PAPFor

East Nimba Nature Reserve (ENNR), Liberia

Kristell — 2023-03-01T13:19:52Z

Situated in northern Liberia, at the borders with Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, the East Nimba Nature Reserve (ENNR) is part of the Mt Nimba Range shared between these three countries. The Mount Nimba Range is recognized for its high animal and plant species diversity, and considered both internationally and nationally an area of highest conservation importance.

East Nimba Nature Reserve (light green) and surrounding Community Forest (dark green) /Réserve naturelle de Nimba Est (vert clair) et forêt communautaire environnante (vert foncé)

The Protected Area was established in 2003 as a Nature Reserve and, with an area of 11,553 hectares, is relatively small. Yet, it contains a critical set of ecosystems, ranging from anthropic savannas to lowland forest and mid-altitude forest as well as grassy areas near the summit and a variety of small rivers and streams. Of particular importance is the continuum of forest along an altitudinal gradient from 300m to 1300m.

View of mid-altitude forest at 1200m /Vue de la forêt de moyenne altitude à 1200m, ENNR © M. Languy

The Reserve harbours several species that are strictly endemic to the Nimba range, of which several plants and insects but also vertebrates such as bats and a unique amphibian, the Western Nimba Toad (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis). This tiny toad (just over 2cm) is unique as it is viviparous, meaning that it doesn't lay eggs but gives birth to live young, already fully developed.

Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis, a species only found on Mt Nimba / Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis, une espèce que l'on ne trouve que sur le Mt Nimba © M. Languy

The Reserve is also critical in protecting several species endemic to the Upper Guinean forests and many species listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List. Among these are eleven species of primates including the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), the Sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys), the Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), Campbell's monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), the western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), and the king colobus (Colobus polykomos). Among birds, ENNR holds Nimba flycatchers (Melaenornis annamarulae) and Sierra Leone Prinias (Schistolais leontica), two species with a very small range and Mt Nimba is one of the best place in the world to see these enigmatic species. Many other species listed on the IUCN Red list are also found in ENNR.

ENNR is one of the few places where one can relatively easily see the Antimachus, the largest butterfly in Africa (up to 24cm wingspan) © M. Languy

The old mine roads, still partly tarred, are a good place to see snakes in ENNR, such as this young Forest Cobra © M. Languy

Before it was gazetted, ENNR has been heavily impacted by iron ore mining, with operations by LAMCO starting in 1963 until the mid-1980s. Vast parts of the mountain were destroyed, soils moved and rivers polluted.

Mining operations left huge scars in the landscape of ENNR /Les opérations minières ont laissé d'énormes cicatrices dans le paysage de la RNNO

Iron ore mining has stopped and no mining operations took place in the past decades. Current threats are: risks of encroachment for farming in the lower altitude, poaching, introduction of invasives species of plats, and fires. Fires pose a threat to the habitat of the Western Nimba toad and also prevent the natural reforestation of slopes that have been affected by mining.
ENNR is also unique in its management system, as it is comanaged by the Forest Development Agency (FDA) and the local communities. This is done through the establishment of a joint board, the Co-Management Committee (CMC) with equal representation between FDA and communities.
PAPFor supports the management of ENNR through UNOPS. In 2022, PAPFor provided financial and technical support to undertake a Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) assessment and in 2023, will support the development of the Management Plan of the Reserve. PAPFor also provided motorbikes, laptops and other equipment and supported the first law-enforcement patrols. Ecoguards were also trained in data collection. Following a Socio-economic survey across six communities, PAPFor supports the establishment of Local Development Plans to guide support to income generating activities.

FDA's rangers and eco-guards who benefited from training by PAPFor / Les rangers et écogardes de l'AFD ayant bénéficié d'une formation par le PAPFor.

East Nimba Nature Reserve can easily be visited by tourists. The starting point is the town of Yekepa, from where two old mining roads are still in good shape and bring visitors to the higher reaches, at 1,300m. The best way to discover this unique Reserve though, remains by foot!

Participatory community management

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:57:53Z

One of the major challenges of the PAPfor programme is to convince the populations living in the vicinity of the forests to take ownership of the governance of natural resources and to adopt a sustainable development system. This system should enable income generation for communities and benefits from ecosystem services based on good integrated conservation practices, within the framework of local development plans. Support in eco-tourism development and water management is also implemented. The project places particular emphasis on a gender approach during the implemen- tation of its activities.

Support to protected areas

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:56:44Z

PAPFor provides direct support to the three agencies responsible for managing protected areas. An essential support is to establish or update a Management Plan that serves as a basis for the interventions of these agencies, in collaboration with the local populations. PAPFor also supports training in the use of management tools such as IMET (Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool). These tools allow monitoring of management effectiveness and of threats and law enforcement activities. The programme also provides support for vehicules, computers, field equipment, and surveillance patrols. A common database is being set up and will allow annual assessments of the reduction of threats to the landscape.

Maintaining forest cover

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:55:10Z

In a context of strong anthropic and agricultural pressure, it is important to maintain the connectivity between these different forests. «Forest corridors» supported by the PAPFor programme plays this important role. The programme works with local authorities and neighbouring communities to reforest the area between the Bossou forest and the Integral Reserve. Out of 250 ha, 50 ha have already been reforested by IREB. The maintenance of this forest corridor is essential for the survival of the small chimpanzee population of Bossou, that represents a touristic potential from which local communities could benefit.

Bushfires

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:53:00Z

In the high-altitude savannahs, fires have a negative impact on forests where they degrade the forest edges and undergrowth and also reduce the natural habitat of endemic species. This is particularly the case with late season fires. The dynamics of fires in the savannahs of the Nimba Massif are still poorly understood. It is therefore essential to implement a bushfire management strategy using satellite images.

Industrial mining

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:51:32Z

Of all the landscapes supported by PAPFor, the Nimba Mountains landscape is the one most impacted by industrial mining. The Liberian part of the Nimba Mountains was exploited from the 1960s to 1980s. Much of the upper section of the massif was disfigured. This site is no longer exploited but other important forest areas are. On the Guinean side, a mining perimeter in the process of being exploited is at the heart of the massif and is on the immediate border of the Monts Nimba Integrated Reserve, which could threaten the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site. Close collaboration with the miners is necessary to minimise the direct impacts (deforestation, diversion of watercourses, pollution) and indirect impacts (workers, increased hunting pressure) of mining.

Expansion of slash-and-burn agriculture

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:49:35Z

The fields are usually made on land where almost all the trees are cut down and the vegetation burnt. The first few years the land is fertile, but gradually the soils become poorer. After three to four years, the farmer is forced to clear another area. The initial plot is abandoned, and it takes several decades of fallow state before it is workable again. In the Nimba Mountains landscape, farmers shorten the fallow period because of the need for land. This makes crops less productive and leads to the clearing of new forests, at the expense of the remaining natural forests.

Primates endemic to the forests of Upper Guinea

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:38:42Z

With no less than 11 species, the Nimba Mountains landscape is an important conservation area for primates. These include the western chimpanzee (or West African chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes verus), the Sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys), the Diana monkey ( Cercopithecus diana), Campbell's monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), the western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), and the king colobus (or western black-and-white colobus, Colobus polykomos).

The viviparous toad of Nimba

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:35:19Z

The Nimba Mountains are known as the home to the world's only viviparous toad. Unlike other toad species that lay eggs (oviparous), this is the only one that develops eggs in its body, thus giving birth to already formed (viviparous) froglets. The Western Nimba toad (Mount Nimba viviparous toad, Nimbaphrynoides occi- dentalis) is a small toad barely 2 cm long that lives in natural highland meadows between 1200 and 1600 m. This unique species is endemic to the Nimba Mountains and is critically endangered because of its tiny species distribution.

The altitudinal gradient of the forests of the Nimba Mountains

Yuzhou — 2022-07-26T17:33:38Z

The Nimba Mountains are among the highest peaks in West Africa. They have an uninterrupted forest on their slopes from 400 m to 1600 m altitude, constituting a unique reservoir of biodiversity that can best withstand climate change. It is home to species typical of lowland Guinean forests as well as plants and animals adapted to mid-altitude environments. The maintenance of these forests on the slopes of the Nimba Mountains is essential to maintain a continuous flow of good quality (and quantity) water on which the communities depend so much.