Improving Research Methodology
The Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project is currently working to develop new models for monitoring chimpanzee populations in the Congo Basin. The conservation of great apes in the wild depends on our ability to collect reliable data regarding their numbers and population distribution. At the moment, most researchers and conservationists use nest-counts to build up estimates of how many great apes are living in a particular habitat. However, this methodology does not always provide very accurate estimates of populations density, since it is difficult to distinguish between the nests of gorillas and chimpanzees, and very little information is available regarding the decay rate of these nests.
The Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project is currently working with WCS's Living Landscapes Program to develop a predictive model that discriminates between the nests of sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas. To test the applicability of this model to other study sites, we are collaborating with researchers in the Odzala National Park, Republic of Congo who have conducted similar ape nest surveys.
The next stage is to suggest recommendations to standardize ape survey methods in central Africa. This will specifically involve using survey data and insights to propose revisions to the standing crop and marked-nest survey methods in a technical report to improve their future applications and comparability of results between sites.