Figure 2. Itombwe Massif Conservation Landscape and Tanganyika Escarpment Forest 



Signs of gorillas were seen in some of the key reproductive sites referred to as maternities which 

 appeared to be geographically discrete areas. Gorilla nests and other signs of presence were found at 

 elevations of less than 1 , 1 00 m in the transitional forest zone, to over 2,094.8 m near the Lungye gorilla 

 maternity. Although most of the signs of gorilla were in secondary vegetation, signs of this species were 

 also present in agricultural fields, at the savanna border of human settlement. We also found signs of 

 presence of gorillas in the bamboo zone, but at low densities, suggesting that this habitat, which in 

 Itombwe covers more area than in any other area in Africa, may have been used by the gorillas only on a 

 seasonal basis. In contrast to gorilla, chimpanzees were widely distributed, occurring in primary forest 

 as well as in secondary vegetation. Although, we cannot yet provide estimates of chimpanzee numbers 

 for the Itombwe massif, they were clearly more abundant than gorillas and appeared to occur in larger 

 groups than gorillas. 



Encounter rates for gorilla nests in 2003 (0.19 per km) was higher than the rates of encounters of other 

 wildlife species during the same period. The gorilla nest encounter rate was followed by signs of bush 

 pigs (0. 1 1 per km), then by chimpanzee nests (0.08 per km) and, last, by rodent encounters (0.07 per 

 km). Rodents remain so far the preferred species for hunting. In some parts of the Itombwe Massif, 

 hunters were setting traps to catch muroid rodents, and pouched Cricetomys eminii, squirrels and brush- 

 tailed porcupines Atherurus africanus. Few larger game catches were documented during the survey, 

 implying that the ungulates have been hunted out (Mubalama, pers. comm.). Rates of encounters with 

 all key large mammal species observed are presented in Fig. 3 below. 



g Species and human encounter rates in Itombwe Massif:2003 



loi 



~l~l — —-^i:::- — TT — — r-i — .— . — l~lr-n 



c 



O OÏ-D Û.-S CWO ^>.û)tf) 



s .£= E» .2>Sg S. S. ° -^ 



O T3 



C o 



W C3 



Species and human threats 



Fig 3 . Species and human encounter rates in Itombwe Massif, 2003 



3.2 Relationship between signs of human and mammal presence 



Spearman rank correlations generated with Statview 5.0 programme were used to investigate the 

 relationship between signs of human disturbance and signs of large mammals. There was no significant 

 correlation between mining and tree cutting and signs of gorilla; or between mining, agricultural activity 

 and chimpanzee nests; or between chimpanzees other signs and gun shooting (Table 1). Snares were the 

 most frequently used hunting tools and there was a significant correlation between snares and bushmeat 

 signs. Data to assess hunting intensity were collected over a total distance of 502. 1 7 km (straight line) of 

 reconnaissance paths. One hundred and ninety six km", out of 832 km", were found to have records or 

 signs of hunting; this amounts to 0.25 per km. This rate is very high considering that only actual sighting 

 and fresh tracks on reconnaissance paths were considered. Hunting methods employed by local people 

 fall into two categories: hunters using dogs to capture live animals; and the shooting or snaring of large 

 mammals, depending on the size and species involved. Mining was yet another serious problem (Bisidi 

 et al. 2008). There was ample evidence that gold mining along the rivers was common in the recent past 

 as there was much damage to the riverbeds, riverbanks and the bordering forest. At present, many former 

 mines and their associated settlements and roads are covered by secondary forest and dense herbaceous 

 undergrowth. A number of former mining camps served as a base for hunters. 



Shifting cultivation was recorded in all surveyed areas, including secondary forests and small patches of 

 Pennisetum mauricianum savanna.There was a significant correlation between tree cutting and 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 45 



