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africanjournalofecology-2026-fotsing-modellingasuitablehabitatfornigeriacameroonchimpanzeespan
Journal article

Modelling a Suitable Habitat for Nigeria–Cameroon Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti, Matschie, 1914) in Mpem and Djim National Park, Central Cameroon

DOKPE

  • 2026
Published in:
  • African Journal of Ecology. - Wiley. - 2026, vol. 64, no. 4
camera trapping
covariates
line transect
maximum entropy
Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees
Reccee
transition zone
English Tropical forest mammalian communities, particularly those in ecological transition zones, are under constant threat fromhuman activity. In many regions, there is a lack of baseline data on suitable habitats and the environmental factors influencingtheir suitability. Habitat suitability is a key metric for guiding conservation decisions and is essential for adaptive management ofwildlife. These threats mostly affect great apes, including critically endangered Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytesellioti Matschie, 1914), which is losing much of the suitable habitat required for reproduction and survival across its distributionrange, including Central Cameroon. However, little is known about the habitat suitability of this species, particularly those whoinhabit the Mpem and Djim National Parks in Central Cameroon. To address this knowledge gap, we used a common speciesdistribution model (MaxEnt) to map and predict suitable habitats based on environmental factors that potentially affect habitatsuitability. These environmental factors were related to a dataset of chimpanzee occurrence points recorded during line tran-sect, camera trapping, and reconnaissance surveys (reccee) in the park. After covering an area of approximately 558.671 km2on 160.78 km, we found that up to 60% of the study area is unsuitable for chimpanzees. Only 20% of the study area was highlysuitable for chimpanzees. Our results also showed that chimpanzees prefer the central and western parts of the study area,which are characterized mainly by high forest density. The MaxEnt model performed well (mean AUC = 0.859 ± 0.086) andidentified a clear spatial pattern of suitable habitats. The most important predictors that positively affect habitat suitability forthe Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee were NDVI (36.7%), canopy height (17.2%), annual mean temperature (16.3%), forest density(4.2%), distance to road (4.2%), and terrain aspect (3.2%). The suitability map identifies areas that are particularly important forconservation management, especially in the central and western parts of the park. Our study provides robust evidence that cer-tain parts of Mpem and Djim National Park remain suitable habitats for chimpanzees. However, much more effort is needed fromthe government, park managers, national and international policymakers, and local communities to maintain these habitats andprevent severe damage to the survival of this species in the area. While this study provides a robust baseline for the conservationplanning and management of chimpanzees in the area, it also fills an existing gap in the scientific literature on the ecology ofNigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee communities in Central Cameroon. Furthermore, it highlights the need for large-scale surveysin the future to evaluate the impact of efforts implemented thus far on the habitat suitability of this species.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biological sciences
Other electronic version

Version online

License
CC BY
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/335665
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