About Ganga Research Station, Cameroon
Ganga Research Station is located in Mbam & Djerem National Park (MDNP) in Cameroon. Dr. Ekwoge Abwe established the station in January 2016 as part of a PhD dissertation project at Drexel University under the supervision of Dr. Katy Gonder. The research team created the station to study environmental and ecological variability across different habitats. In particular, the project examines how these factors influence chimpanzee feeding and nesting behavior in ecotone environments within MDNP compared to primary rainforest habitats in the Ebo Forest. Researchers also investigate how environmental differences may contribute to genetic diversity within P. t. ellioti populations.
At present, rotating teams of local biomonitors, ecoguards, and senior biologists manage the station year-round. These teams conduct a variety of biomonitoring activities, including monthly transect surveys, regular monitoring of high-activity areas such as termite mounds and feeding sites, and reconnaissance surveys. In addition, researchers use these observations to better understand wildlife behavior and ecosystem dynamics across the region.
Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation in MDNP
MDNP was created in January 2000 as an environmental offset for the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project (Moynihan et al. 2004). MDNP harbors the greatest habitat diversity of any protected area in Cameroon (Maisels, 2009). It extends over 4,165 km2 (almost the size of the Grand Canyon), grading from closed-canopy lowland rainforest to the southeast, through a savanna-gallery forest mosaic in the center to open bush savannas in the north and northwest. The Djerem River is a major tributary of the Sanaga, and runs north to south through the park, lined by a broad band of riparian forest (Maisels 2005). This rich quilt of savanna, woodland and forest habitats are home to some of the planet’s most iconic wildlife: elephants, buffalo, warthog, red river hog, kob, bongos, hippopotamus, and 13 species of primates (Maisels 2000; Maisels et al. 2007; Nchanji and Fotso 2006).
The Park is home to approximately 500-1,000 chimpanzees (Kamgang et al. 2018; Morgan et al. 2011), although populations are not evenly distributed across the landscape. Researchers commonly observe chimpanzees and nests near the Djerem River at the Ganga Research Station throughout most of the year.
Over the last decade, conservation efforts have significantly transformed MDNP. In the past, researchers frequently encountered hunting signs such as gunshots, cartridges, and snares. Today, however, chimpanzees and other rare wildlife are more commonly seen and heard throughout the park. In addition, chimpanzees living in the interior forest near Ganga show little fear of humans (Abwe, Kamgang, and Gonder, pers. obs.). As a result, the area demonstrates the long-term impact of effective conservation and wildlife protection measures.
Increased attention to NC chimpanzees is vitally important for conserving the species’ genetic, behavioral, and cultural diversity. Cameroon harbors two of the four chimpanzee subspecies and represents an important meeting point for the two main branches of the chimpanzee evolutionary tree (Prado Martinez, Sudmant et al. 2013).
P. t. troglodytes occurs south of the Sanaga River, while P. t. ellioti occurs north of the river in central Cameroon. In addition, MDNP is the only location where migrants occasionally move between these two branches of the evolutionary tree.
Researchers further divide P. t. ellioti into two genetically and behaviorally distinct populations (Abwe et al. 2019, 2020; Sesink Clee et al. 2015). One population primarily inhabits mountainous forest regions in western Cameroon. Meanwhile, the second population occurs in the ecotone region of central Cameroon and persists in its largest numbers within MDNP.
Researchers still know relatively little about the overall status of NC chimpanzees. As a result, conservation planning in this ecotone region remains challenging. These factors make MDNP an exceptionally important location for intensified conservation measures.