Elephant Database
African Elephant Specialist Group

Gabon
2016 African Elephant Status Report

  1. Reports
  2. 2016
  3. Africa
  4. Central Africa
  5. Gabon

All Years for Gabon: 2016 — 2013 — 2007 — 2002 — 1998 — 1995

Summary Totals for Gabon

Estimates from SurveysGuesses% Known and
Possible Range		Area (km2)
Survey categoryEstimate± 95% CLFromTo
Reliable Dung Counts5,7212,965——3.98,314
Other Dung Counts0—16,96519,1937.415,873
Informed Guesses1,337—5,40411,5319.820,913
Degraded Data——4,1864,1862.86,048
Modeled Extrapolation——32,37832,37876.7163,629
Totals 20157,0582,96458,93367,288  
Totals 20062,35082766,36667,653  
Assessed Range100.7214,777
Unassessed Range-0.7-1,405
Total Range100213,373

Summary Totals for Gabon

Data Category Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Direct Sample Counts and Reliable Dung Counts2,7562,9652,9650
Other Dung Counts013,2884,7560
Informed Guesses1,337037,7826,127
Other Guesses0004,186
Totals 20154,09316,25345,50310,313
Totals 20061,52323,45727,91117,746

Interpretation of Changes in Estimates from Previous Report

 Estimates from SurveysGuessesArea
Cause of Change Estimate ± 95% CL From To% Known and PossibleTotal
Repeat Survey+1,792±2,320002.24,669
New Population00+216+2160.61,289
Different Technique+1,579±780-803-8032.45,219
Different Area00-12,877-10,9675.611,918
New Guess+1,3370+9,239+14,39787.7187,150
Data Degraded00000.00
No Change00002.14,531
Totals+4,708±2,447-4,225+2,843100.7214,777

Interpretation of Changes in Estimates from Previous Report

Cause of Change Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Repeat Survey+452+1,340+1,3400
New Population00+2160
Different Technique+740+2,518-1,2660
Different Area0-11,922-2,9720
New Guess+1,337+900+25,658-11,468
Totals+2,530-7,164+22,975-11,468

Interpretation of Changes in Estimates from Previous Report (2007 scaling)

Cause of Change Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Repeat Survey+578+1,471+9870
New Population00+1590
Different Technique+946+2,765-9330
Different Area0-13,090-2,1900
New Guess+1,708+988+18,907-7,433
Totals+3,232-7,866+16,930-7,433
toggle scaling

Area of Range Covered by Each Data Category (km²)

Data CategoryKnown RangePossible RangeTotal Range
Direct Sample Counts and Reliable Dung Counts8,1901248,314
Informed Guesses39,428145,114184,542
Other Dung Counts15,68618715,873
Other Guesses4,7711,2776,048
Unassessed Range-690-714-1,405
Totals67,384145,988213,373

Gabon: Elephant Estimates

Cause ofSurvey Details2 Number of Elephants Area Map Location
Input ZoneChange1TypeReliab.YearEstimate95% C.L. SourcePFS3 (km²) Lon. Lat.
+ Djouah Bélinga-OE20024,035Lahm & Barnes, pers. comm., 200624,339 13.6E 1.2N
-OE20024,035Lahm & Barnes, pers. comm., 20064,339 13.6E 1.2N
+ Evaro ZoneNGOD2006469 525*Maisels & Strindberg, 201222,365 10.0E 0.9S
NGOD2006469 525*Maisels & Strindberg, 20122,365 10.0E 0.9S
Gamba
+ KivoroNGDCC2008900 693Blake et al., 201222,337 10.0E 2.2S
NGDCC2008900 693Blake et al., 20122,337 10.0E 2.2S
+ Loango National ParkNGOD2007290 383*Maisels, pers. comm., 201621,510 9.6E 2.1S
NGOD2007290 383*Maisels, pers. comm., 20161,510 9.6E 2.1S
+ Moukalaba-Doudou Central SouthDTDCB2011236 60Ngoran, pers. comm., 20143609 10.5E 2.8S
DTDCB2011236 60Ngoran, pers. comm., 2014609 10.5E 2.8S
+ Ivindo National ParkDADCC20093,489732Maisels et al., 201023,864 12.6E 0.1N
DADCC20092,851 677Maisels et al., 20102,996 12.6E 0.1N
DADCC2009638 278Maisels et al., 2010868 12.6E 0.1N
Lope-Waka
+ Lopé National ParkRSDCB20094,142 2,167Bezangoye & Maisels, 201024,486 11.5E 0.6S
RSDCB20094,142 2,167Bezangoye & Maisels, 20104,486 11.5E 0.6S
+ Lopé-Waka CorridorDTDCB20081,343 778Maisels et al., 200823,000 11.3E 1.1S
DTDCB20081,343 778Maisels et al., 20083,000 11.3E 1.1S
+ Waka National ParkNGOD2006690 773*Maisels & Strindberg, 201221,061 11.1E 1.3S
NGOD2006690 773*Maisels & Strindberg, 20121,061 11.1E 1.3S
+ Mayombe EcosystemNGOD2011299 335*Aba'a et al., 201121,682 11.0E 3.4S
NGOD2011299 335*Aba'a et al., 20111,682 11.0E 3.4S
+ Mayumba National ParkNGOD201160 68*Maisels & Strindberg, 20123161 11.0E 3.8S
NGOD201160 68*Maisels & Strindberg, 2012161 11.0E 3.8S
+ Minkébé National Park and buffer zoneDADCC20136,875 4,588ANPN, 2013111,956 12.6E 1.7N
DADCC20136,875 4,588ANPN, 201311,956 12.6E 1.7N
+ Monts Birougou National Park and buffer zoneNPDCD2007216Aba'a & Bezangoye, 200721,332 12.3E 1.9S
NPDCD2007216Aba'a & Bezangoye, 20071,332 12.3E 1.9S
+ Monts de Cristal EcosystemNGOD20062,416 2,707*Maisels & Strindberg, 201225,300 10.3E 0.7N
NGOD20062,416 2,707*Maisels & Strindberg, 20125,300 10.3E 0.7N
Mwagna
+ Mwagna BufferNGOE2004151 168*Maisels & Strindberg, 201222,020 13.7E 0.7N
NGOE2004151 168*Maisels & Strindberg, 20122,020 13.7E 0.7N
+ Mwagna National ParkDTDCC20121,680733Maisels & Akou, 2012.21,581 13.8E 0.5N
DTDCC20121,363 378Maisels & Akou, 2012.1,166 13.8E 0.5N
DTDCC2012317 628Maisels & Akou, 2012.415 13.8E 0.5N
+ Plateaux Batéké National ParkNGOD2006301 336*Maisels & Strindberg, 2012; Douckaga, 201422,042 12.5E 0.5S
NGOD2006301 336*Maisels & Strindberg, 2012; Douckaga, 20142,042 12.5E 0.5S
+ Pongara National Park-DCC2006344 194Latour, 20063378 9.4E 0.1N
-DCC2006344 194Latour, 2006378 9.4E 0.1N
+ Rest of Gabon Forest RangeNGOD201132,378Maisels, Strindberg et al., 20131145,497 11.1E 0.4S
NGOD201132,378Maisels, Strindberg et al., 2013145,497 11.1E 0.4S
+ Wonga-Wongue Presidential ReserveNGOD20152,000 1,000*Fay, pers. comm., 201624,967 9.5E 0.5S
NGOD20152,000 1,000*Fay, pers. comm., 20164,967 9.5E 0.5S

* Range of informed guess

1Key to Causes of Change (only tracked since 2007): DA: Different Area; DD: Data Degraded; DT: Different Technique; NA: New Analysis; NG: New Guess; NP: New population; PL: Population Lost; RS: Repeat Survey (RS ́ denotes a repeat survey that is not statistically comparable for reasons such as different season); –––: No Change

2Key to Survey Types: AC: Aerial Count, not specified; AS: Aerial Sample Count; AT: Aerial Total Count; DC: Dung Count; EX: Extrapolation from GIS; GD: Genetic Dung Count; GS: Ground Sample Count; GT: Ground Total Count; IG: Informed Guess; IR: Individual Registration; OG: Other Guess. Survey Type is followed by an indicator of survey quality, ranked from 1 to 3 (best to worst). Survey Reliability is keyed A-E (best to worst) as outlined in this table.

3PFS: Priority for Future Surveys, ranked from 1 to 5 (highest to lowest). Based on the precision of estimates and the proportion of national range accounted for by the site in question, PFS is a measure of the importance and urgency for future population surveys. All areas of unassessed range have a priority of 1. See Introduction for details on how the PFS is derived.

Note that totals for the Definite, Probable, and Possible categories are derived by pooling the variances of individual estimates, as described at http://www.africanelephantdatabase.org/reliability. As a result, totals do not necessarily match the simple sum of the entries within a given category.

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