Elephant Database
African Elephant Specialist Group

Cameroon
Provisional African Elephant Population Estimates: update to 31 Dec 2013

  1. Reports
  2. 2013
  3. Africa
  4. Central Africa
  5. Cameroon

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

Summary Totals for Cameroon

Estimates from SurveysGuesses% Known and
Possible Range		Area (km2)
Survey categoryEstimate± 95% CLFromTo
Aerial Total Counts771———18.416,546
Reliable Dung Counts2,062604——2.32,094
Other Dung Counts1—3,4445,0327.46,631
Informed Guesses0—3,7385,04921.819,560
Other Guesses——901201.81,651
Degraded Data——1,1741,1742.82,556
Totals 20152,8346048,44511,374  
Totals 2006175013,88715,197  
Assessed Range54.749,039
Unassessed Range45.340,679
Total Range10089,718

Summary Totals for Cameroon

Data Category Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Aerial or Ground Total Counts771000
Direct Sample Counts and Reliable Dung Counts1,4586046040
Other Dung Counts13,6305280
Informed Guesses003,7381,311
Other Guesses0001,264
Totals 20132,2304,2344,8702,575
Totals 20061757264,9659,507

Interpretation of Changes in Estimates from Previous Report

 Estimates from SurveysGuessesArea
Cause of Change Estimate ± 95% CL From To% Known and PossibleTotal
Repeat Survey+10-357-2530.4331
New Population00+2,333+3,00815.013,413
Different Technique+2,658±604-2,238-3,26320.818,640
Different Area00+45+7533.33,001
New Guess00-5,150-4,76912.411,098
Data Degraded00002.21,973
Totals+2,659±604-5,367-4,52454.048,456

Interpretation of Changes in Estimates from Previous Report

Cause of Change Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Repeat Survey+1+153-4050
New Population0+901+1,820+675
Different Technique+2,054+604-14-2,645
Different Area0+2,577-1,8240
New Guess0-548+697-5,203
Data Degraded00-63+241
Totals+2,055+3,687+211-6,932

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

Cause of Change Definite Probable Possible Speculative
Repeat Survey+1+146+1820
New Population0+857-819+675
Different Technique+2,054+575+6-2,645
Different Area0+2,452+8210
New Guess0-521-314-5,203
Data Degraded00+28+241
Totals+2,055+3,508-95-6,932
toggle scaling

Area of Range Covered by Each Data Category (km²)

Data CategoryKnown RangePossible RangeTotal Range
Aerial or Ground Total Counts5,34611,20016,546
Direct Sample Counts and Reliable Dung Counts2,09402,094
Informed Guesses19,28627419,560
Other Dung Counts6,2244076,631
Other Guesses1,9492,2584,207
Unassessed Range30,16110,51740,679
Totals65,06024,65889,718

Cameroon: Elephant Estimates

Cause ofSurvey Details2 Number of Elephants Area Map Location
Input ZoneChange1TypeReliab.YearEstimate95% C.L. SourcePFS3 (km²) Lon. Lat.
+ Abong-Mbang Forest Reserve-OE1994100A. Ekobo, pers. comm., 199421,540 13.1E 4.2N
-OE1994100A. Ekobo, pers. comm., 19941,540 13.1E 4.2N
+ Banyang-Mbo Wildlife SanctuaryRSDCC2007153 52Greengrass & Maisels, 20072667 9.7E 5.3N
RSDCC2007153 52Greengrass & Maisels, 2007667 9.7E 5.3N
+ Bénoué National ParkDTATA20080Omondi et al., 2008a21,979 13.8E 8.4N
DTATA20080Omondi et al., 2008a1,979 13.8E 8.4N
+ Bouba Ndjidah National ParkDTATA2008232Omondi et al., 2008a22,113 13.8E 8.4N
DTATA2008232Omondi et al., 2008a2,113 13.8E 8.4N
+ Boumba-Bek National ParkDTDCB20122,062 604CITES MIKE, 201422,079 15.0E 2.7N
DTDCB20122,062 604CITES MIKE, 20142,079 15.0E 2.7N
+ Campo Ma'an RegionNGOD2011100Maisels et al., 201321,302 10.3E 2.3N
NGOD2011100Maisels et al., 20131,302 10.3E 2.3N
+ Deng Deng National Park and its environsNPOD20121 3*Maisels et al., 20132884 13.6E 5.2N
NPOD20121 3*Maisels et al., 2013884 13.6E 5.2N
+ Dja Faunal ReserveNGOD2011780Maisels et al., 201315,260 13.1E 3.1N
NGOD2011780Maisels et al., 20135,260 13.1E 3.1N
+ Faro National ParkDTATA20080Omondi et al., 2008a23,486 13.8E 8.4N
DTATA20080Omondi et al., 2008a3,486 13.8E 8.4N
+ Korup National ParkNGOE201110 10*Maisels, Strindberg et al., 201321,259 9.0E 5.3N
NGOE201110 10*Maisels, Strindberg et al., 20131,259 9.0E 5.3N
+ Lobéké National ParkNGOD20091,426 636*Dongmo, 200921,985 15.9E 2.3N
NGOD20091,426 636*Dongmo, 20091,985 15.9E 2.3N
+ Mbam-Djerem National ParkNPDCC2009901 468Maisels et al., 200921,433 12.7E 5.8N
NPDCC2009901 468Maisels et al., 20091,433 12.7E 5.8N
+ Mengame Wildlife SanctuaryNGOE201180 20*Maisels et al., 201331,425 12.3E 2.3N
NGOE201180 20*Maisels et al., 20131,425 12.3E 2.3N
+ Mongokele Forest Reserve-DCE1991773 53A. Ekobo, pers. comm., 19942850 16.0E 2.0N
-DCE1991773 53A. Ekobo, pers. comm., 1994850 16.0E 2.0N
+ Mt. Cameroon-DCE2003178 148Ekobo, 20032676 9.2E 4.2N
-DCE2003178 148Ekobo, 2003676 9.2E 4.2N
+ Ngoyla-Mimtom ForestNPOD20111,431 672*Nzooh, 201211,326 13.9E 2.4N
NPOD20111,431 672*Nzooh, 20121,326 13.9E 2.4N
+ Nki Forest ReserveDADCC20052,577 354Dongmo, 200623,093 14.5E 2.4N
DADCC20052,577 354Dongmo, 20063,093 14.5E 2.4N
+ Sudanian Area Hunting BlocksDTATA2008293Omondi et al., 2008a114,300 13.8E 8.4N
DTATA2008293Omondi et al., 2008a14,300 13.8E 8.4N
+ Waza National ParkDTATA2007246Foguekem et al., 201021,970 14.7E 11.2N
DTATA2007180Foguekem et al., 2010401 14.7E 11.2N
DTATA200766Foguekem et al., 20101,031 14.7E 11.2N
DTATA20070Foguekem et al., 2010538 14.7E 11.2N
+ Yabassi AreaDDOE200263WWF Cameroon, 200321,425 10.3E 4.5N
DDOE200263WWF Cameroon, 20031,425 10.3E 4.5N
+ Yoko Area-OE199960T. Sánchez Ariño, pers. comm., 2004425 12.4E 5.6N
-OE199960T. Sánchez Ariño, pers. comm., 200425 12.4E 5.6N

* 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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