Oil Palm Use Among the People and Wild Chimpanzes of Bossou, Guinea, West Africa

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originated in West Africa and occurs widely across large expanses of landscape, as well as more widely across Central and Eastern Africa. In Guinea, West Africa, the oil palm can be found commonly across vast mosaics of fallow areas, cultivated fields, riverine areas, forest fragments and around human settlements. Where it occurs, this palm species appears to act as a keystone resource for both people and chimpanzees; chimpanzee communities across West Africa may use the oil palm for nesting and/or for feeding purposes, while it provides people with numerous products of immense domestic and commercial value. One particular well known example of such sympatry where resource sharing of the oil palm has been well documented is the long term chimpanzee field site of Bossou in Southeastern Guinea. In this study, we surveyed regularly over the course of a period of 2 years, 200 oil palms located at the forest edge in the core area of the Bossou chimpanzee community. We recorded evidence of use among both people and chimpanzees to evaluate the impact on palm productivity and survival. Finally, we argue that people and chimpanzee in the locality effectively share this common resource and to date in cultural ways that favor co-existence.