Apes of Mayombe
The Mayombe National Park (MNP), located in Cabinda, Angola, forms part of the Congo Basin rainforest, one of the world’s largest and most biodiverse tropical forest ecosystems. MNP is home to two endangered great ape species, the central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), with very limited data on population size, distribution, ecology, and health status. Apes of Mayombe is a multidisciplinary research and conservation project dedicated to improving our understanding of these great apes in MNP. The project investigates their demography, ecology, behaviour, genetics, and health, generating essential baseline data to assess population status, identify threats, and inform evidence-based conservation strategies for the long-term protection of Mayombe’s great ape populations.
Team
Prof. Nuno Ferrand
Prof. Paulo Gama Mota
Prof. Susana Carvalho
Mariana Cravo-Mota, PhD student
Marta Mendes, PhD student
Rita Santos, PhD student
João Mavinga Mbenza, field guide
Behavioural Ecology – BE – Research Groups – Cibio
Primate Adaptations, Landscapes & Evolutionary Origins group – PALEO – Research Groups – Cibio
Publications
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo EK, Mbenza JM, Catuti GD, Simão T, Segunda D, Pinto PV, Ferrand N, Mota PG, Carvalho S. 2026. A new southern limit for the distribution of African great apes: sympatric western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) confirmed in Mayombe National Park, Angola. Primates. 10.1007/s10329-026-01252-5
Presentations
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo EK, Mavinga-Mbenza J, Simão T, Segunda D, Cobola-Gomes Z, Bizi J, Tati D, Marquès-Bonet T, Ferrand N, Mota P G, Carvalho S. First Demographic and Ecological Census of Endangered Apes in Mayombe National Park, Cabinda, Angola. IX Iberian Primatological Conference. Beyond Boundaries: Integrating Primate Research (21-23 de novembro de 2024), Vila do Conde, Portugal.
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo E K, Mavinga-Mbenza J, Simão T, Segunda D, Cobola-Gomes Z, Bizi J, Tati D, Marquès-Bonet T, Ferrand N, Mota P G, Carvalho S. First Demographic and Ecological Census of Endangered Apes in Mayombe National Park, Cabinda, Angola. 13th Trend in Biodiversity and Evolution (TiBE) Conference. Ecology and Conservation in the Afrotropics (4-6 de dezembro de 2024), Vila do Conde, Portugal.
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo EK, Mbenza JM, Simão T, Segunda D, Gomes ZC, Bizi J, Tati D, Marquès-Bonet T, Ferrand N, Mota PG, Carvalho S. Primeiro Censo Demográfico e Ecológico de Grandes Símios no Parque Nacional do Maiombe, Cabinda, Angola. Conferência Internacional sobre as Florestas da Bacia do Congo. Preservação da Biodiversidade e Combate à Desflorestação (14 a 16 de abril de 2025), Cabinda, Angola.
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo E K, Mavinga-Mbenza J, Simão T, Segunda D, Cobola-Gomes Z, Bizi J, Tati D, Marquès-Bonet T, Ferrand N, Mota P G, Carvalho S.First Direct Evidence of the Endangered Great Apes of the Mayombe National Park, Cabinda, Angola. 30thInternational Primatological Society (IPS) Congress (20-25 de julho 2025), Antananarivo, Madagáscar.
Posters
Cravo-Mota M, Lutondo E K, Mavinga-Mbenza J, Simão T, Segunda D, Cobola-Gomes Z, Bizi J, Tati D, Marquès-Bonet T, Ferrand N, Mota P G, Carvalho S. New Records and Behavioural Insights on the Endangered Great Apes of Mayombe National Park, Cabinda, Angola. XXII Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society (30-31 de outubro de 2025), Faro, Portugal.
Grants awarded
Global Greengrants Fund/ Arcus Foundation (2025)
International Primatological Society (IPS) (2024)
Zebra Foundation for Veterinary Education (2024)
Primate Society of Great Britain (2024)
