Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is a protected area located in the Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1993 in the northern provinces of the country. The park is home to forest elephants, large primates such as western lowland gorillas and eastern chimpanzees, as well as bongo antelope. The forests contain a wide variety of life, including 300 different bird species and 1,000 types of plants and trees. Some of these trees, like mahoganies, are endangered.

Administration

The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is managed through a partnership between the government of the Republic of the Congo (RoC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). This partnership, signed in 2013, created the Fondation Nouabalé-Ndoki (FNN). The Wildlife Conservation Society has been assigned the responsibility of managing the park as the Park Management Unit until the year 2038.

History

The idea of creating protected parks began in the 1980s when people realized that elephants moving freely across three parks needed protection from poachers and logging. In 1991, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Government of Congo, with help from USAID, started planning the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park as a project involving multiple countries. This effort included working with local, regional, and national leaders.

The park was officially created in September 1993. It covers 3,921.69 km (1,514.17 sq mi) in the northeastern Sangha Department and northwestern Likouala Department of Congo. In 1999, the timber company CIB and local communities joined WCS and the Government of Congo to form a group that would reduce harm caused by logging to the park.

In 2001, the park’s area was expanded by adding part of a nearby logging area called the Gouloago triangle. A German logging company gave up its rights to 100 km (39 sq mi) of the Goualougo Triangle to merge with the park and agreed to stop hunting. Although logging has occurred in other parts of northern Congo, this park has not had any logging activities. This has helped protect wildlife and their natural habitats.

At a meeting of Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) ministers, it was decided to create the Sangha River Tri-National Protected Area (TNS) in the Congo Basin. This area covers 11,331 km (4,375 sq mi) and includes the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve and Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in Congo-Brazzaville, and the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon. In 2012, all three parks were recognized as a World Heritage Site, called the Sangha Trinational.

Geography

The protected area is part of the Sangha River Tri-National Protected Area (STN) and is mainly drained by the Sangha River, which flows into the Congo River. It covers 3,921.61 km² (1,514.14 mi²) of untouched tropical rainforest. No people live inside the area, and the surrounding regions have very few people compared to other areas in the region. Some parts of the forest are still hard to reach and have not been explored. The forest is located in lowland areas of the Congo River drainage basin and is a swampy tropical forest. This park, along with two other protected areas in the larger Sangha Reserve, is separated from roads and human activity. This separation has helped keep the forest in its natural, untouched state.

The park is located in the forested region of the Congo, which covers 11% of the country’s total area. The area has been divided into different sections, including protected zones, cleared areas called Bai and Yanga, seasonal areas used by nomadic people, hunting areas for employees, prey zones for animals, hunting areas for local communities, and sacred sites.

The park has a humid climate and receives about 125 cm (4.10 ft) of rain each year. The wet season runs from August to November, and the dry season occurs from December to February.

Wildlife

Nouable-Ndoki National Park is a dense rainforest with 24 different types of plant life. The forest includes many kinds of mahogany trees. The most common trees are Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, which grow in the upland areas and away from rivers. The forest also has mixed and swampy sections, as well as open areas called “bais.” Over 1,000 plant and tree species have been found in the park. G. dewevrei produces seeds every few years. Scientists believe this happens to protect the seeds from being eaten by beetles, as the large number of seeds may overwhelm the beetles. These seeds are a major food source for many mammals, such as rodents, duikers, red river and giant forest hogs, buffaloes, elephants, and especially gorillas.

The park is home to many animal species. The National Geographic Society has noted that the park may have the highest number of wildlife in Africa. The most well-known animals are primates, including western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees. A specific area called Mbeli Bai, which is 3 kilometers (1.2 miles) in size, has a large group of western lowland gorillas, with 180 reported there. This area also has many monkey species, with nine species having 50 individuals per 1 kilometer (0.39 miles). Monkeys include black-and-white and red colobus, moustached and crowned guenons, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and others.

Other animals in the park include rare species such as the forest elephant, forest buffalo, leopard, bongo, and blue duiker. Forest elephants help create space in the forest by clearing areas for other animals. Horned antelopes, which weigh up to 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms), are found at a rate of 100 per 1 kilometer (0.39 miles). An African Pygmy legend tells of a long-necked reptile called Mokele-mbembe, which is said to have killed elephants with its large horn.

The park supports over 300 different bird species, including eagles, hawks, owls, vultures, herons, and parrots. It has been named an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it provides habitat for many significant bird populations.

Crocodiles and blood-sucking insects also live in the park. Studies of amphibians and reptiles in four areas of the park have found 20 frog species and 14 reptile species along the southern edge. Some of the frog species include Aubria masako, Amietophrynus regularis, Cryptothylax greshoffii, Hyperolius balfouri, H. brachiofasciatus, Leptopelis brevirostris, and L. calcaratus meridionalis.

Conservation

Conservation work is not only happening in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park but also in two other parks in the tri-national region and across the entire Sangha River Tri-national Protected Area, which covers more than 96% of the land. The countries involved in this effort are the Central African Republic, Congo, and Cameroon. These nations formed a group through a program led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to work together on protecting the area. This group helps stop poaching, supports research, and promotes tourism in the rainforests.

A regular part of this effort includes meetings held by the three park managers and officials from the three countries. Joint patrols are conducted regularly to prevent poaching, ivory smuggling, illegal fishing, and the use of firearms in the park. Visitors can only enter the park in groups as part of tours organized by professional wildlife tour companies. Many tour operators offer safaris to the park to help fund conservation and teach people about wildlife.

Conservation is supported by the German Cooperation of Technical Collaboration (GTC) in the Central African Republic and Cameroon, and by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Congo. A trust fund with a lot of money has been created to help protect the parks. The park also has research projects funded by USAID-CARPE, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Columbus Zoo, and the MacArthur Foundation. Because of this international help, the park is now considered important both in the country and worldwide. It has strong infrastructure, trained workers, and financial support.

In the past, rangers had limited tools to protect the park. Now, they use detectors to catch people who harm the park. The rangers in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park include a group called "eco-guards," who are supervised by the Ministry of Forestry Economy and the Environment (MFEE). The MFEE and eco-guards help stop illegal activities like poaching. In addition, the local Ba’Aka community shares their knowledge to help protect the forests in the park.