Selective timber production is implemented over a large proportion of the world’s tropical forests. Within
these forest ecosystems, the frugivore community contributes important ecological services through
animal-mediated seed dispersal. However, there is no clear understanding of the impacts of logging on
wildlife or of the extent to which seed dispersal is preserved in logged forests. Given its tendency for nest-
ing in light gaps, the western lowland gorilla is likely to provide directed-dispersal services to a wide
range of tree species. Production forests preserved from poaching have been reported to harbor high den-
sities of gorillas, but the monitoring of gorilla populations subjected to logging is poorly documented.
This study investigated gorilla density and nesting behavior after timber exploitation in a logging conces-
sion in southeast Gabon. Nest count censuses were performed on line transects, before and after the sec-
ond felling cycle. Gorilla density dropped from 1.5 (116.7 nests km2
, 95% CI = 83.4–163.5) to 1.0 (64.9
nests km2
, % CI = 32.6–129.5) weaned gorilla km2 4–6 months after logging, then rose to 2.6 (176.3
nests km2
, 95% CI = 113.5–274.1) gorillas km2 9–11 months after logging. A consistent preference for
nesting in open canopy terra firma forest was observed during all censuses. This study demonstrates
the short-term resilience of the western lowland gorilla to selective timber harvesting, and argues that
they offer a continued contribution to directed-dispersal services within months after logging.
Although a long-term monitoring of gorillas in a logged forest should be undertaken, the role of this spe-
cies in logged forest recovery is thought to be important. The preservation of gorilla should receive par-
ticular consideration by forest managers.