Conservation of the Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Nigeria

Camera trap photo of a Cross River gorilla in the Mbe Mountains ©WCS Nigeria

A Final Report to the Kolmården Fundraising Foundation

from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nigeria Program

Reporting Period: 1 November 2016 – 31 October 2017

Amount Received from the Kolmården Fundraising Foundation: $10,000 Contact: Inaoyom Imong Wildlife Conservation Society, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria iimong@wcs.org Mobile: +234 806 4011246

2

Summary

Classified by IUCN as critically endangered, the Cross River gorilla is the most threatened ape in

Africa – restricted to a remote area of rainforest straddling the border between Nigeria and

Cameroon. In Nigeria gorillas occur at 3 sites – the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Mbe

Mountains, and Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park. The Afi Mountain Wildlife

Sanctuary (AMWS) covering 100 km2 is the westernmost of these sites. AMWS was created in

2000 for the protection of Cross River gorillas and their forest habitat. The Wildlife

Conservation Society has worked in AMWS since the mid-1990s, and in 2011 helped reorganize

the ranger program there and improved law enforcement monitoring through the introduction of

CyberTracker and later, Spatial Monitoring And Reporting Tool (SMART). The Kolmården

Fundraising Foundation has provided generous funding support to WCS since 2008 to help

support the conservation of the Cross River gorilla in Nigeria.

This project aimed at safeguarding the critically endangered Cross River gorilla in the AMWS

through support for four SMART-based anti-poaching patrols per month and monitoring

wildlife, human sign and the effectiveness of these anti-poaching patrols using SMART. From

November 2016 to October 2017 a total of 51 patrols were completed by Cross River State

Forestry Commission rangers in the AMWS with technical support from WCS. The patrols

covered a total of 1,713 kilometers and lasted a total of 578 patrol days (3,261 man-days). A

total of 30 hunting camps and 1,301 wire snares were destroyed during these patrols, helping to

discourage and reduce hunting in the sanctuary and improve the protection of the Afi gorillas.

Introduction

The rainforests of south-east Nigeria are recognized as a biodiversity hotspot of global

importance. However, as a result of rapid human population growth and escalating levels of

poverty the forests of the region are under increasing pressure from expanding agricultural

practices, timber extraction and unsustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products. Due to

hunting and habitat loss, populations of larger mammals have been depleted to dangerously low

levels although the region is still home to a number of endemic and endangered primates

including the critically endangered Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), the most

threatened ape in Africa. Fewer than 300 Cross River gorillas survive spread across a

3

mountainous area of about 12,000km² at the headwaters of the River Cross between Cameroon

and Nigeria. Within this area gorillas are found in nine different sites, most of which are

separated from each other by at least 10km. Three of these sites are located in Nigeria: Cross

River National Park, the Mbe Mountains and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary.

Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS) has an estimated 25-30 gorillas. The sanctuary was

created in 2000 to protect approximately 100km² of lowland and hill forest formerly part of Afi

River Forest Reserve. Afi is part of the recognized Gulf of Guinea biodiversity hotspot with

high levels of species richness and endemism across a wide range of taxa. Other endemic and

endangered primates found at Afi include the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee Pan troglodytes

ellioti and the drill Mandrillus leucophaeus. On the edge of Afi is a large wintering roost site of

migratory European barn swallows Hirundo rustica reputed to contain as many as 20 million

birds. AMWS is managed by the Cross River State Forestry Commission (CRSFC) but is under-

funded and poorly managed. The ranger program at Afi relies on support from NGOs such as

the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In addition the presence of more than 600 illegal

farms within the sanctuary itself is a major unresolved problem whilst farming and logging in the

surrounding Afi River Forest Reserve, and the presence of the Buanchor enclave, threatens to

isolate the gorillas at Afi from those in the Mbe Mountains to the east. A conservation education

program around Afi, managed by WCS, has raised levels of awareness of the importance of the

Cross River gorilla and other endangered species of the sanctuary.

Project Aim: Safeguard the critically endangered Cross River gorilla in the Afi Mountain

Wildlife Sanctuary

Objective 1: Reduce levels of hunting in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary by facilitating four

anti-poaching patrols per month.

Objective 2: Monitor wildlife, human sign and the effectiveness of anti-poaching patrols

through the existing ranger-based monitoring system based on SMART.

Activity 1.1 Facilitate four anti-poaching patrols by rangers each month

With logistical support and supervision by WCS, CRSFC rangers completed a total of 51 patrols

in the AMWS during the period from November 2016 to October 2017 (Table 1). An average of

4

4 patrols were conducted per month, each lasting 8-10 days. Two teams patrolled different

sectors of the sanctuary simultaneously (Figure 1). A total of 1,713.1 kilometers were covered

by the rangers on these patrols in 578 patrol days (3,261 man-days), representing significantly

greater patrol effort compared to the previous year (2,560 man-days and 1,704.1 kilometers

covered during 2016-2017).

Figure 1. Patrol tracklogs km walked per grid cell for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017. Darker red color indicates areas of more intense patrol coverage. Table 1. Summary of patrol effort by patrol area for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017.

Area Number of patrols Patrol days Patrol hours Distance

(km) Person -

days Base Camp 16 313 5588.5 538 1641 Buanchor-Drill Ranch 4 27 174.6 119.8 153 Ebakken-Boje-Asuben 1 8 55.3 65.4 47 Esekwe Camp 10 71 636.1 270.6 439 Ketche-Asuben 4 31 201.7 140.3 178 Njua Lowland 4 28 237.6 169.7 170 Nkanyang-Kakubok 9 80 591.9 309.7 513 Olum Axis 3 20 188.7 99.8 120 Total 51 578 7674.4 1713.3 3261

5

Activity 1.2 Purchase essential field supplies

WCS purchased rain boots and machetes for rangers to support long distance patrols during the

rainy season. The rangers were also provided with basic field rations such as rice, beans, oil,

sardines and salt.

Activity 1.3 Coordinate effective monitoring of all ranger patrols, gorillas and human

activities

WCS coordinated and supervised all patrols during this period. A total of 30 hunting camps and

1,301 wire snares were destroyed (Table 2 and 3). Encounter rate of wire snares and hunting

camps decreased during this period compared to the previous year, although gunshots heard and

encounter rate of empty shotgun cartridges increased from the previous year (Table 4). Farming

and logging are growing threats at Afi and require greater attention and stronger political will

from the CRSFC. Farms and evidence of logging were encountered 53 and 7 times respectively.

Logging was limited to the more accessible lowland areas along to the sanctuary boundary, but

farms were encountered deeper inside the sanctuary (Figure 2). People were encountered 16

times during these patrols – 10 farmers, 3 hunters, and 3 persons collecting non-timber forest

products (NTFPs). See Appendix 1 for details.

Table 2. Hunting signs recorded for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017 Sign Number of observations Encounter rate per km Gunshots heard 55 0.032 Set wire snares 1,250 0.730 Unset wire snares 51 0.030 Empty cartridges 307 0.179 Hunting camps 30 0.018

Table 3. Number of people seen by threat for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017. Threat Number of People Encounter Rate per km Farming 10 0.006 Hunting 3 0.001 NTFP collection 3 0.002

6

Table 4. Comparison of encounter rate of hunting sign 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Sign Encounter rate/km

2015-2016 2016-2017 Gunshots heard 0.018 0.032 Wire snares (set and unset) 0.630 0.380 Empty cartridges 0.170 0.179 Hunting camps 0.019 0.018

Figure 2. Distribution of all signs of human activity recorded during the period November

1, 2016 to October 31, 2017.

a) Wire snares b) Empty cartridges

c) Sheds and camps d) Farms (circles), gunshots heard (crosses), logging

(squares), and NTFP collection (triangles)

7

Great apes

A total of 111 ape nest sites were encountered – 83 gorilla, 13 chimpanzee, and 15 unidentified –

all in the northern and central areas of the sanctuary which are relatively inaccessible to humans

(Table 5; Figure 5).

Table 5. Encounter rate of ape nest sites November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017. Species Number of nest sites Encounter rate per km Gorilla 83 0.048 Chimpanzee 13 0.008 Unidentified great ape 15 0.009

Gorilla Chimpanzee

Unidentified Figure 5. Ape sightings and nest sites recorded for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017. Nest sites shown as circles, sightings shown as crosses.

8

Appendix 1. Summary of arrests and other law enforcement for the period November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2017.

Station Leader Date Action Taken - People

Home Village

Name Threat

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Dec 5, 2016 Observed Only Kakubok NA Farming

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Dec 5, 2016 Observed Only Kakwagom NA NTFP collection

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Dec 6, 2016 Observed Only Kakubok Blessing, Maria and Loveth

NTFP collection

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Dec 7, 2016 Observed Only Kakubok NA NTFP collection

Base Camp Martin Achu Dec 9, 2016 Unsuccessful pursuit

Ebbaken Hope Hunting

Esekwe Camp George Mgbang Dec 19, 2016 Observed only NA Farming Buanchor-Drill Ranch

Emmanuel Okon Jan 27, 2017 Observed only Farming

Buanchor-Drill Ranch

Emmanuel Okon Jan 27, 2017 Observed only Buanchor Farming

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Feb 6, 2017 Observed only Bankpor Obi Christopher

Farming

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Feb 6, 2017 Observed only Esekwe Benedict Ejah Farming

Nkanyang-Kakubok

George Mgbang Mar 13, 2017 Verbal warning Esekwe Akpobi Farming

Njua Lowland George Mgbang Apr 10, 2017 Observed only Kakubok Farming Base Camp Martin Achu May 18, 2017 Unsuccessful

pursuit Buanchor Trapping

Buanchor-Drill Ranch

Martin Achu Jul 15, 2017 Apprehended Buanchor Raphael Mutabe

Hunting

Olum Axis George Mgbang Aug 10, 2017 Observed only Olum NA Farming Esekwe Camp George Mgbang Sep 20, 2017 Verbal warning Esekwe Ofre; Kampia

Owe; Ake Farming