Status of Grauer’s Gorilla and Chimpanzees in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: Historical and Current Distribution and Abundance

This report summarises the current state of knowledge on the distribution, densities and trends in abundance of Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It summarises the historical knowledge about the distribution of Grauer’s gorilla across its range and describes the development of a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for these two ape species. A result of this CAP was funding to undertake an assessment of the current status of these apes across the range of Grauer’s gorilla. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) worked with Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and the Reserve managers of the Reserve des Gorilles de Punia (RGPU) and local communities to undertake surveys across the region using a variety of methods: line transects, recces along paths and patrol data from data collected by rangers while on patrol and entered into SMART software

Grauer’s Gorillas and Chimpanzees in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Kahuzi-Biega, Maiko, Tayna and Itombwe Landscape): Conservation Action Plan 2012–2022

First paragraph: En janvier 2011, l'Institut Jane Goodall (JGI d'après le sigle en anglais), avec le support financier des fondations Arcus et The Word We Want, a réuni ses partenaires pour la conservation de la nature afin de développer un plan d'action pour la conservation des grands singes de l'Est de la République Démocratique du Congo. Le but principal de cette initiative était d'identifier les menaces critiques sur les gorilles et les chimpanzés et leurs habitats et de développer des stratégies de conservation en réponse à ces menaces. L'accent a été mis sur des actions systémiques et stratégiques ayant une valeur ajoutée pour l'effort de planification à grande échelle d'efforts ciblés. Au cours de ce processus, le JGI, en collaboration avec le Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Conservation de la Nature et du Tourisme (MECNT) et l'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), a travaillé étroitement avec de nombreuses parties prenantes provinciales et locales et des ONG internationales de conservation. La liste des participants aux ateliers se trouve en Annexe I

Gorilles de Grauer et Chimpanzés de l’Est de la République Démocratique du Congo (Paysage de Kahuzi-Biega, Maiko, Tayna et Itombwe) Plan d’action pour la conservation 2012-2022

First paragraph: En janvier 2011, l'Institut Jane Goodall (JGI d'après le sigle en anglais), avec le support financier des fondations Arcus et The Word We Want, a réuni ses partenaires pour la conservation de la nature afin de développer un plan d'action pour la conservation des grands singes de l'Est de la République Démocratique du Congo. Le but principal de cette initiative était d'identifier les menaces critiques sur les gorilles et les chimpanzés et leurs habitats et de développer des stratégies de conservation en réponse à ces menaces. L'accent a été mis sur des actions systémiques et stratégiques ayant une valeur ajoutée pour l'effort de planification à grande échelle d'efforts ciblés. Au cours de ce processus, le JGI, en collaboration avec le Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Conservation de la Nature et du Tourisme (MECNT) et l'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), a travaillé étroitement avec de nombreuses parties prenantes provinciales et locales et des ONG internationales de conservation. La liste des participants aux ateliers se trouve en Annexe I

ÉTUDES ETHNOBOTANIQUE ET ETHNOLINGUISTIQUE DES RESSOURCES FORESTIÈRES LIGNEUSES UTILISÉES PAR LA POPULATION DU COULOIR ÉCOLOGIQUE DU PARC NATIONAL DE KAHUZI-BIEGA (R D. CONGO)

This article focuses on the use and the vocabulary of 323 specimens representing 52 species woody species that were collected from three ethnosocio-linguistic groups (Shi, Tembo and Pygmies) living in the ecological corridor of Kahuzi -Biega National Park (KBNP). This area consists of a transitional forest between the vegetation of the plains and the mountains. The study has shown that the food and, pharmacological knowledge are almost detained by the pygmies. The analyses carried out show that this population takes interest to the forestry species they consider to be useful though they are found in a protected area. The total ethno botanical value of species is not really significantly to different ethno-socio-linguistic group to another (p-value = 0.514; F = 1.08 and df = 3). The Kruskal-Wallis test shows that the different organs do not have the same importance for the use of the population. (F = 1.08 and df = 3). The correlation between the ethno botanical use value in relation to the number of species use is significant (R² = 0.084%). Specific vocabularies ethnonymical in Mashi and Kitembo express the same common meanings of species on the formal and semantic plans. These three tribes share several ethnonymical concepts, which could be a symbol indication of the subsistence of a pygmy original language, forgotten to the Bantu languages that have borrowed them. Despite the importance of trees in the hall of the Park, we suggest conservative actions or reforestation could protect

Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range

Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) have declined drastically across their range in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Survey data analysed in 2016 estimated a 77% decline in numbers between the mid- 1990s and 2016 and predicted that Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), and the contiguous Oku Community Reserve (OCR) held much of the global population. An estimate of 3800 Grauer's gorillas was made across its range at that time. Here, we publish the most extensive survey of Grauer's gorilla numbers to date, using nest counts from 230 line transects across KBNP and OCR to derive more accurate estimates of both gorilla and chimpanzee numbers. Gorilla numbers were estimated from line transects at 1,571 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 824–2,993) within KBNP and at 2,244 (95% CI: 1,471–3,422) in OCR. Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) numbers were estimated at 2,500 (95% CI: 1,804–3,462) in KBNP and 687 (95% CI: 472–999) in OCR. Estimates of total numbers for the survey area were 5,252 (95% CI: 3,687–7,481) Grauer's gorillas and 4,275 (95% CI: 3,322–5,502) eastern chimpanzees. Chimpanzee numbers were not significantly different from the estimates in the mid-1990s but the gorillas had significantly declined, mostly in KBNP. Modeled densities of these apes indicated that distances to mines, villages, or roads significantly explained part of the distribution of these apes, with higher densities also found in more rugged and remote sites. Other primates have all declined in this region, likely due to bushmeat hunting, especially the Endangered Ulindi River Red Colobus Piliocolobus lulindicus. These results confirm the negative impact of insecurity on Grauer's gorilla but indicate that the population declines may not be as great as previously feared. Using our revised gorilla density estimate we revise the original estimate of global numbers from 3,800 to 6,800 individuals

Isolated Grauer's gorilla populations differ in diet and gut microbiome

The animal gut microbiome has been implicated in a number of key biological processes, ranging from digestion to behavior, and has also been suggested to facilitate local adaptation. Yet studies in wild animals rarely compare multiple populations that differ ecologically, which is the level at which local adaptation may occur. Further, few studies simultaneously characterize diet and gut microbiome from the same sample, despite their likely interdependence. Here, we investigate the interplay between diet and gut microbiome in three geographically isolated populations of the critically endangered Grauer's gorilla, which we show to be genetically differentiated. We find population- and social group-specific dietary and gut microbial profiles and co-variation between diet and gut microbiome, despite the presence of core microbial taxa. There was no detectable effect of age, and only marginal effects of sex and genetic relatedness on the microbiome. Diet differed considerably across populations, with the high-altitude population consuming a lower diversity of plants compared to low-altitude populations, consistent with plant availability constraining diet. The observed pattern of covariation between diet and gut microbiome is likely a result of long-term social and environmental factors. Our study suggests that the gut microbiome is sufficiently plastic to support flexible food selection and hence contribute to local adaptation

ÉTUDES ETHNOBOTANIQUE ET ETHNOLINGUISTIQUE DES RESSOURCES FORESTIÈRES LIGNEUSES UTILISÉES PAR LA POPULATION DU COULOIR ÉCOLOGIQUE DU PARC NATIONAL DE KAHUZI-BIEGA (R D. CONGO)

This article focuses on the use and the vocabulary of 323 specimens representing 52 species woody species that were collected from three ethnosocio-linguistic groups (Shi, Tembo and Pygmies) living in the ecological corridor of Kahuzi -Biega National Park (KBNP). This area consists of a transitional forest between the vegetation of the plains and the mountains. The study has shown that the food and, pharmacological knowledge are almost detained by the pygmies. The analyses carried out show that this population takes interest to the forestry species they consider to be useful though they are found in a protected area. The total ethno botanical value of species is not really significantly to different ethno-socio-linguistic group to another (p-value = 0.514; F = 1.08 and df = 3). The Kruskal-Wallis test shows that the different organs do not have the same importance for the use of the population. (F = 1.08 and df = 3). The correlation between the ethno botanical use value in relation to the number of species use is significant (R² = 0.084%). Specific vocabularies ethnonymical in Mashi and Kitembo express the same common meanings of species on the formal and semantic plans. These three tribes share several ethnonymical concepts, which could be a symbol indication of the subsistence of a pygmy original language, forgotten to the Bantu languages that have borrowed them. Despite the importance of trees in the hall of the Park, we suggest conservative actions or reforestation could protect

Catastrophic Decline of World's Largest Primate: 80% Loss of Grauer's Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) Population Justifies Critically Endangered Status

Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), the World's largest primate, is confined to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is threatened by civil war and insecurity. During the war, armed groups in mining camps relied on hunting bushmeat, including gorillas. Insecurity and the presence of several militia groups across Grauer's gorilla's range made it very difficult to assess their population size. Here we use a novel method that enables rigorous assessment of local community and ranger-collected data on gorilla occupancy to evaluate the impacts of civil war on Grauer's gorilla, which prior to the war was estimated to number 16,900 individuals. We show that gorilla numbers in their stronghold of Kahuzi- Biega National Park have declined by 87%. Encounter rate data of gorilla nests at 10 sites across its range indicate declines of 82-100% at six of these sites. Spatial occupancy analysis identifies three key areas as the most critical sites for the remaining populations of this ape and that the range of this taxon is around 19,700 km2. We estimate that only 3,800 Grauer's gorillas remain in the wild, a 77% decline in one generation, justifying its elevation to Critically Endangered status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Cytomegalovirus distribution and evolution in hominines

Herpesviruses are thought to have evolved in very close association with their hosts. This is notably the case for cytomegaloviruses (CMVs; genus Cytomegalovirus) infecting primates, which exhibit a strong signal of co-divergence with their hosts. Some herpesviruses are however known to have crossed species barriers. Based on a limited sampling of CMV diversity in the hominine (African great ape and human) lineage, we hypothesized that chimpanzees and gorillas might have mutually exchanged CMVs in the past. Here, we performed a comprehensive molecular screening of all 9 African great ape species/subspecies, using 675 fecal samples collected from wild animals. We identified CMVs in eight species/subspecies, notably generating the first CMV sequences from bonobos. We used this extended dataset to test competing hypotheses with various degrees of co-divergence/number of host switches while simultaneously estimating the dates of these events in a Bayesian framework. The model best supported by the data involved the transmission of a gorilla CMV to the panine (chimpanzee and bonobo) lineage and the transmission of a panine CMV to the gorilla lineage prior to the divergence of chimpanzees and bonobos, more than 800,000 years ago. Panine CMVs then co-diverged with their hosts. These results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that viruses with a double-stranded DNA genome (including other herpesviruses, adenoviruses, and papillomaviruses) often jumped between hominine lineages over the last few million years.Peer Reviewe