- Goualougo Triangle
The Goualougo Triangle, is a 100-square-mile region on the southern end of the
Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , located in theRepublic of Congo , inCentral Africa . The northern Congo lowland forestecosystem of the park is one of the most intact fauna habitats of its type in Africa. Populations of several endangered orthreatened species are found here, includingForest Elephant s,Western Lowland Gorilla s and a high density ofCommon Chimpanzee s.The discovery of a naïve chimpanzee ("Pan troglodytes") population - and, most importantly, of their unhabituated
behavior - in the Goualougo Triangle region helped persuade the Congolese government, and the locallogging company, to preserve thepristine habitat.The Goualougo Triangle has been dubbed "The Last Place on Earth" by
National Geographic magazine, and Time describes it as the "Last Eden."The chimpanzees of the Goualougo Triangle have had virtually no contact with people. Bomassa village, 34 miles away, is the closest
human settlement. On initial contact, the chimpanzees still show curiosity and interest inhuman observers, unlike those at other field research sites. This presents an invaluable opportunity for close observation of a chimpanzee community, one heretofore undisturbed by humans. Analysis of the ecological and geographical requirements for these chimpanzees is essential to developing a management plan to insure conservation of the species.The Republic of Congo government, in collaboration with the
New York basedWildlife Conservation Society (WCS), initiated the Nouabale-Ndoki/Congo Forest Conservation Project in1991 . When the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park was subsequently created in1993 , the Goualougo Triangle was initially left out, as a part of a logging concession. Initial surveys of the Goualougo Triangle, comprising a forest rich inmahogany and other valuablehardwood s, were conducted that same year by Michael Fay, aconservationist with the WCS.The encroachment of loggers and
bush-meat poachers in areas adjacent to the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park imperils conservation efforts throughout the region. Because logging will continue in the vicinity of the park, it is essential for key conservation areas to be identified and protected, before such encroachment permanently compromises the forests and threatens the integrity of the park itself.In July
2001 , representatives of the WCS, the Congolese government, and the logging company - which owned legal rights to the Goualougo Triangle - announced the area was to be annexed to the park, so its intactecosystem and undisturbedwildlife habitats would be protected in perpetuity.Field research enabled by the annexation may lead to better models of
human evolution , because the chimpanzees will be protected from any other human interference. Data is being gathered onsocial organization , feedingecology and behavior. The chimpanzees of the Goualougo Triangle still enjoy the possibility of an unbounded and genetically robust future.ee also
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Jane Goodall
*Louis Leakey External links
* [http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/files/chimps_goualougo.htm The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project] - Research in the Region by Scientists Drs. David Morgan & Crickette Sanz
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/congo/about.cfm WorldWildlife.org] - Congo Basin: About the Region
* [http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0304/feature5/ NationalGeographic.com] - Jane Goodall meets the chimpanzees of Congo's Goualougo Triangle
* [http://www.primates.com/chimps/firstcontact.html Primates.com] - Chimpanzees With Little Or No Human Contact Found In Remote African Rainforest
* [http://www.aza.org/Action/index.cfm?page=view&id=124 AZA.org] - Pilot Survey of the Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Population
* [http://www.janegoodall.org JaneGoodall.org] - Jane Goodall Institute
* [http://animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/goodall01.htm Animal-Rights-Library.com] - Jane Goodall: "Chimpanzees - Bridging the Gap"
* [http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/sanz/index.htm Homepage of Dr. Crickette Sanz] -
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