From 500 to 200: Tea Plantations Are Fueling the Decline of Kibira’s Chimpanzees

“We used to encounter chimpanzees, gorillas, warthogs, etc. When the forest was still dense, just as we encountered a herd of goats on the road today from the Gitenge River until we crossed the Kibira. But now they have disappeared. We can cross the Rwegura sector of Kibira National Park without encountering a single chimpanzee.  All we see are monkeys”.

This is the view made by Séverin Bagayuwitunze, 62-year-old, a native and resident of the village of Kwijiti in the Rwegura area, in the municipality of Muruta, in the northwest of the country. He has lived through two different eras: one when chimpanzees were abundant and another when they were a rare occurrence

In both Teza and Rwegura, two areas of Kibira National Park, chimpanzees are currently rare animals. ‘The last time I saw a chimpanzee in Kibira National Park was in 2018,’ says Pascal, who lives near the park. ‘We encounter them occasionally,’ he adds.

Kibira is the most important of Burundi’s three national parks. It is located in the northwest of the country. It is home to more than 200 chimpanzees, compared to around 500 chimpanzees before deforestation, according to some studies. 

With their habitat under threat, some chimpanzees lost their lives, and the survivors deserted the Kibira areas, particularly Rwegura, Teza and Musigati. They took refuge in the Mabayi area, bordering Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest, where they seek food and physical safety, according to Dismas Hakizimana, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Burundi, and Marie-Claude Huynen, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Liège, in their scientific article “Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Population Density and Abundance in Kibira National Park, Burundi” published by the University of Liège in 2013. The authors indicate that chimpanzees are more frequent in the Mabayi sector, one of the four sectors of Kibira directly adjacent to Nyungwe National Park (NNP) in Rwanda. 

A harmful human presence

In these highlands, the tea industry employs more than 1,000 salaried workers and 7,500 to 8,000 day labourers in the picking of green leaves, in the factory, in the maintenance of tea plantations, in communication routes and in the exploitation of woodlands.

“These workers make a lot of noise, which disturbs the habitat of the chimpanzees, Kibira’s flagship species. They throw away food scraps, plastic bags… Basically, they pollute the chimpanzees’ habitat,” notes ecologist Léonidas Nzigiyimpa.

While working in the fields, some labourers illegally enter the park. “Entrances and exits are not regulated and remain largely uncontrolled. They pick the chimpanzees’ food, especially wild strawberries,” says Nzigiyimpa. Hatungimana, for his part, acknowledges that they create competition.

Alongside Road Number One, which runs alongside Kibira National Park, the local population traded wild edible fruits such as strawberries and many others to earn a living.

“We had reached a stage where we were picking fruit that wasn’t ripe. We kept it in a safe place and waited for it to ripen.  Now, this trade is almost non-existent. Wild strawberries have almost disappeared. Even the arbutus trees no longer bear fruit,” observes Pascal, a resident.  

Locals also hunt and set traps to catch animals in the Kibira, denounces ecologist Nzigiyimpa. Professor Habonayo explains that this makes chimpanzees fear the presence of humans and keep their distance.

“We have employees who guard Kibira 24 hours a day, all year round. If a worker enters Kibira illegally and violates the park’s protection laws, they are arrested and handed over to their employer to be punished in accordance with the law,” says Berchmans Hatungimana, Director General of the Burundian Office for Environmental Protection.

A study conducted by the NGO Conservation and Community Change (3C), mentioned by his legal representative Léonidas Nzigiyimpa, indicates that the number of trappings has increased as development activities have intensified and the population has grown around Kibira. 

“In addition to human activities, tea plantations are a barrier to chimpanzees in their daily foraging movements, as they are dense and tangled. They also cut off communication between different chimpanzee families and interfere with females’ ability to find males from other families to mate and reproduce. Chimpanzees reproduce slowly. This limits the growth of the chimpanzee population and contributes to a decline in numbers,” explains Nzigiyimpa, environmental expert and legal representative of 3C.

The chimpanzee population has thus declined significantly, falling from 500 to 204 according to some research. Ecologist Nzigiyimpa points out that chimpanzees are forest builders and help maintain ecological balance. He warns that if chimpanzees disappear, other types of vegetation will also follow.  

Read Also: Tea vs Trees: Burundi is Trading a National Park for a Cash Crop

Involving local communities

According to Professor Habonayo, poverty is one of the factors driving the local community, particularly the Batwa community, to exploit forest resources. In order to improve their living conditions and no longer rely on forests for their survival, the government needs sustainable livelihood programs and income-generating projects for local communities.

In addition, Prof. Habonayo recommends investing in training and developing local capacities in forest resource management. It is impossible to protect Kibira without involving local communities, he notes. We must make them understand that they have an important role to play in protecting Kibira and its biodiversity, whether it’s fauna or flora.  

For his part, the Director General of OBPE states that in order to involve companies/institutions operating on the edge and within Kibira, as well as local communities, in its conservation, they are currently looking at how these companies/institutions can provide financial compensation for the ecosystem services offered by the park. If they do not participate in the protection of Kibira, their services will not last long, he concluded.