Nki National Park
Encyclopedia
Nki National Park is a national park in southeastern Cameroon
, located in its East Province
. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma
, Moloundou
and Lomie
, beyond which are rural lands. Due to its remoteness, Nki has been described as "the last true wilderness." It has a large and varied ecosystem, and it is home to over 265 species of birds, and the forests of Cameroon contain some of the highest population density of forest elephants of any nation with an elephant density of roughly 2.5 per square kilometer for Nki and neighboring Boumba Bek National Park
combined. These animals are victims of poaching, which has been a major problem since an economic depression in the 1980s. The indigenous people follow in the footsteps of the poachers, attracted by the financial opportunities. The removal of logging industries from the park, on the other hand, has been a success; it is no longer considered a major threat to Nki's wilderness.
Today, logging is no longer a major problem, as "it would require a lot of investment to develop necessary infrastructure, such as roads, for [its] operations, especially in the southern portion of Nki." According to the WWF's scientific advisor in the region, Paul Robinson Ngnegueu, "poaching
is the biggest threat to ... Nki." It is a result of the late 1980s economic depression in Cameroon. The indigenous people followed the poachers, attracted by the financial opportunities. They would sell their product through "intermediaries" for money and more hunting supplies.
Cameroonian authorities fought poaching in Nki by applying repressive measures to the indigenous population. An example of this was in January 1997, when Bakas were forced from their homes near Mambele. These actions turned the Bakas against the WWF, which they considered "an organization of whites who want to protect animals". Every year, poachers travel up the Dja for central Nki, where elephant ivory is abundant. Strong currents on the river are a deterrent for half the year, but after that, according to freelance journalist Jemini Pandya, the fauna is easy to prey upon.
Nonetheless, when Pandya of the WWF visited Nki National Park in the early 1990s, she described it as "the last true wilderness." In 1995, the park was named an Essential Protection Zone, its first official status. It was not formally established as a national park until the Cameroonian government decreed the creation of Boumba Bek
and Nki National Parks on 17 October 2005. This establishment was not without opposition; the Bakas have continually asked to reduce the park's boundaries and ask for higher usage rights, which invaded upon "their" land.
Cameroon and Gabon are currently working on the TRIDOM project, a conservation initiative leading to a land management plan which will oversee access to and use of forests. It will create a tri-national "interzone" bordered by the Minkebe
, Boumba-Bek, Nki, and Odzala National Park
s and the Dja Wildlife Reserve. This project is part of a conservation movement toward the zoning and designation of new protected areas.
. A waterfall, Nki falls, is located on the river in the park, giving "a tinge of exoticism to the landscape." The park is situated from latitude 2˚05 to 2˚50 N and longitude 14˚05 to 14˚50 E. It covers a surface area of 3093 km² (1,194 sq mi) and straddles two administrative divisions in the East province
: Ngoyla in Haut Nyon and Moloundou
in Boumba et Ngoko Division. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma
, Moloundou
and Lomie
, beyond which is rural lands.
Seventy-three bai
s, or forest clearings, have been discovered in Nki National Park. In April 2006, while looking for elephant groups, a WWF team discovered the largest bai in the region, Ikwa Bai. Dr. Mike Loomis, a member of the group, confirmed that this bai is slightly larger than Dzanga Sangha Bai (Central African Republic
), which had previously held the record. He also reported little human development adjacent to the bai, and noticed 21 elephants and 16 buffaloes in it simultaneously. The bai has a small creek running through its center, which sits atop a bed of rocks and sand. A large mineral pit is located next to the stream. It is the habitat of several wildlife species, the largest-numbering being chimpanzees, elephants, buffaloes, and gorillas.
The park has a tropical climate
with temperature ranging from 23.1–25˚C with an average annual temperature of 24˚C. Its relative humidity varies between 60 to 90% while annual rainfall is 1500 mm per year. According to the Cameroon Ministry of Agriculture, nearby Moloundou has a rainy season from September to November, a dry season from November to March, a rainy season from March to June, and a dry season from July to August.
Pygmies. These include the Djem, Bangando, Bakwele and Zime tribes. Non-indigenous employees of logging companies and traders make up a sizeable amount of the population. The population density of the region is about five people per square kilometer, concentrated along the main Yokadouma-Moloundou road. The villages around the park are mostly homogeneous as there are few non-natives, most of whom work as civil servants or traders.
, though it is mixed with large patches of closed evergreens. There are also some seasonally flooded Uapaca
trees along the Dja River.
Nki, according to the Environmental News Service, "encompass[es] a biodiverse group of plants and animals." This has been confirmed by various studies over the years. Sitatunga
, chimpanzee
s, forest antelope
(largely duiker
s), bushbuck
s, giant forest hog
s, bush pigs, leopard
, Nile crocodile
s and bongos
are all found in Nki National Park, along with "hundreds" of fish species.
The forests of Cameroon contain some of the highest population density of forest elephants of any nation, and Nki is no different, with an elephant density of roughly 2.5 per square kilometer for Boumba Bek and Nki combined. The population has been steadily rising, from 1,547 in 1998 to 3,000 in 2006.Gorilla
s are also reported to abundant; there are an estimated 6,000 adults in Nki. The park is also home to diurnal primates, such as the threatened crested monkey, De Brazza monkey, and the black colobus
, who reportedly only live east of the Dja River.
A 20-day study held by BirdLife International
discovered 265 species of birds in the park. Of these, the yellow-bellied form of Forest Robin
is widespread. In the study, a pair of Ja River Scrub-warbler
s was discovered in a 1 hectare patch of Rhynchospora
marsh; its population must be small as there are few such marshes in Nki. Three species of forest nightjar
have been observed in the park; Bate's
and Brown Nightjar
s are common in southeastern Cameroon, while a rarer and unidentified third species' call has been heard twice. It is likely that this is Prigogine's Nightjar
, as its voice is identical to that of the only known specimen of this species which was found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two small owls, Sjostedt's
and African Barred Owlet
s coexist in Nki, due to similar habitat requirements.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, located in its East Province
East Province (Cameroon)
The East Region occupies the southeastern portion of the Republic of Cameroon. It is bordered to the east by the Central African Republic, to the south by Congo, to the north by the Adamawa Region, and to the west by the Centre and South Regions...
. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma
Yokadouma
Yokadouma is a town in south eastern Cameroon, lying near the border with the Central African Republic. It is popular as a base for visiting the local rainforest....
, Moloundou
Moloundou
Moloundou is an arrondissement in the Boumba et Ngoko Division of southeastern Cameroon's East Province. Mouloundou is close to Boumba Bek and Nki National Parks on the Dja River...
and Lomie
Lomié
Lomié is a town in the Lomié District in the Upper Nyong division of the East Province of Cameroon. An article in the Mail & Guardian Online describes it as having "no telephone connection to the outside world, and a single access road that is little more than a forest trail".In fact Lomié has been...
, beyond which are rural lands. Due to its remoteness, Nki has been described as "the last true wilderness." It has a large and varied ecosystem, and it is home to over 265 species of birds, and the forests of Cameroon contain some of the highest population density of forest elephants of any nation with an elephant density of roughly 2.5 per square kilometer for Nki and neighboring Boumba Bek National Park
Boumba Bek National Park
Boumba Bek National Park is a national park in extreme southeastern Cameroon, located in its East Province.-History:The park was never logged; according to the World Wildlife Fund's scientific advisor in the region, Paul Robinson Ngnegueu, "poaching is the biggest threat to Boumba Bek." This is a...
combined. These animals are victims of poaching, which has been a major problem since an economic depression in the 1980s. The indigenous people follow in the footsteps of the poachers, attracted by the financial opportunities. The removal of logging industries from the park, on the other hand, has been a success; it is no longer considered a major threat to Nki's wilderness.
History
The World Wildlife Fund has been in the process of conserving the park since the 1980s, including ridding the area of the logging business. This movement, however, has been met with some criticism, especially by members of the remote village of Ndongo, Cameroon. Before WWF arrived, Ndongo was a bustling logging town of 300 residents with fairly good roads and plentiful working opportunities. Once the organization established itself, it pressured the logging companies to operate in a more environmentally friendly manner. The logging companies pulled out of the town in 1988, leaving broken machinery and severely damaging Ndongo's economy. According to Leonard Usongo, manager of WWF projects in southeast Cameroon, "we cannot convince a community of the need to protect forests if we don’t acknowledge their problems or their poverty."Today, logging is no longer a major problem, as "it would require a lot of investment to develop necessary infrastructure, such as roads, for [its] operations, especially in the southern portion of Nki." According to the WWF's scientific advisor in the region, Paul Robinson Ngnegueu, "poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
is the biggest threat to ... Nki." It is a result of the late 1980s economic depression in Cameroon. The indigenous people followed the poachers, attracted by the financial opportunities. They would sell their product through "intermediaries" for money and more hunting supplies.
Cameroonian authorities fought poaching in Nki by applying repressive measures to the indigenous population. An example of this was in January 1997, when Bakas were forced from their homes near Mambele. These actions turned the Bakas against the WWF, which they considered "an organization of whites who want to protect animals". Every year, poachers travel up the Dja for central Nki, where elephant ivory is abundant. Strong currents on the river are a deterrent for half the year, but after that, according to freelance journalist Jemini Pandya, the fauna is easy to prey upon.
Nonetheless, when Pandya of the WWF visited Nki National Park in the early 1990s, she described it as "the last true wilderness." In 1995, the park was named an Essential Protection Zone, its first official status. It was not formally established as a national park until the Cameroonian government decreed the creation of Boumba Bek
Boumba Bek National Park
Boumba Bek National Park is a national park in extreme southeastern Cameroon, located in its East Province.-History:The park was never logged; according to the World Wildlife Fund's scientific advisor in the region, Paul Robinson Ngnegueu, "poaching is the biggest threat to Boumba Bek." This is a...
and Nki National Parks on 17 October 2005. This establishment was not without opposition; the Bakas have continually asked to reduce the park's boundaries and ask for higher usage rights, which invaded upon "their" land.
Cameroon and Gabon are currently working on the TRIDOM project, a conservation initiative leading to a land management plan which will oversee access to and use of forests. It will create a tri-national "interzone" bordered by the Minkebe
Minkébé National Park
Minkébé National Park is a national park in the extreme northeast of Gabon. It covers an area of 7,570 km². The WWF recognized it as an area needing protection as early as 1989 and has been actively working towards protecting the forest since 1997...
, Boumba-Bek, Nki, and Odzala National Park
Odzala National Park
Odzala National Park is a national park in the Cuvette-Ouest Region of Republic of the Congo. Founded in 1935, the park now covers 13,600 km2...
s and the Dja Wildlife Reserve. This project is part of a conservation movement toward the zoning and designation of new protected areas.
Geography and climate
The park is located in a remote area of southeastern Cameroon, which "has helped maintain most of its pristine forest and beauty." It has never been completely explored. Largely hilly in its terrain at an elevation of 350–650 m, it falls within the Sangha ecoregion. Nki is crossed by several large rivers, including the Dja RiverDja River
The Dja River is a stream in west-central Africa. It forms part of Cameroon–Republic of Congo border and has a course of roughly 450 miles ....
. A waterfall, Nki falls, is located on the river in the park, giving "a tinge of exoticism to the landscape." The park is situated from latitude 2˚05 to 2˚50 N and longitude 14˚05 to 14˚50 E. It covers a surface area of 3093 km² (1,194 sq mi) and straddles two administrative divisions in the East province
East Province (Cameroon)
The East Region occupies the southeastern portion of the Republic of Cameroon. It is bordered to the east by the Central African Republic, to the south by Congo, to the north by the Adamawa Region, and to the west by the Centre and South Regions...
: Ngoyla in Haut Nyon and Moloundou
Moloundou
Moloundou is an arrondissement in the Boumba et Ngoko Division of southeastern Cameroon's East Province. Mouloundou is close to Boumba Bek and Nki National Parks on the Dja River...
in Boumba et Ngoko Division. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma
Yokadouma
Yokadouma is a town in south eastern Cameroon, lying near the border with the Central African Republic. It is popular as a base for visiting the local rainforest....
, Moloundou
Moloundou
Moloundou is an arrondissement in the Boumba et Ngoko Division of southeastern Cameroon's East Province. Mouloundou is close to Boumba Bek and Nki National Parks on the Dja River...
and Lomie
Lomié
Lomié is a town in the Lomié District in the Upper Nyong division of the East Province of Cameroon. An article in the Mail & Guardian Online describes it as having "no telephone connection to the outside world, and a single access road that is little more than a forest trail".In fact Lomié has been...
, beyond which is rural lands.
Seventy-three bai
Bai
The Bai or Baip are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They numbered 1,858,063 as of 2000....
s, or forest clearings, have been discovered in Nki National Park. In April 2006, while looking for elephant groups, a WWF team discovered the largest bai in the region, Ikwa Bai. Dr. Mike Loomis, a member of the group, confirmed that this bai is slightly larger than Dzanga Sangha Bai (Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
), which had previously held the record. He also reported little human development adjacent to the bai, and noticed 21 elephants and 16 buffaloes in it simultaneously. The bai has a small creek running through its center, which sits atop a bed of rocks and sand. A large mineral pit is located next to the stream. It is the habitat of several wildlife species, the largest-numbering being chimpanzees, elephants, buffaloes, and gorillas.
The park has a tropical climate
Tropical climate
A tropical climate is a climate of the tropics. In the Köppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above...
with temperature ranging from 23.1–25˚C with an average annual temperature of 24˚C. Its relative humidity varies between 60 to 90% while annual rainfall is 1500 mm per year. According to the Cameroon Ministry of Agriculture, nearby Moloundou has a rainy season from September to November, a dry season from November to March, a rainy season from March to June, and a dry season from July to August.
Demographics
The area around the park, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, has a human population of 22,882, mostly ethnic Bantus and, despite being named a minority in Cameroon's constitution of 18 January 1996, BakaBaka (Cameroon and Gabon)
The Baka, known in the Congo as Bayaka , are an ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rainforests of Cameroon, northern Republic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic. They are sometimes called a subgroup of the Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related...
Pygmies. These include the Djem, Bangando, Bakwele and Zime tribes. Non-indigenous employees of logging companies and traders make up a sizeable amount of the population. The population density of the region is about five people per square kilometer, concentrated along the main Yokadouma-Moloundou road. The villages around the park are mostly homogeneous as there are few non-natives, most of whom work as civil servants or traders.
Flora
As with Boumba-Bek to the northeast, the main type of forest is semi-evergreen with an open canopy dominated by the 50–60 m TriplochitonTriplochiton
Triplochiton is a genus of flowering plants in the Malvaceae family....
, though it is mixed with large patches of closed evergreens. There are also some seasonally flooded Uapaca
Uapaca
Uapaca is a genus of plant, in the family Phyllanthaceae and is the only genus comprised in the subtribe Uapacinae. It comprises about 60 species, of which 49 are confined to continental Africa.-Synonyms:This genus is also known as:...
trees along the Dja River.
Fauna
Sitatunga
The situtunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Ghana, Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.-Description:Situtunga stand about one and a...
, chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s, forest antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
(largely duiker
Duiker
A duiker is any of about 21 small to medium-sized antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa.Duikers are shy and elusive creatures with a fondness for dense cover; most are forest dwellers and even the species living in more open areas are quick to disappear...
s), bushbuck
Bushbuck
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...
s, giant forest hog
Giant forest hog
The Giant Forest Hog is native to wooded habitats in Africa and generally is considered the largest wild member of the Suidae . Despite its large size and relatively wide distribution, it was only described by scientists in 1904...
s, bush pigs, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
s and bongos
Bongo (antelope)
The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
are all found in Nki National Park, along with "hundreds" of fish species.
The forests of Cameroon contain some of the highest population density of forest elephants of any nation, and Nki is no different, with an elephant density of roughly 2.5 per square kilometer for Boumba Bek and Nki combined. The population has been steadily rising, from 1,547 in 1998 to 3,000 in 2006.Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s are also reported to abundant; there are an estimated 6,000 adults in Nki. The park is also home to diurnal primates, such as the threatened crested monkey, De Brazza monkey, and the black colobus
Black Colobus
The black colobus or Satanic black colobus is an Old World monkey belonging to the Colobus genus. This monkey is considered by some to be the most primitive of the colobus monkeys. The black colobus has dark skin under a long black coat of fur and a long black tail...
, who reportedly only live east of the Dja River.
A 20-day study held by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
discovered 265 species of birds in the park. Of these, the yellow-bellied form of Forest Robin
Forest robin
The forest robins are small Central and West African birds from the genus Stiphrornis. They have been placed in the family Turdidae, but are now generally placed in Muscicapidae in the group popularly known as chats. Traditionally, only a single species, the Forest Robin , has been recognized, but...
is widespread. In the study, a pair of Ja River Scrub-warbler
Ja River Scrub-warbler
The Ja River Scrub-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Gabon.Its natural habitat is swamps.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
s was discovered in a 1 hectare patch of Rhynchospora
Rhynchospora
Rhynchospora is a genus of about 250-300 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. The genus includes both annual and perennial species, mostly with erect 3-sided stems and 3-ranked leaves...
marsh; its population must be small as there are few such marshes in Nki. Three species of forest nightjar
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
have been observed in the park; Bate's
Bates's Nightjar
The Bates's Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Uganda.-References:...
and Brown Nightjar
Brown Nightjar
The Brown Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, and Liberia....
s are common in southeastern Cameroon, while a rarer and unidentified third species' call has been heard twice. It is likely that this is Prigogine's Nightjar
Prigogine's Nightjar
The Prigogine's Nightjar or Itombwe Nightjar, Caprimulgus prigoginei, is a nightjar which breeds in tropical central Africa. It is known from only one specimen taken in Zaire in February 1952....
, as its voice is identical to that of the only known specimen of this species which was found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two small owls, Sjostedt's
Sjostedt's Owlet
Sjostedt's Barred Owlet , also known as Sjostedt's Owlet, is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria...
and African Barred Owlet
African Barred Owlet
The African Barred Owlet is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and...
s coexist in Nki, due to similar habitat requirements.