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Extending the conservation impact of great ape research: Flagship species sites facilitate biodiversity assessments and land preservation

  • Special Issue: Original Article
  • Twenty-five years of primate research in the Ndoki forest
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Abstract

To inform regional conservation planning, we assessed mammalian and avian biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle, which is an intact forest with long-term research and tourism focused on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). This critical region serves as a conservation conduit between the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) in the Republic of Congo and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in Central African Republic. Wildlife inventories were conducted to determine if biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle (initially part of a logging concession) was equivalent to the NNNP. Camera traps (CTs) were deployed to estimate species richness, relative abundance, naïve occupancy, and activity patterns of medium-to-large species in mixed species and monodominant Gilbertiodendron forests that comprise the majority of regional terra firma. Species inventories were collected from CTs positioned on a grid and at termite nests throughout the Djéké Triangle and compared to CTs placed in the Goualougo Triangle located within the NNNP. From 10,534 camera days at 65 locations, we identified 34 mammal and 16 bird species. Allaying concerns of wildlife depletion, metrics of species richness in the Djéké Triangle surpassed those of the Goualougo Triangle. Many species were observed to occur across habitats, while others showed habitat specificity, with termite mounds indicated as an important microhabitat feature. Our comparisons of animal activity budgets in different habitat types provide important reference information for other populations and contexts. In conclusion, this study provided empirical evidence of the high conservation value of this region that contributed to increasing the protected status of the Djéké Triangle.

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Data availability

A Visual Reference Guide for Identifying Birds and Mammals in Camara Traps is provided in the Supplemental Material S1.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to work in the Djéké Triangle and the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. This research would not have been possible without the continued support of the Ministère de l’Economie Forestière du gouvernement de la République du Congo and the Agence Congolaise de la Faune et des Aires Protégées (ACFAP). The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Congo Program and the Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation are integral partners in this continuing research. Special thanks are due to R. Malonga, M. Gately, E. Stokes, T. Breuer, P. Ngouembe, D. Dos Santos, E. Arnhem, B. Evans and M. Ngangoue. We would also like to recognize the tireless dedication of J. R. Onononga, C. Eyana-Ayina, S. Ndolo Ebika, W. Mayoukou, S. Kialiema, J. Wawa, D. Koni, I. Singono, M. Meguessa, and the Mondika and Goualougo tracking teams. We also thank A. Mitchell and E. Claisse for their assistance in reviewing and compiling materials for the species identification guide. This work was greatly improved by input from J. Ray, F. Maisels, and J. Kingdon who generously provided expert review of particular taxa. We are also grateful to N. Radford for feedback on this manuscript. Acknowledgment of funding is due to the Arcus Foundation; the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation; Lincoln Park Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo; the Saint Louis Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. In addition, we are immensely grateful to S. Ross who provided enthusiastic encouragement and support for these field conservation efforts over many years. This research would not have been possible without him.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    David Morgan, Sarah Huskisson & Priyanka Joshi

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York, NY, 10460, USA

    Samantha Strindberg

  3. Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA

    Philip McElmurray, Jake Funkhouser & Crickette Sanz

  4. Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

    Alice Zambarda, Igor Singono, Crepin Eyana Ayina & Crickette Sanz

  5. Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA

    Stephanie Musgrave

  6. Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Heidi Hellmuth

  7. Sangha Lodge, Bayanga, Central African Republic

    Rod Cassidy

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  1. David Morgan
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Contributions

Conceptualization, DM, SS and CS; Methodology, DM, SS and CS; Investigation, DM, AZ, IS, SH, SM, CEA, PJ, RC and CS; Data Curation, DM, SH, SM, PM, JF, HH and CS; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, DM and CS; Writing—Review and Editing, DM, SS, PM, AZ, IS, SH, SM, CEA, JF and CS; Visualization, DM, PM and JF; Supervision, DM, AZ, CEA and CS; Project Administration, DM, AZ, CEA, HH and CS; Funding Acquisition, DM, SM, HH and CS.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Morgan.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Our study adhered to the legal requirements of the Republic of Congo where the research was conducted. The research was approved by the Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Congo Program. We also complied with ethics guidelines of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) and Animal Behavior Society. After reviewing the study’s camera trapping methods, Washington University issued an IACUC exemption.

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Morgan, D., Strindberg, S., McElmurray, P. et al. Extending the conservation impact of great ape research: Flagship species sites facilitate biodiversity assessments and land preservation. Primates (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-023-01080-x

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