Hostname: page-component-5b777bbd6c-cp4x8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-18T09:55:08.475Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Distribution, status and conservation of primates in Monte Alen National Park, Equatorial Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Juan E. Garcia  and
Jesus Mba
Juan E. Garcia
Affiliation:
Asociación Amigos de Doñana, c/Panamá, 6, 41012 Sevilla, Spain; and Estación Biológica de Doñana, Apartado 1056, 41080 Sevilla, Spain.
Jesus Mba
Affiliation:
Proyecto ECOFAC, Parque Nacional Monte Alen, Casilla 317, Bata, Equatorial Guinea.1
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Equatorial Guinea has a new network of protected areas, but only Monte Alen National Park has any effective protection. As a contribution to the knowledge of this area, a survey of primate populations was carried out during a 7-month period in 1994. The results showed that there is a high primate diversity (15–16 distinct species) in Monte Alen. The three most commonly sighted monkey species were Cercopithecus nictitans (35.9–40.8 per cent of sightings), Cercopithecus cephus (28.9–43.5 per cent) and Cercopithecus pogonias (17.4–22.4 per cent). Mean distance covered to find any group of these guenons varied from 1.1km in open primary forest to 2.7 km in dense primary forest. Gorilla nests were more abundant in secondary forest near villages (5.15 nests/km), while chimpanzee nests were mostly found in primary forest (5.35 nests/km). Hunting pressure appears to be low but shifting agriculture has a significant impact on the conservation of the area. The degree of threat varies between species. Alternatives for better management of the area, such as educational programmes and sustainable use of natural resources, are suggested.

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , January 1997 , pp. 67 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1997

References

Castroviejo, J., Juste, J., Castelo, R. and Perez del Val, J. 1994. The Spanish co-operation programme in Equatorial Guinea: a ten-year review of research and nature conservation in Bioko. Biodiversity and Conservation, 3, 951–961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fa, J.E. 1991. Guinea Ecuatorial – Conservación y Manejo Sostenible de los Ecosistemas Forestales. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Fa, J.E. 1992. Conservation in Equatorial Guinea. Oryx, 26, 87–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guinea, E. 1946. Ensayo Geobotánico de la Guinea Española. Instituto de Estudios Africanos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, XII. 2 vols.Google Scholar
Jones, C. and Sabater Pi, J. 1971. Comparative ecology of Gorilla gorilla (Savage and Wyman) and Pan troglodytes (Blumenbach) in Rio Muni, West Africa. Biblioteca Primatologica, 13, 1–96.Google Scholar
Juste, J. 1993. Guinea Ecuatorial. Principales ecosistemas terrestres y usos tradicionales y comerciales de sus recursos naturales. FORINDECO, unpublished report to FAO.Google Scholar
Lejoly, J. 1994. La biodiversité végétate dans le Parc National de Monte Alen. Report to ECOFAC-AGRECO. CTFT.Google Scholar
Oates, J. 1985. Action Plan for African Primate Conservation: 1986–1990. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, New York.Google Scholar
NRC. National Research Council. 1981. Techiques for the Study of Primate Population Ecology. National Academy Press, Washington.Google Scholar
Sabater Pi, J. 1964. Distribution actual de los gorilas de llanura de Rio Muni. Zoo, Revista del Parque Zoólogico de Barcelona, 3, 26–30.Google Scholar
Sabater Pi, J. 1978. Esquema para una ecología de los primates de Río Muni (República de Guinea Ecuatorial). Zoo, Revista del Zoológico de Barcelona, 32, 16–18.Google Scholar
Sabater Pi, J. 1984. Gorilas y Chimpancés del Africa Occidental. Fondo de Cultura Económica, México.Google Scholar
Struhsaker, T.T. 1981. Census methods for estimating densities. Techniques for the Study of Primate Population Ecology (ed. Subcommittee on Conservation of Natural Populations), pp. 36–80. National Academy Press, Washington.Google Scholar
Tutin, C.E.G. and Fernandez, M. 1984. Nationwide census of gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla) and chimpanzee (Pan t. troglodytes) in Gabon. American journal of Primatology, 6, 313–336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitesides, G.H., Oates, J.F., Green, S.M. and Kluberdanz, R.P. 1988. Estimating primate densities from transects in an East African rain forest: a comparison of techniques. Journal of Animal Ecology, 57, 345–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar