
We are delighted to start the New Year with exciting news from our projects partners, SW/Niger Delta Forest Project, who have shared the first-ever camera trap footage of a chimpanzee in the Nigerian lowland forest, part of a rare population of chimpanzee that was recently confirmed as a different chimpanzee subspecies. The chimpanzee population in western Nigeria has developed unique genetic characteristics over time due to their isolation and environmental factors, leading to significant evolutionary changes, diverging genetically from other chimpanzee subspecies.
The footage was captured in the Ise Forest Conservation Area, which covers 3,300ha and is located in Ise-Ekiti, Ekiti State, South-Western, Nigeria.
Project Director, Rachal Ikemeh, and Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa Finalist 2016 said, “…the challenge of sustaining this conservation work, which began in 2021 intensified due to a re-emergence of armed marijuana planters who even issued death threats to the rangers and their families. Fortunately, the formidable leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji and the dedicated community leaders in Ise reinforced the Ekiti people’s stance, declaring no further destruction of their forests and wildlife”.
The Programme Manager of the Ise Forest Conservation Area, Ms. Seun Adejuwon, shared how this is, “…a long-awaited miracle, thanks to the tireless efforts of our Project Director and, above all, to God because we prayed earnestly and worked hard for this outcome. Without diligent protection efforts, these majestic creatures would have been bygone in Ise and by extension in western Nigeria.”.
The footage highlights the vital work that SW/Niger Delta Forest Project have undertaken to restore the severely degraded forest and protect the wildlife within. The success of collaborative partnerships between NGOs, the Ekiti State Government and the Ise community is evident. The Conservation Area is also creating jobs for people in the local communities, with 98% of project staff coming from the indigenous community.
From insects to mammals, there is a wide range of wildlife species benefiting from the conservation of the Ise Forest Conservation Area. Conserving this forest is also enhancing local livelihoods and ensuring traditional knowledge is preserved. We are proud to support the conservation work of SW/Niger Delta Forest Project alongside, the Programme of the French Committee of the IUCN and Whiteley Fund for Nature.
View the footage of male chimpanzee foraging HERE.