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About us

The Moyen-Bafing Chimpanzee Project, established in 2022, is focused on understanding the life history, behaviour, cognition, and ecology of this unique population and promoting the conservation of chimpanzees across Africa. The project is led by co-directors: Dr Catherine Hobaiter, Dr Liran Samuni, and Dr Erin Wessling.

The Moyen-Bafing chimpanzee population offers a rare opportunity to expand our knowledge of chimpanzees living in a savanna, an understudied environment thought to be crucial in hominin evolution.  In comparison to forest habitats, the challenging and seasonal savanna conditions are thought to elicit additional pressures on chimpanzees, facilitating the emergence of behaviours unique to this environment and promoting behavioural diversity. Beyond the scientific value of studying this unique population, by better understanding the Moyen-Bafing chimpanzees we are better positioned to engage urgently needed local and international conservation action.

To address questions about Moyen-Bafing chimpanzees and their wider savannah ecosystem we work in partnership with researchers from around the world, with local communities, and with Guinean and international governmental organisations.

Where is Moyen-Bafing?

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.