Acronyms
PNVi Parc National des Virunga
VNP Volcanoes National Park
IGCP International Gorilla Conservation Program
MGNP Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
ICCN Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature
FARDC Forces Armées de la République
Démocratique du Congo
CNDP Congres National pour la Défense du Peuple
GPS Geograpical Positioning System
DBH Diameter at breast height
DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
Biodiversity survey of Mwaro corridor, Altitudinal
distribution of the vegetation and assessment of Gorilla food
availability
Executive Summary
The present study conducted from October 2009 to January 2010
aimed to assess the ecological role and conservation status of Mwaro corridor,
connecting the mountain gorilla habitat in Mikeno sector to the rest of Virunga
National Park.
Permanent botanical transect and plot methods were used to
assess the dynamic of vegetation within the corridor, specifically assessing
spatio-temporal availability of mountain gorilla foods and document seasonal
movement of animals using the corridor.
A total of 181 plant species were sampled in Mwaro corridor
with only 44.7 % of woody species and 55.3 % of herbaceous plants. Among the
woody species, trees (23.2 %) were the most dominant morphological type
followed by shrubs (13.2%) and woody lianas (8.3%) while herbs (35.3 %) were
most represented among the herbaceous plants followed by herbaceous lianas
(12,7 % and ferns (7.2 %).
Out of 181 plant species identified within a 1-ha plot and 7
Km long line transect, only 45 (24.9 %) plant species were reported as consumed
by mountain gorilla in Mikeno sector, some of which with a wider distribution
across different altitudinal layers in Mwaro corridor.
Signs of 11 species of mammals were identified in Mwaro
corridor, among which six were primates (Colobus angolensis, Cercopithecus
mitis spp., Cercopithecus mitis kandti, Pan troglodytes, Papio anubis,
and Gorilla beringei beringei).
Signs of blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) and those
of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and black and white colobus
(Colobus angolensis) were encountered in lower altitudes of the
corridor in the forest dominated by Olea hochtetteri, while calls of
golden monkey were heard in both the lower and higher altitudes. Foot prints of
Buffaloes have been recorded in the Neoboutonia macrocalyx dominated
forest, while fresh trails, droppings and nests of mountain gorillas were found
in the highest elevations in Hagenia abyssinica and Hypericum
revolutum dominated forest.
In Mwaro corridor, the vegetation is intact with a rich and
diverse flora. According to our observations, Mwaro may be seen as a
transitional zone where both medium altitude (Sclerophylles forest on
lava flow) and high altitude plant species are found. The vegetation evolution
looks progressive in Mwaro, with several plant species characteristic of
primary mountain forest and with different diameter classes, such as
Strombosia scheffleri, Olea hochstetteri, Entandrophragma excelsum,
Ekebergia campensis, Schreber alata and Prunus africana.
Mwaro corridor is affected by many illegal human activities,
including poaching activities. In fact most of these activities happened in
lower elevations of the corridor.
Despite most tragic human conflicts that affected the Mikeno
sector in general and particularly the ecological corridor of Mwaro, the
corridor could continue playing its ecological role through its rich flora and
fauna species.
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