Combining Deforestation and Species Distribution Models to Improve Measures of Chimpanzee Conservation Impacts of REDD: A Case Study from Ntakata Mountains, Western Tanzania

Abstract

Projects to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) are designed to reduce carbon emissions through avoided deforestation and degradation, and in many cases, to produce additional community and biodiversity conservation co-benefits. While these co-benefits can be significant, quantifying conservation impacts has been challenging, and most projects use simple species presence to demonstrate positive biodiversity impact. Some of the same tools applied in the quantification of climate mitigation benefits have relevance and potential application to estimating co-benefits for biodiversity conservation. In western Tanzania, most chimpanzees live outside of national park boundaries, and thus face threats from human activity, including competition for suitable habitat. Through a case study of the Ntakata Mountains REDD project in western Tanzania, we demonstrate a combined application of deforestation modelling with species distribution models to assess forest conservation benefits in terms of avoided carbon emissions and improved chimpanzee habitat. The application of such tools is a novel approach that we argue permits the better design of future REDD projects for biodiversity co-benefits. This approach also enables project developers to produce the more manageable, accurate and cost-effective monitoring, reporting and verification of project impacts that are critical to verification under carbon standards.

Environmental and anthropogenic effects on the nesting patterns of Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees in North‐West Cameroon

“…Chimpanzees avoided low elevations areas in this study because these habitats are made up of rich soils suitable for farming, especially along the banks of three rivers that flow through the reserve (Chuo et al, 2017;Fotang et al, 2021;Kah, 2015). While riparian forest provides suitable nesting habitat for chimpanzee in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem in Tanzania (Chitayat et al, 2021;Dickson et al, 2020), this forest type is suitable for chimpanzees nesting in KWFR because they are frequently cultivated. The avoidance of bare land by chimpanzees is due to the absence of nesting trees and the exposure to extensive cattle and subsistence agriculture by small-scale farmers.…”

Spatio‐temporal changes in chimpanzee density and abundance in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, Tanzania

“…Key core ranges and corridors to maintain connectivity among chimpanzee populations across the GME and to ensure gene flow among populations and their viability into the future have been identified (Bonnin et al, 2020 ; TAWIRI, 2018 ). Most of these suitable areas occurs outside MMNP and covers the existing network of village and district forest reserves that struggle to stop illegal expansion of settlements, agriculture and livestock in those areas, and future loss is predicted by 2027 (Dickson et al, 2020 ). Therefore, to avert chimpanzee extinctions in the long term and increase protection of important areas for connectivity between suitable habitats, it will be critical to (1) continue building village and district government capacity and provide additional resources and tools to more effectively enforce their forest reserves, ensure objective monitoring and assessments of human activities, and share these data with local decision makers; (2) identify hotspots of forest loss and future risks in the coming years by integrating multiscale drivers of deforestation across the GME as predictors in a modeling approach (Cushman et al, 2017 ); in combination with our findings, (3) prioritize monitoring and enforcement of forest reserves through initiatives such as REDD+ carbon forest projects (Dickson et al, 2020 ) and community‐led conservation strategies (Pintea et al, 2021 ; Pintea & Bean, 2022 ).…”

“…Most of these suitable areas occurs outside MMNP and covers the existing network of village and district forest reserves that struggle to stop illegal expansion of settlements, agriculture and livestock in those areas, and future loss is predicted by 2027 (Dickson et al, 2020 ). Therefore, to avert chimpanzee extinctions in the long term and increase protection of important areas for connectivity between suitable habitats, it will be critical to (1) continue building village and district government capacity and provide additional resources and tools to more effectively enforce their forest reserves, ensure objective monitoring and assessments of human activities, and share these data with local decision makers; (2) identify hotspots of forest loss and future risks in the coming years by integrating multiscale drivers of deforestation across the GME as predictors in a modeling approach (Cushman et al, 2017 ); in combination with our findings, (3) prioritize monitoring and enforcement of forest reserves through initiatives such as REDD+ carbon forest projects (Dickson et al, 2020 ) and community‐led conservation strategies (Pintea et al, 2021 ; Pintea & Bean, 2022 ). Village and district land‐use plans should be used as a legal framework to direct new settlements, agriculture and livestock activities in areas where the impact on chimpanzees would be minimal; and (4) mitigate climate change impacts on forest productivity and distribution (John et al, 2020 ) by incorporating this driver into land‐use planning and propose mitigation measures for suitable habitats across this critical ecosystem for chimpanzees and other wildlife.…”

“…The Frankfurt Zoological Society has pioneered a General Management Plan for Mahale Mountains National Park (MMNP), working to empower communities to protect land adjacent to the Park boundaries (Andres‐Bruemmer et al, 2021 ). Finally, Carbon Tanzania has successfully implemented REDD projects targeting the Ntakata Forest, perhaps the single most important refuge for chimpanzees in the GME outside of MMNP (Dickson et al, 2020 ). In protecting more than 2000 km 2 , they have raised almost US$750,000 for eight communities that patrol, monitor, and safeguard this critical area.…”

Editorial: REDD+: Protecting Climate, Forests and Livelihoods

“…Cobenefits-REDD+, while positively impacting the atmosphere, has broad and wide-ranging positive environmental and social cobenefits, which function to add value to every dollar invested in REDD+. In this issue, Dickson et al [11] describe chimpanzee conservation associated with REDD+ in Tanzania.…”