The Moyen-Bafing is a newly gazetted national park in Northern Guinea. The remote montane-savannah region contains almost 20% of the remaining population of West African chimpanzees, which were recently classified as critically endangered and awarded UN special status in recognition of their unique cultural behaviour. While multiple long-term field sites across Africa are dedicated to the study of chimpanzees, to date, most research has focused on rainforest areas. Recent work suggests, that chimpanzees living in savanna-woodland environments are associated with substantial behavioural diversity, and that these landscapes may have been crucial drivers of hominin evolution. The Moyen-Bafing Chimpanzee Project is a newly established research site focused on the behaviour, ecology, and conservation of this unique population and led by co-directors: Dr Catherine Hobaiter, Dr Liran Samuni, and Dr Erin Wessling. Increasing our understanding of the Moyen-Bafing chimpanzees provides a powerful tool not only to increase our scientific understanding but to engage urgently needed local and international conservation action. Follow along with our work on twitter.
