The West African chimpanzee is critically endangered (CR). From 1990 to 2007, Ivory Coast lost 90% of its population to habitat destruction and poaching. In order to effectively implement conservation measures, we need to determine the status of any remaining populations in the country. The chimpanzee population of Comoé National Park (CNP) was assumed to have been severely depleted following the politico-military crisis of 2002–2011. Surveys in 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2014 failed to find significant evidence of chimpanzees in the park, leading managers to believe that no sustainable population was left. To evaluate status and distribution of chimpanzees in CNP, in 2015 we conducted a stratified survey in our study area in the southwest of the park. Over the next 3 years, we conducted recce walks in the north, east, and center of the park, and in 2017 we collected additional data on distribution of chimpanzees during the full park survey for elephants. Additionally, for the first time in northern Ivory Coast, we carried out a local nest decay study. In our main study area, we estimated a density of 0.14 weaned chimpanzees/km2, with an abundance of 127 (92–176) weaned chimpanzees, representing a sustainable population in CNP. We identified 123 individual chimpanzees via parallel camera-trap survey. We discovered a resident chimpanzee population to the east of the Comoé River, an area previously assumed devoid of chimpanzees. This study confirms the viability of a population key for the conservation of Western chimpanzee. We stress the importance of concentrating stratified surveys in potential wildlife habitat to determine the distribution of this and other cryptic threatened species.

中文翻译：

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科莫黑猩猩的现状和分布：结合使用横断面和相机陷阱来量化稀树草原森林马赛克中的低密度种群

西非黑猩猩极度濒危（CR）。从 1990 年到 2007 年，象牙海岸因栖息地破坏和偷猎而失去了 90% 的人口。为了有效地实施保护措施，我们需要确定该国任何剩余种群的状况。在 2002 年至 2011 年的政治军事危机之后，科莫埃国家公园 (CNP) 的黑猩猩种群被认为已经严重枯竭。2007 年、2010 年、2012 年和 2014 年的调查未能发现公园里有黑猩猩的重要证据，导致管理者认为没有可持续的种群。为了评估黑猩猩在 CNP 中的地位和分布，我们于 2015 年在公园西南部的研究区进行了分层调查。在接下来的三年里，我们在公园的北部、东部和中心进行了recce步行，2017 年，我们在大象的全面公园调查期间收集了有关黑猩猩分布的额外数据。此外，我们首次在象牙海岸北部进行了当地巢穴腐烂研究。在我们的主要研究区，我们估计密度为 0.14 只断奶黑猩猩/km2，其中有 127 (92-176) 只断奶黑猩猩，代表 CNP 的可持续种群。我们通过平行相机陷阱调查确定了 123 只黑猩猩个体。我们在科莫埃河以东发现了一个常驻黑猩猩种群，此前人们认为该地区没有黑猩猩。这项研究证实了保护西部黑猩猩的关键种群的可行性。