Summary

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Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) & western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are present in UFA Ngombe.
It has been estimated that 2,080 chimpanzees and 54,730 gorillas inhabit the site.
The population trend is unknown.

Site characteristics

UFA Ngombe is located in the northern part of the Republic of Congo, in the Sangha department. It is bordered by Odzala Kokoua National Park to the west, various UFAs assigned to the CIB company to the east, the Tala-Tala UFA to the northwest, and the Ngoko River to the north, which forms the boundary with Cameroon (IFO 2015). UFA Ngombé lies in a semi-humid equatorial climate zone, characterized by two dry seasons (mid-December to mid-March and June to mid-August) and two rainy seasons (March to June and August to mid-December). The UFA features two distinct types of terrain: 1. Hills in the north and west, with altitudes reaching 400 meters, characterized by undulating peneplains on horizontal sandstone. 2. Large, flat plains to the east and south, with altitudes below 400 meters, marked by extensive marshes. The area is part of the Sangha River basin, a major tributary of the Congo River. Aside from a few non-forest areas, such as savannas, human settlements, and cultivated lands, most of UFA Ngombe is covered by dense, evergreen rainforests and swamp forests. These forests include both permanently and periodically flooded areas (IFO 2015). The Ngombe-Epoma Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) covers the most part of the Ngombe Forest Management Unit and the adjacent agri-concession of Epoma (Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership 2025). Due to its large size, many species make this site a KBA: Western gorilla, chimpanzee, grey-cheeked managbey, Bouvier's red colobus (endemic to Congo), African golden cat, African forest elephant, black-bellied pangolin, white-bellied pangolin, giant ground pangolin and African grey parrot. Also this KBA is one of only a few sites where the endemic ebony Diospyros whitei occurs (Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership 2025).

Table 1. Basic site information for UFA Ngombe

Species	Pan troglodytes troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Area	11,596.43 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 1.07897 , Lon: 15.73845
Type of site	Logging concession
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Subtropical/tropical swamp forest
Type of governance	Private governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for UFA Ngombe

Species	Year	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
Gorilla gorilla gorilla	2006-2007	4.08	4.21 (2.13-8.30)	54730.0	UFA_Ngombe (11,596.43 km²)	Line transects	Distance sampling	Kiminou et al. 2007
Pan troglodytes troglodytes	2006-2007	0.53	0.16 (0.059-0.45)	2080.0	UFA_Ngombe (11,596.43 km²)	Line transects	Distance sampling	Kiminou et al. 2007
Gorilla gorilla gorilla	2005		3.7		UFA_Ngombe (11,596.43 km²)	Unknown		IFO 2015
Pan troglodytes troglodytes	2005		0.40		UFA_Ngombe (11,596.43 km²)	Unknown		IFO 2015

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for UFA Ngombe

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
2 Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High (more than 70% of population affected)	The intense activity of the populations living in these towns, primarily related to agricultural or hunting activities (Kiminou et al. 2007).	Ongoing (2007)
5 Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present (unknown severity)	Hunting is clearly a factor influencing the distribution of gorillas. The absence of gorillas in the northern part of the UFA may be attributed to the high hunting pressure from the large human population settled along the Ouesso-Yengo road and around major towns such as Ouesso, Mokeko, and Ngombé. However, there are also many large villages within the UFA, some of which are known to be major hunting hubs (Kiminou et al. 2007).	Ongoing (2007)
5 Biological resource use	5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants	Medium (30-70% of population affected)	The Pygmy populations are semi-sedentary in villages. However, they remain highly dependent on the natural environment for their livelihood, relying on activities such as hunting and the collection of Non-Timber Forest Products (e.g., coconut, péké, etc.) (IFO 2015).	Ongoing (2015)
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Low (up to 30% of population affected)	IFO 2015	Ongoing (2015)
8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	8.4 Pathogens	Present (unknown severity)	In 2006-2007 a localised cluster of great ape carcasses was found within the KBA that includes the site. The cause was suspected Ebola but not confirmed (Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership 2025).	2006-2007

Threats

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for UFA Ngombe

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	The Anti-Poaching Surveillance and Combat Unit (USLAB) is made up of eco-guards who have received specialized training in anti-poaching efforts and wildlife management. The current wildlife management program relies on checkpoints and mobile patrols conducted in the forest and along the transportation routes for bushmeat (IFO, 2015).	Industrie Forestière d’Ouesso (IFO)	2007-Ongoing (2015)
5 Protection & restoration	5.3 Establish areas for conservation which are not protected by national or international legislation (e.g., private sector standards & codes)	There is a conservation series within the UFA. The goals of this series are to ensure the sustainability of forest species, protect wildlife and plant habitats, safeguard rare, endangered, or threatened species, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources (IFO 2015).	Industrie Forestière d’Ouesso (IFO)	2007-Ongoing (2015)

Conservation activities

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for UFA Ngombe

Challenges	Specific challenges	Source	Year(s)
2 Resources and capacity	2.3 General lack of funding	Kiminou et al. 2007	2006-Ongoing (2007)
2 Resources and capacity	2.6 Lack of biomonitoring/survey data	Kiminou et al. 2007	2006-Ongoing (2007)
4 Institutional support	4.3 Lack of protected area status	Kiminou et al. 2007	2006-Ongoing (2007)

Challenges

Enablers

Table 6. Enablers reported for UFA Ngombe

Enablers	Specific enablers	Source	Year(s)
1 Site management	1.3 Adaptive management practices	Kiminou et al. 2007	2006-Ongoing (2007)
5 Ecological context	5.1 Ecological characteristics (e.g. terrain) conducive to conservation	Kiminou et al. 2007	2006-Ongoing (2007)

Enablers

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 7. Behaviours documented for UFA Ngombe

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

Behaviours

Exposure to climate change impacts

External links

References

IFO. (2015). Plan d’Aménagement UFA Ngombé, Nov. 2007 - Résumé public 06 Oct 15. Forêt ressources management - IFO, 28p.
Kiminou, F. A. O., Moukala, G., Malonga, R., & Nganga I. (2007). Récensement et distribution des grands mammifères et activités humaines dans l'UFA Ngombé (nord-Congo). WCS-Congo & CENIAF-MEF, 26p.
Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership (2025) Key Biodiversity Areas factsheet: Ngombé-Epoma. Extracted from the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas. Developed by the Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership: BirdLife International, IUCN, American Bird Conservancy, Amphibian Survival Alliance, Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment Facility, Re:wild, NatureServe, Rainforest Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, World Wildlife Fund and Wildlife Conservation Society. Downloaded from https://keybiodiversityareas.org/ on Apr 18, 2025.

Page created by: Zausa Diorne Date: 2024-11-26 14:03:00