Monitoring Forest Elephants
The Forest Elephant study monitors forest elephants in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in northern Congo, looking at trends in elephant population status and increasing our understanding of elephant behavior, population structure and habitat use. The study also contains an important capacity building element for Congolese research assistants.
The forest elephant bai study was set up in three clearings (Mingingi, Mabale and Bonye) situated in the northern sector of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in 2001. These three major bais form part of a larger complex of bais across the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and Dzanga-Ndoki National Parks in Central African Republic, making this particular area extremely important for elephants, and a major predictor of elephant spatial distribution. The study was set up by a Congolese researcher, and is now led by Congolese research assistants. Since its inception, the project has provided considerable scope for capacity building in elephant monitoring techniques through regular training courses given by senior researchers at Dzanga Bai in the Sangha Trinational zone.