Cross River National Park

West Africa > Nigeria > Cross River National Park

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Summary

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• Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) & Cross river gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are present in Cross River National Park.
• The population sizes are unknown.
• The population trends are unknown.
• The site has a total size of 3,640 km².
• Poaching and illegal logging are the primary threats to great apes in the park.
• Conservation activities have focused on reducing poaching by conducting patrols, removing snares, and providing sustainable alternative livelihoods e.g., snail farming.

Site characteristics

Situated in southeast Nigeria, Cross River National Park (CRNP) was established in 1991. It is divided into two sections: the smaller Okwangwo division (640 sq. km), and the larger Oban division (about 3,000 sq. km) (Dunn et al. 2014, WCS). Gorillas are known to occur in two areas of the Okwangwo division; the former Boshi Extension Forest Reserve (established in 1958 to protect gorillas), and the Okwa Hills in the central region of Okwangwo, bordering Cameroon’s Takamanda National Park to the west (Dunn et al. 2014).

Both sections of CRNP are home to several important species including Cross River gorillas and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees, forest elephants, drills, Preuss’s guenons, leopards and the grey-necked rockfowl (Dunn et al. 2014, BirdLife International 2020). Over 350 species have been observed in the park, which is one of the most ornithologically diverse sites in Nigeria and is designated as an Important Bird Area. Oban is contiguous with Korup National Park in Cameroon, and it is an important watershed, draining into the Cross river in the northern part, and Calabar, Kwa, and Korup rivers in the south. A total of 1,303 flowering plants, 141 lichens, and 56 moss species have so far been documented in Oban, making it remarkably rich in floral diversity (BirdLife International 2020). The contiguous Oban-Korup forest is also famous for its rich butterfly diversity (WCS).

Table 1. Basic site information for Cross River National Park

Species	Gorilla gorilla diehli, Pan troglodytes ellioti
Area	3,640 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 5.579848 , Lon: 8.748074
Type of site	Protected area (National Park)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, Wetlands (lakes, rivers, streams, bogs, marshes), Subtropical/tropical heavily degraded former forest
Type of governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

The largest and most important area for Cross River gorillas is the transboundary area between the Okwangwo Division of CRNP and Takamanda National Park in Cameroon, which has been estimated to support approximately one-third of the known gorilla population (Dunn et al. 2014).

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Cross River National Park

Species	Year	Occurrence	Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day)	Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)	Abundance estimate (95% CI)	Survey area	Sampling method	Analytical framework	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Gorilla gorilla diehli	Unknown				20-25	Cross River National Park-Boshi Extension	Reconnaissance walk		WCS as cited by Dunn et al. 2014
Gorilla gorilla diehli	2007				25-50	Okwangwo Division	Unknown		Oates et al. 2007

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Nearly 30,000 people from at least 39 villages live along the edge of the Okwangwo Division of CRNP. The large villages of Okwa 1, Okwa 2 and Okwangwo are situated within the park, and the expansion of village farmland outside of their enclave boundaries threatens to fragment the forest and further isolate two gorilla subpopulations. Poaching in the park is still widespread and its montane forests on the edge of the Obudu Plateau are being affected by fire. There is also some agricultural encroachment by cocoa farmers on the edge of the park at Bashu, Obonyi and Mbuli, and illegal farming in the Boshi Forest (Dunn et al. 2014).

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Cross River National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
1 Residential & commercial development	1.1 Residential areas	Present (unknown severity)	In the Oban Division, human settlements along the Calabar to Ekang road has divided the are into two (Morgan et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Present (unknown severity)	Agricultural concessions for oil palm and pineapple were illegally awarded inside the park boundary (WCS). Farmland expansion within the park (Dunn et al. 2014) and encroachment (PAPfor 2024). In the Oban Division, agricultural expansion and human settlement along the Calabar to Ekang road has fragmented the are into two (Morgan et al. 2011).	2011-Ongoing (2024)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Joint patrols between CRNP rangers and WCS staff have destroyed numerous hunting camps and wire snares in the park, but poaching continues (PAPfor 2024). The large numbers of snares in Okwangwo are a significant threat to the gorillas (Dunn et al. 2014). Hunting is also widespread in the Oban Division (Morgan et al. 2011).	2011-Ongoing (2024)
5 Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Present (unknown severity)	Collection of NTFPs such as bush mango is widespread and leads to the seasonal establishment of camps in the park that are also used by poachers (Dunn et al. 2014). Unsustainable harvesting methods contribute to deforestation and reduce food sources for wild animals, including gorillas (PAPFor 2024).	2014-Ongoing (2024)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High (more than 70% of population affected)	Timber is often floated out of the park along major rivers (WCS; Adetola & Adetoro 2014).	Ongoing (2014)

Threats

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Cross River National Park

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
1 Development impact mitigation	1.4 Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land	Since 2018, WCS has distributed 11,045 bush mango seedlings to women for planting on farmlands more sustainably, and rely less on collecting them from the forest. The PAPFor project also created 32 new nurseries in communities surrounding the park to raise 195,732 improved cocoa plants. In exchange for the seedlings farmers signed a ‘conservation contract’ and agreed to limit the expansion of cocoa into forest areas (PAPFor 2024).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2018-2024
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.11 Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g., SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of patrols	From 2009 on, monitoring using CyberTracker to record data on wildlife, threats and law enforcement action (Dunn et al. 2014). In 2016, SMART replaced CyberTracker to continue monitoring the park (WCS).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2009-Ongoing (2016)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.13 Provide sustainable alternative livelihoods; establish fish- or domestic meat farms	WCS has trained 25 hunters from around Okwangwo in bee keeping and the rearing of African giant snails in an attempt to provide them with an alternative source of income (WCS).	Wildlife Conservation Society	Unknown
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Patrolling of the park and joint transboundary patrols of the Okwangwo division together with Takamanda National Park rangers (Dunn et al. 2014). Through the PAPFor programme, WCS supported 321 anti-poaching patrols over two years, resulting in the arrest of 177 individuals for illegal logging and hunting activities within the park; the rate at which patrols encountered metal traps was reduced by over 87%, from 0.85/km in 2021 to 0.11/km in 2023 (PAPfor 2024).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2014, 2019-Ongoing (2024)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.6 Regularly de-activate/remove ground snares	Dunn et al. 2014		Ongoing (2014)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.8 Provide training to anti-poaching ranger patrols	WCS supports ranger training (WCS, Akpan 2021).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2021
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	The PAPFor programme expanded its network of conservation clubs in schools surrounding the park from 72 to 172. Awareness-raising activities included school visits, film screenings and teacher training (PAPFor 2024).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2019-2024
4 Education & awareness	4.5 Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	Mobile film shows for raising conservation awareness ([1], PAPFor 2024).	Wildlife Conservation Society	2019-2024
5 Protection & restoration	5.2 Legally protect ape habitat	The site is a National Park.		1991-Ongoing (2026)

Conservation activities

Challenges

The expectations of local people were very high when the park was created and many people feel that the park has failed to provide promised development; in consequence, the levels of support for conservation are low, particularly in the enclaves (Dunn et al. 2014).

Table 5. Challenges reported for Cross River National Park

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
1 Site management	1.2 Need for improved coordination	Dunn et al. 2014
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 General lack of funding	Adetola & Adetoro 2014
2 Resources and capacity	2.5 Lack of equipment/transportation	Adetola & Adetoro 2014
3 Engaged community	3.1 General lack of community engagement or support	Adetola & Adetoro 2014, Dunn et al. 2014, Morgan et al. 2011

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for Cross River National Park

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
4 Institutional support	4.3 Strong transboundary cooperation	Morgan et al. 2011	Ongoing (2011)
1 Site management
2 Resources and capacity
3 Engaged community
5 Ecological context
6 Safety and stability

Enablers

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for Cross River National Park

Category	Behavior	Observation type	Prevalence	Observation dates	Source	Habituation	Species	Comment
	Not reported

Behaviours

Exposure to climate change impacts

As part of a study on the exposure of African great ape sites to climate change impacts, Kiribou et al. subm. extracted climate data and data on projected extreme climate impact events for the site. Climatological characteristics were derived from observation-based climate data provided by the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP, www.isimip.org). Parameters were calculated as the average across each 30-year period. For 1981-2010, the EWEMBI dataset from ISIMIP2a was used. For the two future periods (2021-2050 and 2071-2099) ISIMIP2b climate data based on four CMIP5 global climate models were used. For future projections, two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) were used. RCP 2.6 is a scenario with strong mitigation measures in which global temperatures would likely rise below 2C. RCP 6.0 is a scenario with medium emissions in which global temperatures would likely rise up to 3C by 2100. For the number of days with heavy precipitation events, the 98th percentile of all precipitation days (>1mm/d) was calculated for the 1979-2013 reference period as a threshold for a heavy precipitation event. Then, for each year, the number of days above that threshold was derived. The figures on temperature and precipitation anomaly show the deviation from the mean temperature and mean precipitation for the 1979-2013 reference period.

The estimated exposure to future extreme climate impact events (crop failure, drought, river flood, wildfire, tropical cyclone, and heatwave) is based on a published dataset by Lange et al. 2020 derived from ISIMIP2b data. The same global climate models and RCPs as described above were used. Within each 30-year period, the number of years with an extreme event and the average proportion of the site affected were calculated (see Kiribou et al. subm. for details).

Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Cross River National Park

Value	1981-2010	2021-2050, RCP 2.6	2021-2050, RCP 6.0	2071-2099, RCP 2.6	2071-2099, RCP 6.0
Mean temperature [C]	25.6	26.7	26.6	26.8	27.9
Annual precipitation [mm]	2505	2579	2633	2636	2600
Max no. consecutive dry days (per year)	36.2	32.6	34.3	31.2	35.9
No. days with heavy precipitation (per year)	5.6	4.3	4.8	4.9	5.5

Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Cross River National Park

Type	No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 2.6)	% of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 2.6)	No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 6.0)	% of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 6.0)	No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 2.6)	% of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 2.6)	No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 6.0)	% of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 6.0)
Crop failure	10.5	0.11	10.5	0.12	6.5	0.1	21	0.14
Drought	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Heatwave	13.5	58.11	14.5	51.67	14	48.91	15	61.43
River flood	3.25	0.25	1.25	1.84	3.5	1.4	4	1.24
Tropical cyclone	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wildfire	30	0.69	30	0.7	29	0.69	29	0.72

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  Precipitation anomaly in Cross River National Park

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  Temperature anomaly in Cross River National Park

External links

WCS Cross River National Park, Oban Division

WCS Cross River National Park, Okwango Division

References

Adetola, B.O. & Adetoro, A.O. (2014). Threats to biodiversity conservation in Cross River National Park, Nigeria. International Journal of Conservation Science, 5(4), 547-552.
Akpan, A. (2021, December 20). WCS trains Cross River forest rangers. The Guardian Nigeria. https://guardian.ng/news/wcs-trains-cross-river-forest-rangers/
BirdLife International (2020) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Cross River National Park (Oban Division). Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/11/2020.
Dunn, A., Bergl, R., Byler, D., Eben-Ebai, S., Etiendem, D. N., Fotso, R., ... & Williamson, E. A. (2014). Revised regional action plan for the conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) 2014–2019. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Wildlife Conservation Society.
Morgan, B.J. et al. 2011. Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Zoological Society of San Diego, CA, USA.
Oates JF, Sunderland-Groves J, Bergl R, Dunn A, Nicholas A, Takang E, Omeni F, Imong I, Fotso R, Nkembi L & Williamson EA. (2007). Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). Oates J F, Sunderland-Groves Jacqueline, Bergl Richard, Dunn Andrew, Nicholas Aaron, Takang Ebai, Omeni Fidelis, Imong Inaoyom, Fotso Roger, Nkembi Louis, Williamson Liz (ed.). IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and Conservation International.
PAPFor. (2024, May 10). Fact Sheet: Nigeria – Cross River Landscape. https://www.papfor.org/IMG/pdf/fiche_papfor-cross_river_eng_10_maj_2024.pdf

Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2023-09-28