimayiriverval-leys,butmayextendfurtherwestandsouth.TheOkwaHillsregionisthemostlowlandoftheCrossRivergorillalocalities;thearearangedoverbygorillasinthislocalityappearstobequitelarge(about70km2),butitisunclearhowmuchofthisareaishabituallyoccupied.Thegoril-lasusingthisOkwaHillsareaarepartofasubpopulationthatrangesacrosstheborderintotheObonyiareaofTakamandainCameroon.

ThelargevillagesofOkwa1,Okwa2andOkwangwoare“enclaved”withintheOkwangwoDivisionofCRNPandtheexpansionofvillagefarmlandsoutsideoftheirenclaveboundariesthreatenstobisecttheforestsoftheOkwangwoDivisionandfurtherisolatethegorillasub-populationsunlesssomeremedyisfound.TheBalegeteclusterofvillagessouthoftheObuduPlateauandtheneighboringMatenecommunitiesinCameroonprovideabarrierbetweentheBoshiExtensionforestsandthoseofnorthernTakamanda.AlthoughCRNPanditswildlifeareintheoryfullyprotected,huntingintheparkisstillwide-spreadanditsmontaneforestsontheedgeoftheObuduPlateauarebeingerodedbyfire.

CameroonAlthoughalargerproportionoftheCrossRivergorilla’srangeislocatedinCameroonthanNigeria,nopartofthisrangecurrentlyhasahigherprotectionstatusthanForestReserve(astatusthatallowstimberharvestingandprovidesnospecialsafeguardsforwildlife).AroundhalfoftheCrossRivergorillasinCameroonoccuronlandthathasnoformallyprotectedstatus;however,twonewprotectedareasareinprocessofbeinggazetted.InCamer-oon,allCrossRivergorillasarelocatedwithinCameroon’s

A Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Inaddition tobeinghome to theCrossRivergorilla, the regionstraddling theNigeria-Cameroonborder isabiodiversityhotspotofglobalsignificance(Myersetal.2000,Oatesetal.2004).Highlevelsofspeciesrichnessandendemismareexhibitedacrossawiderangeoftaxa(Oatesetal.2004,Bergletal.2007).Forprimatesthisregionisoneofthemostspecies-richintheworld.AmongotherendemicandendangeredprimateswithwhichtheCrossRivergorillasharestheseforestsaretheNigeria-Cameroonchimpanzee(Pan troglodytes vellerosus),thedrill(Mandrillus leucophaeus),andPreuss’sguenon(Cercopithecus preussi).Otherimportantcomponentsofthemammalfaunaincludetheforestelephant(Loxodonta cyclotis),forestbuffalo(Syncerus caffer nanus),andmanyspeciesofduiker.Theregionalsohasauniqueanddiversebirdfauna(including26endemicspecies),andcontainsseveralofBirdlifeInternational’sImportantBirdAreas(Fishpooletal.,2001).Othergroupsthatexhibithighlevelsofdiversityandendemismincludeamphibians,butterflies,fish,andsmallmammals.Thoughtheregionhasbeensomewhatneglectedbyinternationalconservationefforts,itisrecognizedasalandscapeofHighConservationPrioritybyUSAID’sCentralAfricanRegionalProgramfortheEnvironment(CARPE)andisincludedintwooftheWorldWildlifeFund’sCriticallyEndangeredTerrestrialEcosystems.


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SouthWestProvincewiththeexceptionofthoseintheKagwenelocalitywhichextendsafewkilometersintotheNorthWestProvince.

TakamandaForestReserveTakamandaForestReservecoversanareaof676km²atthemostnorthernpointofCameroon’sSouthWestProvince.Thereservewascreatedin1934asaproductionforesttoprotectwatersheds,andtoconservetheareaforfuturecommercialagriculturalactivitiesand/ortimberexploita-tion.ThewesternboundaryofthereserveadjoinssimilarforestsofCRNP’sOkwangwoDivisioninNigeria.Themajorityofthelowlandforestareawithinthesouthernandcentralpartofthereserveliesbetweenelevationsof100–400m.Theterrainisrollinginthelowlandsbutrisessharplyto1,700minthenorthofreserve,whereslopesareextremelysteep.Smallhillsbetween500mand700mlieatthewestern,easternandsouthernfringesofthereserveandareinhabitedbygorillas.ThesettlementsofObonyi1and3,MateneandKekpaneareenclavedwithinTaka-manda,parallelingtheenclavesituationinOkwangwo.Roadaccesstotheareaispoorandthelocalcommunitiesrelyalmostsolelyonforestproducts(suchasbushmeatandnon-timberplantproducts)andfarmingforsubsistence

andtogenerateincome.Manyoftheforestproductshar-vestedaretradedacrosstheborderinNigeria.Since2004,actionshavebeentakenbytheGovernmentofCameroon,withtheassistanceofWCS,toupgradethestatusofTaka-mandatoaNationalPark,inviewofitsoverallbiologicalimportance.

GorillasareknowntooccurinfourlocalitiesinandaroundtheTakamandaForestReserve. TheTakamandaSouthlocalitytakesinthelowhillssurroundedbythecommunitiesofTakpe,AwurriandAssam,northoftheMunayaRiverandjustoutsidethesouthernborderoftheforestreserve;TakamandaSouthisoneofthesmallerCrossRivergorillalocalities,withgorillasoccupyinganareaofapproximately20km2.Northeastofthisarea,theTakamandaEastlocalityconsistsofthehillsnorthofKekpane,westoftheBashovillagesandeastoftheMakoneRiver;about25km2ofthisregionisusedbygorillas.NortheastagainislikelythesmallestoftheknownCrossRivergorillalocalities;TakamandaNorth,locatedinanextremelysteepandrockyareacoveringabout15km2justsouthofthegrassland-forestborderinthenortheast-erncorneroftheforestreserve,closetoAtolovillage.ThefourthTakamandagorillalocalityliesnorthofObonyiandstraddlestheNigeria-CameroonborderintoOkwangwo(describedabove).

MoneRiverForestReserveApproximately7kmsouth-eastofTakamandaliestheMoneRiverForestReserve,whichcoversanareaof538km².AlthoughMonehassimilarvegetationtoTakamanda,thelandscapeismoretopographicallydiverse,withscatteredhillsrisingbetween350mandalmost1,000m.TheforestisbelievedtocontainalargerelephantpopulationthanTakamanda.TheexistenceofgorillasinMonewasonlyconfirmedin2000,whenapopulationwasdiscoveredinamountainous30km2

regionintheextremenortheastofthereserve,closeto

thevillageofMbu(Groves2001).Considerableareasofforestedhillsarecontiguouswiththisareaandhavenotyetbeenthoroughlysearchedforgorillas.TherearenovillagesenclavedwithinMone,butuncontrolledhunting,timberexploitationandextractionofotherforestproductsoccurthroughoutthereserve.

MbuluForestThehillyareaoflandreferredtoasMbulustretchesfromtheeasternboundaryofTakamandatothenorthernboundaryofMoneandwesttotheBamendahighlands.ThisforestedregionconnectsthetwoForestReservesofTakamandaandMone.Theseforestscurrentlyhavenoformalprotectedstatus.Elevationsreachupto1,800mwiththesouthandcentralsectorsdominatedbymatureforestandthenorthdominatedbygrassland.Gorillashavebeenfoundinthenorth-centralpartoftheMbuluForestonalonghighlandridgebetweenthevillagesofAshunda,Badshama,OteandBandolo.Thetotalareaknowntobeusedbygorillasisestimatedtobe30–40km2,butforestsimmediatelysouthof,andcontiguouswith,thisareahavenotbeenthoroughlysurveyed.SmallvillagesarescatteredthroughoutMbuluand,withalmostnoroadaccess,localcommunitiesrelyonfarming,hunting,tree-cuttingandharvestingnon-timberforestproducts.Thereiscurrentlylittlecontroloflandusebycommunities.

KagweneMountainAtthefareasternedgeoftheMbuluForest,andextend-ingintotheNjikwaforestsofNorthWestProvince,liesKagweneMountain.TheKagweneMountainconsistsof amosaicofsubmontaneandmontaneforest,andgrassland,atelevationsreachingover2,000m.Itistheeastern-mostpartoftheAfi-to-Kagwenelandscape,andisthehighestaltitudesiteatwhichCrossRivergorillasareknown.For-estthroughwhichgorillascouldtravelconnectsKagweneandtheBantakpaforests,about6kmtothenorthwest.

Kagwene Mountain, Cameroon.

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Thoughthegorillasoccupyonlyasmallarea(19km2),thepopulationappearstoberelativelylarge,numberingbetween20and30animals.Ninehumansettlementssur-roundthebaseofKagwene,andhuntingofwildlifeandthecollectionofotherforestproductsonthemountainwerecommonuntilrecently.Atraditionalbanongorillahuntingandconsumptionofgorillameathasprotectedthegorillasfrompoaching,buthabitatlossduetopas-toralismandfarmingthreatenstoseriouslyreducetheirhabitat.AgorillaresearchprojectestablishedatKagwenein2002isworkingwithlocalcommunitiesandtheGov-ernmentofCameroontocreatea19km2KagweneGorillaSanctuary,thegazettementofwhichisinprocess.

Bechati-Fossimondi-BesaliTwenty-fivekilometerssouth-eastofMoneRiverForestReserveliesa80–100km2forestedareabetweenBechati,FossimondiandBesali,wheregorillaswererecentlyredis-covered.Thislocalityisabout60kmfromthenearestknownCrossRivergorillalocalityinnorthernMone.Thearearisesfrom500matBechati,through1,700matBamumbuto1,900minFossimondi,andthereforegradesfromlowlandtosubmontaneforest.AtFossi-mondi,thesubmontaneforestsupportsimportantpopu-lationsofendemicbirdsincludingthebandedwattle-eyeandBannerman’sturaco.Surveysofthegorillapopulationinthisareahavebeeninitiated,togetherwithaconserva-tioneducationefforttargetedatlocalcommunitiesandgovernment.TenmainhumansettlementssurroundandusetheBechati-Fossimondi-Besaliforest.Inaddition,theareaisthreatenedbyitscloseproximitytoaloggingconcession,andbytheexpansionoflocally-ownedoilpalmplantations.However,alocalbanongorillahuntinghasbeeninplacesincethestartofconservationactivitiesin2003.Gorillashavealsobeenreportedinsomeneigh-boringforestareas(suchasBamumbuandNkong)andfurthersurveyshavebeguntodeterminethereliability

ofthesereports.SurveysareplannedtodiscoverwhetherthereisapotentialcorridorforgorillasbetweenBechatiandMone.

Population and Habitat Continuity

Though evidence of gorillas in The areasbetweentheeightkeyCrossRivergorillasitesis

limited,analysisofgeneticdataandsatelliteimagery(seeMap3)hasdemonstratedthatthegorillasubpopulationsarenotisolatedfromoneanother(Bergl2006,BerglandVigilant2007).DNAmicrosatellitedatasuggestthatatleastthreegeneticallyidentifiablesubpopulationsarepresent:aCentralsubpopulationconsistingofthemajor-ityofknownCrossRivergorillalocalities,andWesternandEasternsubpopulationsconsistingofAfiMountainandKagweneMountain.GeneticdatafromtheBechati-Fossimondi-Besaligorillasarenotavailable,butgiventheremotenessofthisareafromotherknowngorillalocalities,itislikelythatthesegorillasrepresentafourthsubpopulation.EventhoughtheAfiandKagwenegorillasrepresentgeneticallyidentifiablesubpopulations,geneticanalyseshavedetectedmigrantsfromtheseareasintotheMbeMountainsandUpperMbulurespectively.MigrantindividualshavealsobeendiscoveredintheMoneNorthandTakamandaSouthlocalities.Thesemigrations(whichoccurredduringtheadultlifetimeofgorillassampledbyBerglin2002–2004)haveoccurreddespitehighlevelsofhumanactivityintheforestandtheongoingfragmenta-tionofthegorillas’habitat.

DatafromsatelliteimageryindicatethepresenceofextensiveforestacrosstheCrossRivergorillas’rangeandatleasttenuousconnectivitybetweenmostgorillalocali-ties.EvenlocalitiessuchasAfiandKagweneremaincon-nectedtoothergorillaareasvianarrowhabitatcorridors.ManyofthemorecentralCrossRivergorillalocalities

areconnectedbylargetractsoflowlandforest.Thepres-enceofhabitatlinkagesandcorridorssupportsthegeneticfindingsofmigrationbetweenlocalities.Thepresenceoflargeareasofforestwhichareapparentlynothabituallyoccupiedbygorillasalsosuggeststhattheremaybeasyetundiscoveredgroupsofgorillas,orthattheexistingpopu-lationhasthepotentialtoexpandiftheseforestscanbemaintained.

Technical Operational Unit (TOU)

It is now widely recognized that conservationplanningismosteffectiveonlargespatialscales,such as eco-regions and landscapes. The Gov-ernment of Cameroon has established a set ofTechnicalOperationalUnits(TOUs)forlandscapeconservationwiththedualobjectivesofconserv-ingbiodiversityandtheenvironment,andimprov-ing local livelihoods through the sustainablemanagement of natural resources. Within therangeoftheCrossRivergorilla,aprocesstocre-ateaTakamanda-MoneTOUwasinitiatedin2004and involves a multitude of partners (MINFOF,WCS,WWF,GTZ,DED)workingcollaborativelytocreatealandscapemanagementsystemcoveringtheareasofTakamanda,Mone,MbuluandKag-wene.WhileadecreeformallycreatingthisTOUisawaited,workhascommencedoncreationofthemanagementsystem,fundedbytheGermandevelopmentbank,KfW.IntheBechati-Lebialemarea,aTOUisalsobeingconsideredthatwouldincludetheBechati-Fossimondi-Besaliforest,thenorthernportionofforestryconcessionUFA11002,andtheMak-Betchouforest.


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Map 3. The three “genetic populations” of the Cross River gorilla identified by Richard A. Bergl, and the location of migration events between or into localities as deduced from DNA evidence. The origins of the migrants into the Takamanda South and Mone North localities are uncertain. The eleven known Cross River gorilla localities are labeled with white boxes. Map by Richard A. Bergl.


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This documenT is The producT of a series ofthreeworkshopsheldtoexchangeinformation

aboutCrossRivergorillasandtoformulatestrategiestoimprovetheirconservationprospects.Thefirstmeet-ingwasheldinApril2001inCalabar,CrossRiverState,Nigeria.Planningforthatfirstmeetingbeganin1999,whennotonlywasthespecialnatureofGorilla gorilla diehlibecomingapparent,butalsotheneedforconcertedactiontoprotectthishighlyendangeredape.Themeeting,organizedbytheWildlifeConservationSocietyandtheNigerianConservationFoundation,broughttogetherforthefirsttimegovernmentofficialsfromCameroonandNigeriainvolvedwithgorillaconservation,aswellasresearchers,representativesofnongovernmentalconservationorganizations,andmembersoflocalcommunities.Atwo-daytechnicalworkshopwasfollowedbyalargergeneralmeetingthatwasattendedbyabroaderaudienceofinterestgroupsanddecisionmakers;theproceedingswerepublishedbyBasseyandOates(2001).

Thesecondmeeting,designedtoreviewprogresssincethe2001meetingandtoupdateitsrecommenda-tionsbasedonnewfindingsinthefield,wasorganizedinCameroonbyWCSandthethenMinistryoftheEnvironmentandForestry(MINEF),andwasheldinLimbeinAugust2003(Sunderland-GrovesandJaff2004).Animportantcomponentofthesecondmeet-ingwastheparticipationoftheenvironmentministersfromtheGovernmentofCameroonandFederalGov-ernmentofNigeria,whosignedthefinalworkshopcommuniquéendorsingthemeeting’srecommenda-tions.Thatcommuniquéisreproducedhere.

Thethirdmeeting,againinCalabar,tookplaceinApril2006.Atwo-dayworkshopexaminedtherecommenda-tionsmadeinthepreviousworkshopsandanalyzedwhatprogresshadbeenmadeinimplementation.Therecom-mendationswerethenupdatedinthelightofexperienceandnewevidence,andpresentedtoaconferencesessionopentoalargeraudience.Thefinalsetofagreedrecommendationsispresentedhere,alongwithestimatedcostsofimplemen-tationoverafive-yearperiod.

Action Planning Process


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Regional Non-Site-Specific Priority Actions


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Priorities for Promoting Education and Awareness

Potential Implementing Partners 1

Time Frame

Funding needed

• Further develop and expand conservation educationandoutreachprogramsthroughoutCrossRivergorillarangebasedonschoolconservationclubs,useofradioandTVbroadcasts,and conservation/apefilmsshowntolocalcommunities.

NCF,WCS,DIN,TOCS,ERuDeF

5years $160,0002

•Develop locally made Cross River gorilla conservation film/DVDforuseinlocalvillages.

WCS 1year $2,000

•Update education materials, such as posters and leaflets,atregularintervals.

WCS,WWF,ERuDeF 5years $15,000

•Create regular newsletters on conservation issues and activities.WCS,MINFOF,NCF,ERuDeF

5years $8,000

1Thistermreferstobothappropriategovernmentagenciesandnon-governmentalorganizations,whichwouldworkinpartnershiptoimplementtheproposedactions.2InCameroon,KfWarecurrentlycontributingaround€ 40,000peryeartoconservationawarenessactivitiesinthe31villagessurroundingtheproposedTakamandaNationalPark.Thissupportislikelytoextendonlyuntiltheendof2007.

The Role of Primate Sanctuaries in Education

Primatesanctuarieshaveplayedan important role inraisinginterestinmonkeysandapesandtheirconser-vation. Sanctuaries established in Cross River State,Nigeria(bythePandrillusandCercopanNGOs),andinLimbe,Cameroon(byPandrillus),haveactedashavensforconfiscatedwildlifeinthisregionandaseducationcenters.Withmanythousandsofpeoplevisitingthesesanctuariesannually,CamerooniansandNigerianshavebeen afforded opportunities both to see face-to-facespecies that today they rarely, if ever, observe in thewildandto learnaboutthethreatsfacedbyprimatesand their habitats. The Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC)housesagroupofwesterngorillasandtheonlyknownCrossRivergorillaincaptivity;theLWCrunseducationoutreachprogramsinSouthWestProvincewhichhavecollaboratedwithWCSoutreachefforts.

considering The large number of peoplelivingaroundandwithintherangeofCrossRivergorillas,raisingawarenessaboutthevalueofconservationingeneralandtheuniquenessofthesegorillasinparticularmustbe

amajorcomponentofalong-termconservationprogram.EducationandawarenesseffortsalreadyundertakenatanumberofsitesinNigeriaandCameroonhavecontributedtoasignificantreductionofgorillahunting.Theseini-tiativeshaveincludedregularradiobroadcastsintheBokyilanguageinCrossRiverState,Nigeria,theestablishmentofan“outreach”programinCameroon,andthedistributionofCrossRivergorillaconservationpostersinbothNigeriaandCameroon.Theseeffortsneedtobecontinuedandexpanded.

Promoting Education and Awareness

The2006CalabarworkshopparticipantsagreedtoclassifythefollowingasRegionalNon-SiteSpecificPriorityActions.

Visitors watching gorillas at the Limbe Wildlife Centre, Cameroon.

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RegionalNon-Site-SpecificPriorityActions,continued

Priorities for Promoting Community Participation in Conservation

Potential Implementing Partners

Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Outreach programs to raise awareness of the benefits of environmental protection (e.g.,watershedmaintenanceanderosioncontrol).

CRSFC,CRNP,DIN,MINFOF,TOCS,WCS,NCF,ERuDeF

5years $50,000

•Develop the capacity of local peopletoparticipateinandshareresponsibilityforecotourismandlawenforcement.

GTZ,WCS,NCF,DIN,ERuDeF,MMCA,FFI,WWF

3years $60,000

•Develop alternative livelihood activities to reduce pressureon forest resources(e.g.,non-extractiveresourceuse, andincome-generatingactivitiessuchasmicro-enterprises).

GTZ,KfW,NCF,DIN,ERuDeF,MMCA,FFI,WWF

5years $1,000,0001

•Enclaves: limit all human activities to existing boundariesthroughthedevelopmentofland-useplans;encourageresettlementoutsideprotectedareas.

CRNP,TOCS,MINFOF,DIN,GTZ,WCS,FFI,WWF

5years $150,000

•Promote land-use planning, improved agricultural practices and community forestryinareassurroundinggorillahabitattoactasabufferzonetocoregorillasites.

DIN,GTZ,MMCA,ERuDeF,CRSFC,FFI,NCF

5years $100,000

1TheGermanDevelopmentBank,KfW,havepledgedatotalof€600,000toimplementdevelopmentactivitiestosupportconservationintheTakamanda-MoneTOU.Thesefundswillbedisseminatedoverfiveyearsandfocusontwenty-fivecommunities.

earlier parTs of This documenT have highlighTedthefactthattheCameroon-NigeriaborderregionissurroundedbyahighhumanpopulationwhichdirectlyimpactsCrossRivergorillasandtheirhabitat.Thereis

alsoalargenumberofhumansettlementsscatteredthroughthegorilla’srange,whiledemarcatedvillageenclaveslieinsideboththeOkwangwoDivisionofCrossRiverNationalParkinNigeriaandtheproposedTakamandaNationalParkinCameroon.Muchofthegorillas’rangefallsoutsideprotectedareas,oncommunity-managedlandwithlittleornoformalprotectionstatus.Communitysupportandinvolvementinconservationactivitiesare,therefore,crucialtosecuringasafefuturefortheCrossRivergorillaacrossitsentirerange.

Mutualunderstanding,trustandtransparencyamonggovernment,non-governmentalorganizationsandcommuni-tiesarekeyfactorsincommunityparticipation,andcommunitymembersshouldthereforebeincludedinthedevelop-mentofprotected-areamanagementplansandinparkmanagementcommittees.Beyondthis,communitiesmaybeassistedwithlivelihoodimprovementsthataredesignedtoreducethedirectimpactofpeopleonthegorillasandtheirhabitats.Toachievethisoutcome,appropriateincome-generatingactivitiesmaybepromoted,alongwithagriculturalpracticesthathavethepotentialtoproduceincreasedcropyieldswithoutfurtherencroachmentonforesthabitatsortheconversionofbufferzones;improvedmarketingtechniquesforagriculturalproduceshouldalsobeexplored.Theseeffortsmaybeassistedbydevelopingcommunity-basedtrainingcenters.Donor-assisteddevelopmenteffortstiedtoconserva-tionprojectsneedtomakedevelopmentassistancecontingentoncooperationwithconservationmanagementsystems.

Promoting Community Participation in Conservation

Local support for Cross River gorilla conservation, Kakubok, Nigeria.

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A presentation about conservation education by the Wildife Conserva-tion Society to a school near Takamanda Forest Reserve, Cameroon.

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Priorities for Transboundary Conservation Planning


Time Frame

Funding needed

• Create and support national and binational transboundary conservation committeestoincreasedialogueandinformationexchangeandtodevelopstrategies.

NNPS,MINFOF,WCS,WWF,GTZ,NCF

5years $20,000

• Initiate local-level activities between protected area managers and staff todevelopcommitmenttocooperativeconservation(e.g.,exchangevisitsandjointsurveys).

CRNP,MINFOF,WCS,securityauthorities

5years $30,000

• Identification of a strategic frameworkfor transboundaryconservation,withaleadorganizationappointed.

NNPS,MINFOF,WCS,WWF,GTZ

1year $10,000

•Develop a GIS databaseasaplanningtoolforconservation. WCS,WWF,GTZ 2years $30,000

•Seek international support andinvestigateoptionsfordesignationasaTransboundaryWorldHeritageSite.

CRNP,MINFOF,WCS,WWF,GTZ,IUCN-WCPA,PeaceParksFoundation,UNEP

2–3years $5,000

Transboundary Conservation Planning

given The disTribuTion of and ThreaTsfacedbyCrossRivergorillas,alandscape-scaleplanfortheircon-servationisessential.Thisplanhastotakeaccountofthefactthatthegorillasoccuronbothsidesofaninter-

nationalborder,andthatcross-borderconservationmeasuresmustthereforebedeveloped.Acleartransboundaryapproachcanbringseveralbenefits,including:

• Improvementsinthecontrolofthreatsthatcancrossboundaries,suchasfire,pests,diseases,poaching,tradeinbushmeat,timberandotherforestproductsandwildlifetrafficking.

• Theinterestofdonorsintransboundaryprotectedareas.

• Anincreaseinnationalcommitmenttoconservationwhenthisisseenasacomponentofinternationalcooperation.

• Thefosteringofbettercooperationandunderstandingbetweenthenationsconcerned,bothinconservationandinotherspheres.

• Thefacilitationofmoreeffectiveresearch.

TransboundaryconservationmeasureshavealreadybeendevelopedorproposedforanumberofotherprotectedareasthatlieoneithersideoftheNigeria-Cameroonborder.Theseare:(1)theObanDivisionofCrossRiverNationalParkandKorupNationalPark;(2)GashakaGumtiandFaronationalparksandaproposedprotectedareaatTchabalMbabo;and(3)LakeChadandWazanationalparks.Manyoftheseareassharecommonmanagementproblems.

The Magbe River, which forms the boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria. On the left is the Takamanda proposed National Park, Cameroon. On the the right is the Okwangwo Division, Cross River National Park.

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During the 2006 Calabar workshop, participants discussed potential benefits and costs to Cross River gorilla conservation from developing ecotourism. Recommendations were agreed with the guiding principles being that

(1) ecotourism is not limited to gorilla habituation and viewing and (2) ecotourism should be seen as part of an overall tourism package that includes many aspects and services.

Being mindful of these considerations, participants agreed on the following points:

1. Ecotourism can bring benefits for conservation anddevelopment, but can also have negative impacts ontheenvironmentandhumanculture, andcandistractattentionfromcoreconservationneeds.

2. Because of the risks to gorilla health and survival from disease, stress, and vulnerability to hunting, internationalconcernhasbeenexpressedaboutthehabituationofgorillas,especiallyCrossRivergorillas,forthepurposesoftourism.

3. Participants agreed to endorse whatever recommendations may arise from an independent feasibility study ofgorilla-basedtourismtobeundertakenatAfiMountainin2006–2007.

4. Participants will not endorse any further gorilla habituation efforts elsewhere in the Cross River gorilla’s rangeuntilanyoutcomesatAfihavebeenreviewed.

in cerTain siTuaTions, ape-based ecoTourismcanplayanimportantroleinraisingconservationawarenessandgeneratingfundsforconservationanddevelopment.Themostsuccessfulgreat-apetourisminitiativeisthat

builtaroundEastAfricanmountaingorillas.Mountaingorillashavenotbeenhuntedforfood,andtheirmoreopenhabitatcanallowvisualcontactoverhundredsofmeters,sotheyhavebeenrelativelyeasytohabituatetoclosehumanpresence.Lowlandgorillasaregenerallymuchhardertohabituate;theyhaveexperiencedhuntingand,becausethevegetationintheirhabitatmoreoftenimpedesvision,theanimalsandhumansoftendetecteachotheronlywhentheyareincloseproximity,provokingfearandstressinbothgorillasandhumans.Furthermore,habitu-ationfortourismpresentsriskstogorillasincludingtheintroductionofhumanillnessesandlossoffearofhumans,includinghunters.CrossRivergorillaspresentparticularchallengesforhabituation.Inadditiontotheirwarinessofhumansbecauseofarecenthistoryofintensehunting,andthedensevegetationintheirhabitat,thesmallpopula-tionisfragmented,andindividualgroupsrangeoverlargeareasinruggedandinaccessibleterrain.WithintherangeoftheCrossRivergorilla,severalecotourisminitiativeshavealreadybeendevelopedthatdonotinvolvegorillaview-ing(forinstance,atAfi),andtherearemanyopportunitiesforsuchtourismtogrow.

Development of Ecotourism and Gorilla Viewing

A small group of Cross River gorillas at Kagwene Mountain, a proposed gorilla sanctuary in Cameroon.

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The rugged terrain of Afi Mountain, Nigeria, where gorilla tourism is being considered.

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Priorities for Improved Legislation and Law Enforcement

Cameroon

• The government of Cameroon needs to invest more, both in terms of finance and human resources, in wildlife surveillance measures such as anti-poaching,inadditiontohabitatprotection.

• The 1994 Forestry and Wildlife Law needs to be reviewed and updated totakeintoconsiderationnewwildlifemanagementissues,andtore-categorizekeyspeciesbasedontheircurrentstatus.

• Cameroon needs to more actively implement CITES measuresinordertoreduceexploitationofapes,elephants,andturtles.

• The government of Cameroon needs to improve procedures for the establishment of community hunting zones,thegrantingofcollectionpermits,andthedevelopmentofmanagementplansforprotectedareas.

• The action plan of the new Caucus of Environmental Parliamentarians needs to be implementedtofacilitatethecreationandimplementationofregulations.

Nigeria

• Both the federal and state governments of Nigeria need to commit more human, material and financial resources to the sustainable conservation of wildlife,includingthegorillaanditshabitat.

• More effort needs to be made by the government of Nigeria to review the Endangered Species Decreeandgenerallyimprovetheimplementationandenforcementofthelaw.

• Nigeria needs to fulfill the requirements necessary to effect the withdrawal of the suspension of trade by CITESintheshortestpossibletime.

• A national gorilla conservation strategy needs to be elaborated at the federal level of governmentincollaborationwithrelevantstategovernment.

• Revision of the wildlife laws of Cross River State needs to be completed, and the new law implemented.

Improved Legislation and Law Enforcement

Opening of a new forestry post at Akwaya in Cameroon. Construction was supported by the international conservation community because of the proximity of Akwaya to key Cross River gorilla habitats in the nearby forests of Takamanda and Mbulu.

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Priorities for Research Potential Implementing Partners Time Frame

Funding needed

• Continue socioecological research and population monitoring.

WCS,CRNP,CRSFC,MINFOF,NCF,MMCA,ERuDeF,FFI,ACF,RGBK,Universities,WWF

5years $500,000

•Conduct gorilla distribution surveys.WCS,NNPS,MINFOF,NCF,WWF,FFI,ERuDeF,ACF

2years $100,000

•Conduct Cross River gorilla genetic tagging and population genetic analysis project.

WCS,NNPS,CRSFC,MINFOF,NCF 2years $100,000

•Conductecological studies at new sites.WCS,NNPS,MINFOF,NCF,Universities,WWF,ERuDeF

2–3years $100,000

Population MonitoringThoughthepresenceofgorillashasbeenconfirmedatelevenlocalitiesinNigeriaandCameroon,thetotalareahabituallyusedbythemremainsunclear.Surveysinrecentyearshaveshownthatthegorillasoccupysignificantlylargerareasofhabitatthanhadbeenassumed,butdatafromanumberofsites,particularlyinlowlandareas,remainlimited.Ongoingmonitoringatallknowngorillalocalitiesisneededtobetterunder-standtheirrangingpatterns,mapcorehabitatareas,andevaluatetheimpactsofhuntingandotherhumandisturbance.Aregularresearchpresenceatthegorillasiteswouldalsocontributetoprotection,communityoutreach,andcommunitybenefitsfromemployment.

Distribution SurveysTheextentoftheCrossRivergorilla’srangeisstillincompletelyknown.RecentsurveysinNigeriahaveconfirmedthepresenceofgorillasinanareatheywerethoughttonolongeruse(OlumHill,nearAfiMoun-tain).InCameroon,gorillaswerethoughttobepresentinthesouthernportionofMoneRiverForestReserve,butfieldsurveysfailedtoproduceanyevidenceoftheirpresence.AlsoinCameroon,apopulationbelievedtohavebeenextirpated(Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali)wasrecentlyre-discovered.Takentogether,thesefindingsservetoemphasizetheneedtoexpandourknowledgeofthegorillas’range.

Systematicallyconducted,intensivesurveysareneededtomorepreciselydeterminethefullextentofthegorillas’distribution.Intensivesurveys(i.e.,employingmultipleteamsoffieldworkersandofthreeormoreweeksinduration)arenecessaryduetothe

lowdensityofgorillastypicaloftheregion,steepter-rain,anddifficultiesinvolvedwithdetectinggorillasignsinthetypesofforesttobefoundintheCrossRiverarea.Eveninareaswheretheyareknowntoexist,itisoftendifficulttolocateanysignsofgorillas.Inparticular,severalareasstandoutasneedingfurthersurveywork:

1. CentralandnortheastMoneRiverForestReserve,andareastothenorthandeastofthereserve.

2. ThesouthernportionoftheUpperMbuluforest,inthevicinityofAshunda,Badshama,Ote,andMbuluvillages.

3. OtherforestsinthevicinityofBechati-Fossimondi-Besali,andbetweenBechatiandsouth-easternMone(includingtheBamumbuHills,theNkongforestandtheMak-Betchouforest).

Research Priorities

Recording gorilla nest site data, Kagwene, Cameroon.

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ResearchPriorities,continued

4. ThehighlandridgeswestofthecurrentlyknownBoshiExtensiongorillalocalityinnorthernOkwangwoDivisionofCrossRiverNationalPark.

5. TheOkwaHillsintheOkwangwoDivisionofCrossRiverNationalPark.

Further Genetic AnalysesGeneticanalysishasprovidedvaluableinsightsintothepopulationstructureoftheCrossRivergorillas,buthasbeenlimitedbytheavailabilityofsamplesfromallgorillalocalities.Collectionandanalysisofadditionalsampleswouldallowamoredetailedunderstandingofpopulationstructure.Moreintensivegeneticsamplingwouldalsoallowmoreprecisecalculationofmigra-tionratesbetweenlocalities.Suchdatacouldbeusedtoidentifyeffectivehabitatcorridorsandmakefuturedemographicmodelinganalysesmoreaccurate.

GeneticanalysiscouldalsobeusedtoaddressoneofthemostelusivebutbasicCrossRivergorillapopu-lationparameters,populationsize.Analysistechniquesthatemployrarefactionormark-recapturemethodolo-gies(genetictagging)canbeappliedtogeneticdatatogeneratepopulationsizeestimates.Apilotgenetictag-gingstudyoftheMbeMountainsiscurrentlyunder-way.Ifsuccessful,thisapproachcouldbeappliedtotheCrossRiverpopulationasawhole.

Cross River Gorilla SocioecologyThesocioecologyoftheCrossRivergorillahasbeenstudiedattwosites(AfiMountainandKagweneMountain)thatmaynotberepresentativeofthepopu-lationasawhole.Bothsitesareattheperipheryofthegorillas’knownrangeandhavefeaturesthatappear

tobesomewhatdifferentfromthemajorityofthehabitatoccupiedbyG. g. diehli.StudyingthefeedingecologyofgorillasatoneofthemorecentrallocalitieswouldallowanunderstandingofwhetherobservationsfromAfiandKagwenearecharacteristicoftheover-allpopulation.Obtainingmoredataonthegorillas’habitatrequirementscouldhelpidentifytheecologicalfactorswhichdeterminetheirpresentdistributioninthehighlands,andfacilitatemoreaccurateestimation

Researchers collecting gorilla dung from a nest during a survey in Cameroon. Collection and analysis of additional samples would allow a more detailed understanding of the population structure.

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ofwhethercurrentlyunoccupiedforestareasrepre-

sentsuitablegorillahabitat.FurtherresearchonCross

Rivergorillafeedingecologycouldbecomplemented

bybotanicalsurveys.Abetterunderstandingofthe

relationshipbetweenthegorillas’dietandthefloristic

compositionoftheCrossRiverregionwouldallow

moreaccurateestimationofwhichareasrepresentgood

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Action Needed — Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary Potential Implementing Partners Time

FrameFunding Needed

• Conduct workshop to resolve issue of illegal farming inthesanctuary. CRSFC 1year $3,000

• Improve management infrastructure: rangerposts,sanctuaryheadquarterbuildings,radionetwork,trails.

CRSFC,FFI,NCF,Pandrillus,WCS 2–3years $50,000

•Enforce sanctuary lawsandorganizeeffectiveanti-poachingpatrols.

CRSFC,NCF,WCS,FFI,Pandrillus 5years $125,0001

•Conducttrainingtoimplementimprovedranger-basedmonitoring.

CRSFC,NCF,WCS,FFI,Pandrillus 1year $1,000

•Survey, map and secure habitat corridorsbetweenAfi-MbeandAMWS-ARFR.

CRSFC,FFI,WCS,Pandrillus 2–3years $10,000

•Develop community-based land-use plansforsurrounding‘bufferzone’andcorridors.

CRSFC,DIN,NCF 2years $20,000

•Complete ecotourism feasibility study.CRSFC,FFI,NCF,WCS,Pandrillus,CRSTourismBureau 1year $10,000

•Develop a management plan. CRSFC,NCF,WCS,FFI,Pandrillus,DIN 1–2years $20,000

•Conduct workshop to develop fire protection plan. CRSFC,NCF,Pandrillus 1year $1,000

Priority Site-Based Actions — Nigeria

1Recurrentcosts,ofwhichCRSFCcurrentlycontributesaround$10,000forrangersalariesperyear.

managemenT of afi mounTain wildlife sancTuary (AMWS)bytheCrossRiverStateForestryCommissioncurrentlyreceivessupportfromanumberofNGOsincludingFaunaandFloraInternational,

theWildlifeConservationSociety,PandrillusandtheNigerianConservationFoundation.Althoughlevelsofhuntinghavebeenreducedthroughthecreationofateamof23rangers,thereareestimatedtobemorethan600illegalfarmsofvarioussizeswithinthesanctuary.WidespreadillegallogginginthesurroundingAfiRiverForestReserve(ARFR)andthespreadoffarmsfromtheinterveningBuanchorenclavethreatentoseverthehabitatcorridorlinkingAfitotheMbeMountainsintheeast.Althoughthesteepmountainousslopesofthesanctuaryhavelargelyprotecteditfromlogging,theforestisfrequentlydamagedbydry-seasonfiresandduringthe2005–2006dryseasonsomeofthegoril-laslefttheconfinesofthesanctuarytofeedinsurroundingfarms.Methodsformitigatingpotentialgorilla-humanconflictthereforeneedtobeconsidered.

AMWSiscurrentlythefocusofanambitiousecotourismdrivebytheCrossRiverStateGovernmentthatincludesaplanforhabituationofthegorillasatAfiforthepurposesoftourism.Thishabituationproposaliscurrentlythesub-jectofanindependentfeasibilitystudy.Thesanctuaryisalsotheproposedsiteforthereintroductionofcaptivedrills(Mandrillus leucophaeus)bytheNGOPandrillus.

Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS)

View of Afi Mountain from Buanchor, Nigeria. Although the steep mountainous slopes of the sanctuary have largely protected the Cross River gorilla habitat from logging, the forest is frequently damaged by dry-season fires.

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PrioritySite-BasedActions—Nigeria,continued

Action Needed — Mbe Mountains


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Provide necessary support and capacity building forthe ConservationAssociationoftheMbeMountains(CAMM).

DIN,WCS,CRSFC 2–3years $30,000

•Explore lease option for sustainable conservation financing. FFI,WCS,NCF 1year $10,000

•Develop research station. WCS,CAMM 2years $10,000

•Support the development and implementation of an effective community patrol system.

CAMM,WCS,CRSFC,CRNP 5years $50,000

•Conduct a workshop to develop fire protection plan. CAMM,DIN,WCS,CRSFC 1year $1,000

•Survey, map and protect corridor between Mbe and Cross River National Park.

CRSFC,CAMM,WCS 2–3years $10,000

•Complete formal demarcation and legal gazettement of boundary.

CAMM,CRSFC,WCS 1year $10,000

•Develop a management plan. CAMM,WCS,DIN,CRSFC 1–2years $20,000

•Develop a community-based land-use planforsurrounding‘bufferzone’andhabitatcorridors.

CAMM,DIN,CRSFC 2years $20,000

Mbe Mountains lacking any formal conservaTion sTaTus, traditionalownershipoftheMbeforestisclaimedbyninesur-roundingcommunities.Despiterecommendationstothecontrary,theMbeMountainswereexcludedfromthe

newlyestablishedCrossRiverNationalParkin1991,andsubsequentattemptsbythefederalgovernmenttoincor-poratethelandintotheparkwereunsuccessful.TheninecommunitieshaveformedtheConservationAssociationoftheMbeMountains(CAMM),andtheyintendtomanagetheareabothforconservationandtoprovidebenefitstocommunitymembers.ThisprocesshasbeendrivenbyaUSAID-fundedprojectknownasSPACE(SustainablePrac-ticesinAgricultureforCriticalEnvironments)supportedbyanumberofNGOssuchasWCSandDevelopmentinNigeria.

MonitoringofthegorillasbyalocalNGO,thePrimatesPreservationGroup,andmorerecentlybyWCS,hasresultedinadegreeofinformalprotectionforthegorillas.Despitethelackofanyformalconservationstatus,wildlifedoesappeartobemoreabundantintheMbeMountainscomparedtonearbyprotectedareas.However,themountainsremainunderthreatfromlogging,agriculturalencroachment,andhunting.Itishopedthatthenewlycreatedcommunityconservationareawillbeabletoreducesuchpressureswhilstmaintaininglocalsupport,andthatMbewillcontinuetolinkAfiMountainwithCrossRiverNationalParkandthelargerblockofgorillahabitattotheeast.

Mbe River at foot of the Mbe Mountains, Nigeria.

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A researcher inspecting a gorilla nest, Mbe Mountains, Nigeria.


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PrioritySite-BasedActions—Nigeria,continued

Action Needed — Cross River National Park: Okwangwo Division


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Continue enforcement of protected area laws,especiallyanti-poachingmeasures.

CRNP,WCS,WWF 5years $250,0001

•Training for CRNP staffinanti-poachingmeasuresandgorillamonitoringtechniques.

CRNP,WCS,NCF,WWF 1–2years $20,000

•Review existing enclave relocation plans, andexplorefundingoptions.

CRNP,FGN 1–2years $1,000

•Finalize management plan. CRNP,WCS,DIN,NCF 1year $20,000

•Review of external boundaryincludingpossiblere-demarcation. CRNP,CRSFC 1year $20,000

•Continue with efforts to build and equip new ranger posts.CRNP,WCS,BRD,KolmardenZoo

3years $30,0002

•Plan for broad-based ecotourismandintegratewitheffortsbyCrossRiverStateTourismBureau.

CRNP,CRSTourismBureau

1year $1,000

Cross River National Park: Okwangwo Division despiTe The efforTs of park auThoriTies,highlevelsofhuntingoccurinmostareasoftheOkwangwo

Division,drivenbythelucrativebushmeatmarket.Consequently,largemammalsareatverylowdensitiesalmosteverywhere.

Amajorunresolvedproblemfortheparkisthepresencewithinitofthreelargeenclavedvillages.Twoenclaves(OkwaandOkwangwo)werecreatedtocontainthesevillagesduringtheestablishmentoftheformerOkwangwoForestReservein1930andsincethattimethevillageshaveincreasedgreatlyinpopulation,clearingmuchforestforfarmingandexpandingoutsidetheirenclaves.ThesefarmlandsthreatentodividetheparkintwoandtherebyisolatetheforestandgorillasofBoshiExtensionfromtherestoftheOkwangwoDivision.Somelow-intensityloggingalsooccursinOkwangwo,althoughthisisprobablynotwidespread.

Parkboundariesalsoremaincontentious:theofficialdecreethatestablishedtheparkin1991adoptedtheboundariesoftheformerBoshi-Okwangwoforestreserves,ratherthanfollowingtherecommendationsofparkplan-ningconsultantsin1989–90.TheboundariesofCRNPasawhole(bothOkwangwoandObanDivisions)needtobereviewed.

1RecurrentcostscurrentlyprovidedbyCRNP.2CRNPcouldbeexpectedtoprovidearound50%ofthesecosts.

Farming on the edge of Okwangwo Division, Cross River National Park, Nigeria.

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Action Needed — Takamanda Forest Reserve (Proposed National Park)


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Complete the upgrading of Takamanda Forest ReservetoTakamandaNationalPark,givingitthesamelegislativestatusasCrossRiverNationalPark.

MINFOF,WCS,GTZ,WWF,KfW

1year $20,0001

•Finalize a management strategy. MINFOF,WCS,GTZ,KfW 1year $20,0001

•Demarcate the boundary of the National Park. MINFOF 2years $30,0001

• Improve law enforcement, includingtherecruitmentoffield-basedeco-guards.

MINFOF,WCS 5years $220,0001

•Establish a trans-border conservation committee. GOC,FGN 2years $10,000

Priority Site-Based Actions — Cameroon

¹KfWhavepledgedfundstosupportmanyactivitiesrelatedtotheestablishmentofTakamandaNationalPark.FundingforthefirstfourlistedactionsshouldbelargelymetbyKfW.

IT is esTimaTed ThaT approximaTely 15,000 people relyontheforestsofTakamandaforlivelihoodresourcessuchastimberandnon-timberforestproducts,particularlybushmeat,bushmango(Irvingiaspp.),and

theedibleleavesoftheGnetumvine(“eru”or“salad”).Thecombinationofincreasinghumanpopulationintheareaandincreasingaccessibilitybyroadisescalatingpressureontheforests.Takamanda’slocationadjacenttotheinternationalborderprovidesadditionaltrans-boundarychallengesforenforcementofforestryandwildlifelaws.ThetraffickingofbushmeatacrosstheporousinternationalborderwithNigeria,aswellastootherpartsofCameroon,israpidlydepletingwildlifepopulations.

Takamanda Forest Reserve (Proposed National Park)

The Takamanda-Mone Landscape TheTakamanda-Moneforestlandscapeoccupiesthenorthernend of Cameroon’s South West Province and covers anestimated 4,400 km2. This landscape, which encompassesthe forest areas of Takamanda, Mone, Mbulu and Kagwene,provideshabitattoallbutoneoftheknownCrossRivergorillapopulationsinCameroonandformsanalmostcontiguousforestblockthatadjoinssimilarforestsinNigeria.

Though recognized as a biologically important area on aregionalscale(Comiskeyetal.2003;Forbosehetal.inpress),theTakamanda-Monelandscapehasbeensomewhatneglectedby conservation efforts. The area has inadequate numbersof forestry officers to monitor illegal forestry and hunting.To improve the survival prospects of the Cross River gorillaand other threatened animals, and to ensure that proposedprotectedareasareeffectivelyconserved,thissituationneedstobeurgentlyremedied.

The Makone River in the Takamanda Forest Reserve, Cameroon.

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PrioritySite-BasedActions—Cameroon,continued

Action Needed — Mone River Forest Reserve


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Acquire and collate baseline biological andsocio-economicinformationinsupportofareviewofconservationstatusofMoneRiverForestReserve.

WCS 1year $40,000

•Elaborate a conservation management strategy for the area. MINFOF,WCS,GTZ,KfW 2years $20,000

•Re-trace the boundaries of Mone River Forest Reserve. MINFOF 1year $25,000

• Improve law enforcement,includingtherecruitmentofenforcementstaffandtheestablishmentofregularpatrols.

MINFOF,WCS 5years $200,0001

mone river was creaTed as a producTion foresT reserve inthe1950s. Althoughtherearenohumansettlementswithinthereserveboundaries,localpeopleharvesttimber,wildlifeandotherforestproducts

unsustainablyfromtheforest.Ina2003review(“Plan du Zonage” )itwassuggestedthatMoneRiver’sstatusbeupgradedtothatofWildlifeSanctuary.However,thefuturestatusofMoneisnowinsomedoubt,anditisthoughtthatgovernmentmayconsiderassigningthisareatocommercialtimberexploitation.ThereisanurgentneedtodevelopaconservationplanthatprovidesprotectionforthegorillasinMone,whilerecognizingtheneedsofthelocalpeople.Thisisespeciallyimportantgiventhepossibility,suggestedbygeneticdata,ofcontinuingconnectionsbetweenthegorillasofMoneandotherneighboringforests.

Mone River Forest Reserve

¹RecurrentcostsincludingsalariesaretobeprovidedbyMINFOF.

Construction of Mamfe-Akwaya road at Mbu, just west of the Mone River Forest Reserve. This road will allow greater access to, and facilitate habitat loss in, the forested areas that link Takamanda with Mone.

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Action Needed — Mbulu Forest


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Acquire and analyze baseline biological andsocio-economic informationtoplana networkofconservationareasandcorridors.

WCS,MINFOF 1year $60,000

•Complete gazettement process for two potential protected areas (UpperMbulu,andAtolo).

MINFOF,WCS,GTZ,KfW 2–3years $75,000

•Demarcate protected area boundaries and elaborate management strategies fornewprotectedareas.

MINFOF,WCS,GTZ,KfW 1year $30,000

• Improve law enforcement, includingincreasingnumbersofenforcementstaffandrecruitmentofConservatorsfornewProtectedAreas.

MINFOF 5years $200,0001


mbulu currenTly has no formal managemenT sTaTus andlocalpeoplefromthemanycommunitiesscatteredacrosstheareauseforestresourceswithfewcontrols.Thecreationofaroadfromthetownof

MamfeinthesouthtoAkwayainthenorthpresentsafurtherthreattoconservationofthearea.Thisroadwillallowgreateraccessto,andfacilitatehabitatlossin,theforestedareasthatlinkTakamandawithMbulu.Althoughforestcontinuestobeerodedbyfarming,themainthreattothegorillasofthisareaishunting.Aninfantfemalegorillawascaughtinasnareandkilledwithamachetein2001andinearly2006reportswerereceivedofanothergorillakilledinthisarea.ThereisanurgentneedtoformanetworkofprotectedareasandcorridorsinMbulu.

Mbulu Forest

View from grassland ridge in Upper Mbulu forest above the village of Ashunda, East of Badshama, Cameroon. Kagwene Mountain can be seen in the distance. Gorillas routinely cross this grassland and occasionally nest there.

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Action Needed — Kagwene Mountain (Proposed Gorilla Sanctuary)


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Complete the gazettement processoftheKagweneGorillaSanctuaryandfinishboundarydemarcation.

MINFOF 1year $15,000

•Elaborate a management strategy forthesanctuary,includingfire-protectionmeasures.

WCS,MINFOF,WWF 1year $5,000

•Continue law enforcement and anti-poaching activities; finalizerecruitmentofMINFOFeco-guards.

MINFOF,Min.ofLivestock 5years $110,0001

•Employ a MINFOF Conservator. MINFOF 5years $42,0001

•Relocate livestock currently within the sanctuary. MinistryofLivestock 2years $10,000


kagwene mounTain is surrounded by nine village communiTies. inTense hunTingonthemountainhasresultedinthealmosttotalextirpationoflargeandmedium-sizedmammalswiththeexceptionofgoril-

las,whichhavebeenaffordedprotectionovertheyearsbyatraditionallawforbiddingtheirhunting.Therefore,themostpressingthreattothegorillasinthisareaishabitatloss.Pastoralcattleherdershaveconvertedlargeareasoftheforesttograssland,whilefarmingiscreepingfurtherupthemountainslopes.CommunitiesaroundKagweneMountainarepreparedtoprotectthehabitatanditswildlifebuttheirsupportiscontingentoncompletionofthegazettementoftheGorillaSanctuary.SinceOctober2005,alocallyemployedanti-poachingteamhasbeenactiveatKagweneundertheguidanceofMINFOF,andhasbeensuccessfulinreducingtheamountoftrappingonthemountain.

Kagwene Mountain (Proposed Gorilla Sanctuary)

Kagwene Mountain, Cameroon, showing research camp and cattle. A long history of pastoralism has converted large areas of these Bamenda Highlands from forest to grassland.

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Action Needed — Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali Forest


Time Frame

Funding Needed

• Acquire and collate baseline biological and socio-economicinformationinsupportofcreatingaco-managedprotectedareaandwildlifecorridorsbetweenBechatiandMoneRiverForestReserve.

ERuDeF,WWF,WCS,FFI,ACF,RBGK,Universities

5years $100,000

•Produce a land-use map andreviewandformalizethestatusoftheBechati-Fossimondi-BesaliForest.

ERuDeF,MINFOF,FFI,WWF

2years $55,000

•Elaborate a management strategy for the area withthelocalForestCommunityAssociationandvillageforestmanagementcommittees;includedemarcationofconservationarea.

ERuDeF,FFI,WCS,MINFOF,WWF

2years $20,000

• Improve law enforcement, includingincreasingnumbersofenforcementstaffanddevelopcommunity-basedwildlifelawenforcementmechanisms.

ERuDeF,LFPC,MINFOF,LAGA,FFI

3years $40,000

•Develop livelihood alternatives tominimizetrade-offsduetothecreationofaprotectedarea.

ERuDeF,GOC,FFI,WCS,MINADER

5years $70,000

•Organize workshops on illegal farming in gorilla habitat.ERuDeF,MINFOF,FFI,WWF,MINADER

1year $2,000

The ThreaTs To The conTinued survival of cross river gorillasinBechati-Fossimondi-Besaliaresimilartothoseinotherlocalities;theyincludesubsistenceandcommercialhunting,habitatfragmentation,

forestclearanceforfarming,roaddevelopmentandgenerallackofknowledgeofwildlifelaws.Onepressingissueisthatlocalcommunitiesareaskingtraditionalrulerstoallowre-farmingofthesteepmountainslopesofFossimondi.Anotherconcerniswhetherpartsoftheareamightbeassignedtoproductionforestry.Aconcertedandcollaborativeeffortisneededtosetupaconservationplanforthisareatomitigatethegrowingthreats.

Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali Forest

Examining a Cross River gorilla nest during a survey in the Fossimondi forest, Cameroon.

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Conclusions

iT is clear ThaT Gorilla gorilla diehli,theCrossRivergorilla,isinaprecarioussitua-

tion,andwelldeservesitsIUCNRedListsta-tusasaCriticallyEndangeredtaxon.Thetotalpopulationofthesegorillasinknownlocalitiesiscurrentlyestimatedatlessthan300individuals,concentratedinsmallnucleiacrossabroadland-scapeinamountainousregionstraddlingtheboundarybetweenCameroonandNigeria.Thegorillashavebeenheavilyhuntedinthepast,andtheyremainunderthreatfromillegalhunt-ing;theirforesthabitathasbeensteadilyerodedbyfarmingandpastoralism,andnewroadsareextendingintotheirhabitat.Borderingtheland-scapeinwhichtheysurviveareareasthatsup-portsomeofAfrica’shighesthumanpopulationdensities.

EnsuringthesurvivalofCrossRivergorillaswillrequiresustained,committedandcollabo-rativeconservationeffortsinbothoftherangecountries.Yetdespitethehugepressurestheseanimalshavebeenunderformanydecades,theiroutlookisfarfromhopeless.Theyhaveman-agedtopersistinplaceswhereyearsagotheirsurvivalhadseemedunlikely.Recentresearchhasfoundthatoccasionalmigrationeventshaveretainedconnectivitybetweenmanyofthegoril-las’populationnuclei,andthattherearestill

corridorsofpotentialgorillahabitat,thoughsometimestenuous,connectingtheruggedhillareaswherethegorillasprimarilyoccur.Knowl-edgeofthegorillasandlocalawarenessoftheirimportancehasbeensteadilyincreasingsince1996duetothecoordinatedeffortsofscientistsandconservationistsworkingwithgovernmentagenciesandlocalcommunitiesintheregion.Asexplainedinthisactionplan,theseeffortshavereceivedtheendorsementoftheMinis-tersinchargeofwildlifefrombothrange-stategovernments.

Inthisactionplanwehaveoutlinedasetofrecommendedpriorityactionswhichwereformulatedduringaseriesofexpertworkshopsheldintheregion.Theseactionsincludetheestablishmentofnewconservationareastopro-tectCrossRivergorillapopulationnuclei(aswellasmeasurestosafeguardhabitatcorridorsbetweentheseareas),supportforimprovedmanagementofexistingconservationareas,con-tinuingresearchtolearnmoreaboutthegorillas’basicdistributionandbiology,andexpandedeffortstospreadawarenessofthevalueofcon-servation.Recognizingthatconservationmusthavetheinvolvementandsupportoflocalpeo-pletobeeffective,ourrecommendationsalsoaddressissuesofcommunitylivelihood,includ-

ingsupportforland-useplanningthatbal-anceshumanneedswithwildlifeconservation.BecauseCrossRivergorillasinhabitaregionthatisabiodiversityhotspot,inwhichthereishighspeciesrichnesscombinedwithveryhighlevelsofendemism,measuresthatconservethegorillas’habitatwillprotectmanyotherrange-restrictedandendangeredspecies.Thegorillasthusactasbothaflagshipandumbrellaspeciesfortheregion.

Overafive-yearperiod,thetotalcostofimplementingtherecommendationsinthisplanisestimatedtobe$4.6million.Someofthatfundinghasalreadybeencommittedbydevelopmentagencies(notablyKfWwithintheTakamanda-MonelandscapeinCameroon),andsomeisrecurrentcostsforthemanage-mentofprotectedareas(suchasstaffsalaries)thatarelikelytobemetinsignificantpartbygovernmentagencies.However,approximatelytwo-thirdsofthefundingfortheactionsidenti-fiedinthisplanasnecessarytosecuretheCrossRivergorillas’futurehavestilltoberaised.Weverymuchhopethatthisplanwillassistbothinraisingthosefundsandinguidingconservationactionsthatwillgreatlyimprovethelong-termsurvivalprospectsfortheseuniqueapes.


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Comiskey,J.A.,Sunderland,T.C.H.,andSunderland-Groves,J.L.(eds.).2003.Takamanda: The Biodiversity of an African Rainforest.SmithsonianInstitutionMonitoringandAssessmentofBiodiversityProgramSeries8.WashingtonDC:SmithsonianInstitution.

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March,E.W.1957.GorillasofEasternNigeria.Oryx4:30–34.Matschie,P.1904.BemerkungenuberdieGattungGorilla.

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Because Cross River gorillas inhabit a region in which there is high species richness combined with very high levels of ende-mism, measures that conserve the gorillas’ habitat will protect many other range-restricted and endan-gered species.

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Acronyms

ACF African Conservation Foundation

AMWS Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary

ARD Associates in Rural Development

ARFR Afi River Forest Reserve

BRD Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe

CAMM Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

CMS Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals

COMIFAC Central African Forests Commission

CRNP Cross River National Park

CRS Cross River State

CRSFC Cross River State Forestry Commission

DED Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (German Development Service)

DIN Development in Nigeria

ERuDeF Environment and Rural Development Foundation

FFI Fauna and Flora International

FGN Federal Government of Nigeria

GOC Government of Cameroon

GTZ Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical Cooperation)

IUCN World Conservation Union

IUCN-WCPA World Conservation Union — World Commission on Protected Areas

KfW Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau — German Development Bank

LAGA Last Great Ape Organisation

Acknowledgements

WeareespeciallygratefultotheWorldWideFundforNature’sAfricanGreatApesProgrammeandtotheGreatApeConser-vationFundoftheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceforprovidingthemajorfundingfortheworkshopinCalabarinApril2006onwhoserecommendationsthisplanisbased.TheWildlifeConservationSocietyorganizedthatworkshopanditspre-decessors.AssistancewithpublicationofthisplanhasbeenprovidedbyConservationInternational’sCenterforAppliedBiodiversityScience(CI-CABS)andPrimateActionFund.WemuchappreciatetheexcellentlayoutanddesignworkdonebyKimberlyMeekofCI-CABSforthisplan,andthankAnthonyRylandsofCI-CABSforhiseditorialassistance.

Severalindividualshaveprovidedimportantmaterialandedi-torialcomments,includingChristinaEllis(AfricanGreatApesProgramme,WWF),BernardFosso(WCSCameroon),LizaGadsby(Pandrillus),KelleyMcFarland(CUNY),EmmanuelObot(NCF)andTerrySunderland(CIFOR).Ourthanksgotothem,andtothosewhoprovidedphotographsforthisdocument.

WealsothankthemanyorganizationsanddonorswhohavegivensupportoverthepastdecadetoCrossRivergorillaconservation,throughfundingororganizingdirectconserva-tionmeasures,aswellasresearchthathascontributedtoabetterunderstandingoftheapes’naturalhistory.Inadditiontotheorganizationsinvolvedinthe2006workshopandintheproductionofthisplan,whoselogosappearonthebackcover,wethankthefollowingfortheirsupport:ArcusFounda-tion,Berggorilla&RegenwaldDirekthilfe,BritishAmericanTobacco,ColumbusZooConservationFund,DarwinInitiative,GlobalOpportunitiesFund(UKForeignandCommonwealthOffice),KfW–GermanDevelopmentBank,KolmardenZoo,L.S.B.LeakeyFoundation,LincolnParkZoo,JohnD.andCath-erineT.MacArthurFoundation,MargotMarshBiodiversityFoundation,MaxPlanckSociety,NationalGeographicSocietyConservationTrust,People’sTrustforEndangeredSpecies,PrimateConservationIncorporated,PrimatesPreservationGroup(CrossRiverState),TubneyCharitableTrust,U.S.Agen-cyforInternationalDevelopment,WallaceGlobalFund,andtheWhitleyFoundation.Wehopethatthisplanmayencour-agetheseorganizationstorenewtheirgeneroussupport,andencouragenewdonorstojointhem.

LFPC Local forest protection committees

MINADER Ministry of Agriculture, Cameroon

MINRESI Ministry of Scientific Research, Cameroon

MINFOF Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Cameroon

NCF Nigerian Conservation Foundation

NNPS Nigeria National Parks Service

RBGK Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

SPACE Sustainable Practices in Agriculture for Critical Environments

SSC Species Survival Commission

TOCS The Okwangwo Conservation Society

TOU Technical Operational Unit

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WCS Wildlife Conservation Society

WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

Forest and grassland mosaic on the northern edge of the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria, with the Sankwala Mountains behind.

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ADELEKE,Alade,ARD-SPACEProject,CrossRiverState,[email protected]

AGBOR,Chris,PermanentSecretary,CrossRiverStateForestryCommission,[email protected]

BASSEY,Tony,CrossRiverStateTourismBureau,[email protected]

BERGL,Richard,CUNYGraduateCenter,NewYork,[email protected]

DUNN,Andrew,WCS,Nigeria,[email protected]

EBAI,TakangStephen,CameroonMinistryofForestryandWildlife(GRASPFocalPoint),[email protected]

EKOBO,Atanga,WWF,Cameroon,[email protected]

ELLIS,Christina,WWFAfricanGreatApesProgramme,Cameroon,[email protected]

ENIANG,Edem,UniversityofUyo,[email protected]

FOTSO,Roger,WCS,Cameroon,[email protected]

GADSBY,Liza,Co-Director,Pandrillus,[email protected]

GREENGRASS,Elizabeth,WCSconsultant,[email protected]

HARUNA,Stephen,Director,CrossRiverNationalPark,[email protected]

IMONG,Inaoyom,ResearchOfficer,WCS,Nigeria,[email protected]

INAHARO,Ibrahim,RegionalCoordinator,NigerianConservationFoundation,Cala-bar,[email protected]

ITA,Philip,DirectorofForestry,CrossRiverStateForestryCommission,[email protected]

JENKINS,Peter,Co-Director,Pandrillus,[email protected]

LEIGHTON,Mark,Co-Chair,ScientificCommittee,GRASP,[email protected]

MACFIE,Liz,Consultant,[email protected]

MGBANG,EdwardU.,CrossRiverStateForestryCommission,[email protected]

MSHELBWALA,John,NigerianFederalMinistryofEnvironment,HousingandUrbanDevelopment,[email protected]

NCHOR,A.A.,UniversityofCalabar,[email protected]

NICHOLAS,Aaron,WCS,Cameroon,[email protected]

NKEMBI,Louis,ERuDeF,Cameroon,[email protected]

OATES,John,HunterCollegeCUNYandWCS,[email protected]

OBOT,Emmanuel,ExecutiveDirector,NigerianConservationFoundation,Lagos,[email protected],[email protected]

OGAR,Gabriel,LENF,[email protected]

OKENYE,Mambo,GTZCameroon,[email protected]

OMENI,Fidelis,NigerianFederalMinistryofEnvironment,HousingandUrbanDevelopment(GRASPFocalPoint),[email protected]

PARR,Zoe,DevelopmentinNigeria,[email protected]

PATTERSON,Graeme,WCSNewYork,[email protected]

PEWO,Victor,CameroonMinistryofForestryandWildlife,[email protected]

POUAKOUYOU,Daniel,FaunaandFloraInternational,[email protected]

RATIARISON,Sandra,Cercopan,Calabar,[email protected]

SIMPSON,Mike,OneSky–TheCanadianInstituteforSustainableLiving,[email protected]

SUNDERLAND-GROVES,Jacqueline,UniversityofSussex,[email protected]

SUNDERLAND,Terry,CIFOR,Indonesia,[email protected]

TAKO-ETA,PhilipTabi,ProvincialDelegate,CameroonMinistryofForestryandWildlife,[email protected]

TURNER,Allen,ARD,[email protected]

UBI,Sam,ConservationCoordinator,AfiMountainWildlifeSanctuary,[email protected]

WILLIAMSON,Liz,IUCN-SSCPrimateSpecialistGroup,[email protected]

YOHANNA,Saidu,CrossRiverNationalPark,[email protected]

Participant List

Cross River Gorilla Technical Workshop and Conference, Calabar, Nigeria April 2006

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Conservation International is a private, non-profit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501 c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ISBN: 978-1-934151-02-0© 2007 IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA. All rights reserved.

The designations of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Conservation International or its supporting organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Conservation International or its co-publishers.

Suggested citation: Oates, J., et. al. 2007. Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA.

http://www.conservation.org

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

CROSS RIVER STATEFORESTRY COMMISSION

Cover photos:[top left] © Dave Lucas

[lower right] © Ymke Warren

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