A Decade of Discovery: Scientific Research on West African Chimpanzees Revives a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ten years of dedicated scientific research in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in southeastern Senegal has helped transform the narrative surrounding one of West Africa’s most ecologically rich—but once imperiled—landscapes. At the center of this story is the West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), a critically endangered subspecies of our closest living evolutionary relative.

Since 2015, Dr. Stacy Lindshield of Purdue University and Dr. Papa Ibnou Ndiaye of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar have led a long-term research initiative that has produced groundbreaking data on chimpanzees and their coexisting species in the park. Their work, which began in the park’s peripheral regions in 2013, has reshaped global understanding of the Niokolo-Koba ecosystem—and has directly contributed to a historic conservation victory.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 for its unparalleled biodiversity, Niokolo-Koba was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger in 2007. The park faced significant threats from invasive species, unsustainable resource exploitation, and a striking lack of scientific data on its wildlife. The absence of concrete research had led many to mistakenly assume that the park was devoid of substantial animal populations.

That assumption was challenged in 2019 when Drs. Lindshield and Ndiaye published the first peer-reviewed findings from their fieldwork in the park. These findings not only confirmed the presence of chimpanzees, but also documented a range of other key mammals such as leopards, West African lions, spotted hyenas, green monkeys, and Guinea baboons. Subsequent research by Sylla et al. (2022), Chen et al. (2023), and multiple studies by both Lindshield and Ndiaye in 2024 expanded this data, identifying thriving populations of the Derby eland, African wild dog, and other vulnerable species.

This influx of robust, peer-reviewed scientific evidence has since galvanized further conservation initiatives and inspired additional research efforts. It also gave the Senegalese government the momentum needed to advocate for Niokolo-Koba’s removal from UNESCO’s “In Danger” list.

In 2024, at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, UNESCO formally recognized these efforts. Niokolo-Koba National Park was officially removed from the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger—an extraordinary milestone made possible through collaborative, interdisciplinary science.

This success story is a powerful reminder of how long-term academic research and international collaboration can drive real-world environmental policy and restoration. It is also a point of pride for the College of Liberal Arts, where faculty like Dr. Lindshield continue to champion the intersection of science, conservation, and global impact.