FACT SHEET ON LOGGING THREAT TO THREE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES
IN SÃO TOMÉ
Title: Emergency action to halt threats to Critically Endangered birds in São Tomé
Why is the site globally significant?
São Tomé and Principe (recently designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO) are beautiful
islands with amazing and unique flora and fauna. Of a total avifauna of 143 species, including
72 breeding residents, 28 species are endemic to São Tomé and Principe. Twelve of the
endemics are species of global conservation concern.
The island of São Tomé is one of Africa’s major centres of wildlife endemism for many
taxonomic groups. It holds three Critically Endangered bird species - the São Tomé Fiscal
(Lanius newtoni), São Tomé Grosbeak (Neospiza concolor), and the Dwarf Olive Ibis (Bostrychia
bocagei) - which are found nowhere else on earth. All three species occur in the lowland forests
in the south-west of the island. These forests have been classified as the second most important
forests for bird conservation in Africa. The island of Principe hosts another endemic Critically
Endangered bird species (Principe Thrush – Turdus xanthorhynchus), bringing the to four the
number of bird species very close to extinction in the entire country.
The Current threat
In 2006, most of São Tomé’s forests received legal protection with the establishment of the Obô
Natural Park. The park and its buffer zone covers almost one third of the island and the habitat
of the three Critically Endangered bird species occurs almost exclusively within the Park. The
Monte Carmo area of the Park is one of the few places where all the endemic bird species of
São Tomé are known to occur. In particular, the Monte Carmo area is regarded as a major
stronghold for the Dwarf Olive Ibis.
In late 2009, BirdLife became aware of an investment by foreign and São Tomé investors to
recover and expand oil palm plantations (5,000 ha) close to the Monte Carmo forests of the Obô
Natural Park and overlapping with the Natural Park’s buffer zone. This development is owned
by Agripalma, a subsidiary of STP Invest (based in Belgium) with links to and is managed by
Socfinco (a French/Belgian Group).
Serious threats are resulting from opening up access to the forest due to oil palm plantations,
including increasing hunting and extractive pressures on the forest birds and other biodiversity.
To compound it all, BirdLife has been reliably informed that the Agripalma company has made
a request to use part of the Obô Natural Park itself for oil palm plantations since they lost out
their concession in the Island of Principe.
What species are of concern?
The island holds three Critically Endangered bird species - the São Tomé Fiscal (Lanius newtoni),
São Tomé Grosbeak (Neospiza concolor), and the Dwarf Olive Ibis (Bostrychia bocagei) - which are
found nowhere else on earth.
What BirdLife has done so far?
BirdLife International has long recognised the importance of the forests of São Tomé. In 2004,
Sao Tome & Principe was identified as a priority for recruitment into the BirdLife Partnership.
Since then, a local NGO - Associação dos Biólogos Santomenses (ABS) has been identified as the
BirdLife contact organization, collaborative programmes initiated, and continuing efforts made
in finding the resources to develop a meaningful conservation programme for the country. This
has included support from the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme to ABS to act as the
Species Guardian for the three CR species. With BirdLife and funding from the A.V Jensen
Charity Foundation, ABS has received bird conservation training and has itself trained local
community members in site-based conservation including action plans for the species. An
awareness raising campaign has been implemented and field research and monitoring carried
out. These conservation gains are now threatened by a potentially catastrophic development
which requires an urgent response.
Call for action
BirdLife International is seriously concerned that if the request for cutting in the park is granted,
it could threaten the integrity of this globally important Obô Natural Park and will likely drive
the critically endangered species to extinction. This would be a great loss to Sao Tome, as the
Park is an important resource for driving socio-economic development at national and local
levels. Furthermore, such a move would be contrary to the obligations under the Convention on
Biodiversity, which Sao Tome & Principe ratified on 29 September 1999.
The Park is also a reservoir for ecosystem services such as water and carbon sequestration,
which if managed appropriately can provide abundant and sustained benefits to meet the needs
of the poor in São Tomé.
We therefore call on the government of Sao Tome to institute appropriate measures by
temporarily halting the land clearance activities by Agripalma. Clearing stoppage should be
effected in areas surrounding within Obô Natural Park and the surrounding buffer zone until
measures are in place which will guarantee the Park’s integrity and to find a permanent
solution for addressing the issues of concern are addressed.