Ganga Field Research Station

Ganga Research Station is found in the northeastern part of Mbam & Djerem National Park, which is located in both the Adamawa and Centre regions of central Cameroon. Ganga Station is a haven for wildlife, including 13 primate species and a population of nearly 1,000 chimpanzees. The Mbam & Djerem National Park is a 4152 km2 protected area located in central Cameroon in a complex forest- woodland- savanna ecotone habitat at the conjunction of the Guinean rainforest, Congolian rainforest, and Sahel savanna biomes. The park’s extraordinary habitat diversity makes it the most biologically diverse protected area in Cameroon, with ideal living conditions for more than 60 mammal species such as elephants, bongo, buffalo, hippopotamus, leopards, more than twelve diurnal primate species including two subspecies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes vellorosus and Pan troglodytes troglodytes), 65 species of reptiles, well over 500 species of birds and 30 species of fish. 

The dry season in the MDNP occurs generally from approximately November to February. The wet season can be split into the small rainy season from March to June, and the big rainy season from July to October. The small rainy season is a transitionary season marked by steadily increasing rainfall and high average temperatures, while the big rainy season has high average rainfall and low average temperatures. Average annual rainfall is approximately 1,500 mm.

From Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, it takes a day of travel via car, train, pirogue (dugout canoe), and lastly by foot to reach this station. The field site is a joint project operated by Texas A&M University, Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, San Diego Zoo Global, the Wildlife College of Garoua, and the Wildlife Conservation Society Cameroon.