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Impacts of co-management on Western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) habitat

and conservation in Nialama Classified Forest, Republic of Guinea:

A satellite-derived perspective

Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves, Dan Slayback, Michael Balinga & Terry Sunderland

ATBC Annual Meeting, Sanur, Bali22nd July 2010

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INTRODUCTION

• The Republic of Guinea is believed to provide habitat to The Republic of Guinea is believed to provide habitat to the largest surviving population of western chimpanzees the largest surviving population of western chimpanzees ((Pan troglodytes verusPan troglodytes verus) )

• Local extinction of Western chimpanzees is already Local extinction of Western chimpanzees is already reported within three West African countries (Togo, reported within three West African countries (Togo, Benin, Gambia)Benin, Gambia)

• Threats to western chimpanzees include Threats to western chimpanzees include • habitat loss due to bauxite and diamond mining, illegal logging, habitat loss due to bauxite and diamond mining, illegal logging,

charcoal production, agricultural expansion, and charcoal production, agricultural expansion, and

• hunting to supply the bushmeat and illegal pet tradeshunting to supply the bushmeat and illegal pet trades

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INTRODUCTION• Efforts to protect remaining wild

ape populations across their range differ in their approach

• Co-management of forested areas is a recent approach being tested in Guinea

• It involves sharing of responsibilities and costs between the state and forest fringe communities based on signing of a “co-management contract”

• The purpose of this contract is to implement a management plan developed for sustainable forest utilization and long-term protection of important habitats and biodiversity

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HISTORICAL PROFILE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT IN GUINEA

Colonial Period

1st Republic 2nd Republic 2nd Republic

Establishment of Classified

Forests

Repressive conservation

of forests

Global economic crisis & National

Policy reform

Development of co-management

in Guinea

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DEVELOPMENT OF CO-MANAGEMENT MODEL

NRMA

1993-2000

ENRMA

2000-2005

LAMIL

2005-2008

Chemonix Winrock International CIFOR-ICRAF-USFS

•Scoping studies •Design & Introduction•1st Management Plan•1st FMC

•Support policy reform•Advocate for PFM•Scale out Initial model•Other management Plans

•Model analysis•Governance review•Policy development•Capacity building

Watershed protection andCollaborative Management introduced

Adaptive Landscape management approach added

L

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PILOT COMANAGEMENT SITES (2005-2008)

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CO-MANAGEMENT IN NIALAMA

In 1996, the Nialama Classified Forest was the first site identified for co-management in Guinea

In 1999 the first agreement was signed for co-management Long-term local chimpanzee monitoring identified core protection areas

within Nialama which continue to provide refuge to the resident chimpanzee population.

Nialama was established as a Classified Forest in 1943 covering approximately 10,000 ha (23,944 ha including the buffer zone)

25 fringe villages exist with human density of about 0.24 persons/ha Forest cover comprises patches of fragmented montane forest, riparian

gallery forest, open savannah woodland, and grassland Land cover changes have occurred in recent history with periodic burning

and clearing for farmland, cattle rearing, charcoal production and timber exploitation which occurred in the late1980s.

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DRIVERS OF CHANGE WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE

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DRIVERS OF CHANGE WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE

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Responsibilities

• Establishment and registration of a Forest Management Committee (FMC)

• Boundary demarcation and monitoring of chimpanzee populations

• Establishment of fire buffers and management of early burning

• Establishment of local rules for biodiversity management

• Protection and /or reforestation of sensitive habitats (water sources,

steep slopes, critical chimpanzee habitats)

• Retaining 100 trees/ha of farmland within the forest

Benefits

• Free collection of timber, fuel wood, and NTFPs for subsistence

• Provision of agro forestry plots within the forest

• Provision of improved germplasm for agriculture and tree crops

• Sharing of revenue from timber (50%:50%), or NTFP trade, and taxes for

agro forestry plots (75%:25%) between FMC and local Forestry

authorities.

IMPLEMENTING CO-MANAGEMENT

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NIALAMA CF AND CRITICAL CHIMPANZEE HABITATS (Carter

2008)

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STUDY OBJECTIVE AND METHODS

To review the impacts of co-management on key chimpanzee habitat:

Using LANDSAT imagery,• Orthorectified images (http://edc.usgs.gov), with 30-meter

pixel resolution

• 03-Jan-1986 (L -5), 10-Dec-2000 (L-7), 30-Dec-2004 (L-7), and 28-Dec-2009 (L-7).

to analyse land cover degradation• Nialama CF Core (critical habitats & other habitats)

• 5 Km Buffer (Critical Habitat & others)

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RESULTS

 

Classified Forest 5km Buffer

1986-2000 2000-2004 2004-2009 1986-2000 2000-2004 2004-2009

Critical habitats

0.01% 0.17% 0.16% 0.26% 1.53% 0.78%

Non critical Habitats

0.17% 0.75% 1.38% 0.31% 0.94% 0.85%

General 0.13% 0.6% 1.03% 0.3% 0.97% 0.85%

Annual Rate of Degradation of Forest Cover in Nialama Classified Forest

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RESULTSAnnual Rate of Degradation of Forest Cover in Nialama Classified Forest

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DISCUSSION

From the degradation statistics:

• The rate of change in vegetation cover is observed to be lower within the classified forest boundaries than outside.

• The formal demarcation of boundaries and strengthening of local governance systems have resulted in better protection of critical chimpanzee habitats within the classified forest as opposed to the buffer zone.

• The management systems introduced since 1996 have gradually reduced the annual rate of vegetation cover degradation

• Given the recent instability in Guinea, it is interesting to note that there has been some adherence to the co-management agreements in Nialama Classified Forest

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CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

By reducing the rate of habitat loss, strengthening local control measures, and providing incentives for communities to participate in management, co-management can contribute to improving compliance and strengthening protection of chimpanzees in Guinea’s Fouta Djallon region.

Further research should explore complementary options or approaches for strengthening protection of chimpanzees within the buffer zones of classified forests.

Now that international support has ended, it would be appropriate to conduct a re-assessment of the effectiveness of co-management about five years after.

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