Conservation of the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, western Tanzania Establishing baselines and using technology to support future monitoring

The eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) is an endangered species facing continued decline from anthropogenic threats. This dissertation focuses on the Greater Mahale Ecosystem (GME), an ecologically valuable region in western Tanzania that supports the country’s largest chimpanzee population. Situated at the eastern and southern edge of the species’ distribution, the GME is a savanna-woodland mosaic encompassing Mahale Mountains National Park (MMNP), a refuge that provides essential habitat and protection for chimpanzees in the region. Despite its importance, MMNP has remained largely understudied, limiting our ability to develop informed conservation strategies due to the lack of comprehensive baseline data. I address this gap by conducting the first systematic park-wide survey of MMNP. Using traditional distance sampling along line transects and hierarchical modeling, I estimated chimpanzee density and assessed the influence of ecological factors, revealing significant spatial variation influenced by forest cover, terrain heterogeneity, and fruit tree abundance. Additionally, I developed spatial models of tree cover in the GME using satellite imagery, revealing patterns of diversity and biomass, and producing detailed maps that highlight potentially critical resource areas. This dissertation also supports the integration of modern technologies into future monitoring. To this end, I developed a novel deep learning-based acoustic detector to automate the identification of chimpanzee vocalizations, improving the efficiency of passive acoustic monitoring. This research highlights the merits of both traditional methods and remote sensing technologies for wildlife monitoring, providing baseline data and tools that can guide future research and conservation efforts aimed at protecting chimpanzees in the GME.