Edumanom Forest Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Edumanom Forest Reserve is an area in the Niger Delta
region of southeast Nigeria
that is home to some of the last chimpanzees
in Nigeria. It covers part of the old Nembe Kingdom
, now divided into the Nembe
and Brass
local government areas, in Bayelsa State
.
The reserve is a Freshwater Swamp Forest with an area of 9,324 hectares.
The habitat has been degraded by oil-industry and logging operations.
Although there are relatively few roads in the region, hunters can gain access to the forest through the creeks and along oil pipelines. The forest is also under threat from expansion of oil palm
plantations. A proposed federal road from Ogbia
to Nembe would run between two of the patches inhabited by chimps in the
Edumanom forest.
In 1995, hunter's reports suggested that there were 5-10 small chimpanzee groups in the general area, probably with no more than 50 individuals. Older hunters tended to avoid chimpanzees, but younger hunters boasted of killing them. Young chimps captured as a result of hunting typically are sold as pets or to zoos.
A June 2008 report noted that the reserve was the last known site for chimpanzees in the Niger Delta.
The reserve also shelters the endemic Sclater's guenon
and other IUCN Red List
species Olive Colobus
and Niger Delta Red Colobus
.
The Sclater's monkey was considered vulnerable but not endangered in 2008. It is hunted throughout the area, except in a very few places where it is held sacred, but is managing to survive. A 2005 report recommended that it be protected within the Edumanom and other reserves in Nigeria.
There used to be Red-capped Mangabeys in the forest, but these are now thought to be extirpated.
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
region of southeast Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
that is home to some of the last chimpanzees
Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee
The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee which inhabits the rainforests along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. Male Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees can weigh as much as 70 kilos with a body length of up to 1.2 metres...
in Nigeria. It covers part of the old Nembe Kingdom
Nembe Kingdom
The Nembe Kingdom is a traditional state in Niger Delta. It includes the Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The traditional rulers take the title "Amanyanabo"...
, now divided into the Nembe
Nembe
Nembe is a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Nembe in the east of the area at.It has an area of 760 km² and a population of 130,931 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 562....
and Brass
Brass, Nigeria
Brass is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Twon-Brass on the coast. It has a coastline of approximately 90 km on the Bight of Bonny. Much of the area of the LGA is occupied by the Edumanom National Forest....
local government areas, in Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
.
The reserve is a Freshwater Swamp Forest with an area of 9,324 hectares.
The habitat has been degraded by oil-industry and logging operations.
Although there are relatively few roads in the region, hunters can gain access to the forest through the creeks and along oil pipelines. The forest is also under threat from expansion of oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
plantations. A proposed federal road from Ogbia
Ogbia
Ogbia is a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Ogbia in the south of the area at....
to Nembe would run between two of the patches inhabited by chimps in the
Edumanom forest.
In 1995, hunter's reports suggested that there were 5-10 small chimpanzee groups in the general area, probably with no more than 50 individuals. Older hunters tended to avoid chimpanzees, but younger hunters boasted of killing them. Young chimps captured as a result of hunting typically are sold as pets or to zoos.
A June 2008 report noted that the reserve was the last known site for chimpanzees in the Niger Delta.
The reserve also shelters the endemic Sclater's guenon
Sclater's Guenon
Sclater's guenon , also known as Sclater's monkey and the Nigerian monkey, is an Old World monkey that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1904 and named after Philip Sclater. It is an arboreal and diurnal primate that lives in the forests of southern Nigeria...
and other IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
species Olive Colobus
Olive Colobus
The olive colobus or Van Beneden's colobus is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in tropical West Africa, ranging from Sierra Leone to Nigeria. Its natural habitats are second growth within tall forests, palm forests and swamps...
and Niger Delta Red Colobus
Niger Delta Red Colobus
The Niger Delta red colobus is a species of colobus monkey. From the time it first became known to science in 1993 until 2007 or 2008 it was considered a subspecies of the western red colobus, Procolobus badius and more recently Pennant's colobus, Procolobus pennantii, and its trinomial name was...
.
The Sclater's monkey was considered vulnerable but not endangered in 2008. It is hunted throughout the area, except in a very few places where it is held sacred, but is managing to survive. A 2005 report recommended that it be protected within the Edumanom and other reserves in Nigeria.
There used to be Red-capped Mangabeys in the forest, but these are now thought to be extirpated.