Home
chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas and forest elephants, this UNESCO
world heritage is threatened by the bushmeat trade and illegal logging
This trek will be a week with a high conservation of great apes meeting in Yaounde, organized by the African Wildlife Foundation
This trek will be a week with a high conservation of great apes meeting in Yaounde, organized by the African Wildlife Foundation
Yaounde, Cameroon, April 25, of the West and Central African conservationists embark on a journey of a week through the Dja Wildlife Reserve in Cameroon to determine the levels of biodiversity and the Human activity in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 526,000-acre site is one of the most important rainforests and unspoilt Africa and supports populations of chimpanzees in Central Africa, western lowland gorillas, forest elephants and other wild animals. Surrounded by forest and mining concessions, settlements and agro-forestry areas, the reserve and its inhabitants are increasingly threatened by bushmeat hunting and illegal logging.
"Although a World Heritage site,
very little is known about what is at the center of the reserve," said
Jef Dupain, Technical Director for West and Central Africa for the
African Wildlife Foundation.
"This trek will help
to dispel some of the mystery in Dja and gain a better understanding of
how the reserve is accessible illegally used by people," says Dupain.
"Given the poaching pressures, we do not know the density of wildlife in
the reserve. We hear conflicting stories, some people say that there
are many forest elephants while others tell us that the number of
elephants has decreased significantly. Now we have the chance to see
with our own eyes. "
By its African Apes
Initiative, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) works with the
Conservation Service Dja reserve the managing authority, to improve the
ecological monitoring and enforcement in the protected area. Training
and technology focused on data provided by the AWF accelerated planning
patrols Dja, allowing rangers to maximize efficiency and effectiveness
in the field. Last year, the Rangers destroyed 200 hunting camps, 400
traps and confiscated 31 firearms, and arrested 35 poachers in the
eastern part of the reserve.
However, this probably
represents only a fraction of the overall problem of poaching for the
bushmeat and ivory continue to be confiscated by the Cameroonian
authorities.
According to Roger Bruno Tabue Mbonda
ecologist resident Dja, despite the threats, Dja is a living laboratory
that contains a variety of habitat types and some 300 plant species and
over 100 species of mammals.
"Because of poaching
and the destruction of natural habitat, some people today think that the
reserve is an empty shell," says Tab Mbonda. "But thanks to ecological
monitoring and anti-poaching supported technically and financially by
the AWF, the service has been able to demonstrate the presence of
several groups of gorillas, chimpanzees and elephants, which continue to
perpetuate the ecological processes in this block forest. »
Northbound trek is the first time that external conservationists will
cross the Dja Faunal Reserve. At the same time, a second team of rangers
and partners will undergo ecological monitoring training in the
northern part of the reserve using rugged laptops installed with the
CyberTracker software.
Great Apes Workshop
Before the trek of the reserve, protected areas, conservationists and representatives of Cameroon, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo will meet in Yaounde for a two-day workshop to facilitate partnership, communication and collaboration between large actors in the conservation of great apes. The workshop, funded by the Arcus Foundation, is the second workshop to summon the protected area authorities, guards, NGOs and apes sites of researchers in Central and West Africa, after a first workshop held last year in Kinshasa.
Before the trek of the reserve, protected areas, conservationists and representatives of Cameroon, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo will meet in Yaounde for a two-day workshop to facilitate partnership, communication and collaboration between large actors in the conservation of great apes. The workshop, funded by the Arcus Foundation, is the second workshop to summon the protected area authorities, guards, NGOs and apes sites of researchers in Central and West Africa, after a first workshop held last year in Kinshasa.
"The learning and experience sharing between sites is essential to
strengthen the conservation of the practice," said Annette Lanjouw, vice
president of strategic initiatives and program ape Arcus Foundation.
"What is also important, however, is the development of a community of
professionals, who know and trust each other and can ask for advice or
input and which can collaborate on common challenges of conservation.
These workshops and field visits to develop a community among African
environmentalists, and we believe it is essential for the future. »
Stressing the importance of the workshop in Cameroon, the Secretary
General of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife chair the two-day
event, accompanied by other officials, including the Director of the
Department of Wildlife and areas protected.
Editor's
Note: To arrange an interview with members of the trekking team Dja or
participants of the two-day workshop in Yaounde, please contact Muyang
Achah in Cameroon +237 677009060 or email MAchah @ awf.org
. You can also contact Kathleen Garrigan in the office AWF US at +202
939 3326 or Beatrice Karanja in the office AWF Kenya 254,735,632,811.
# # #
On the African Wildlife Foundation Founded in 1961, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is a leading conservation organizations focused only on the African continent. AWF's programs and conservation strategies are based on sound science and designed to protect both the wild lands and wildlife of Africa and ensure a more sustainable future for the peoples of Africa. Since its inception, AWF has protected endangered species and land, promotion of conservation enterprises that benefit local African communities, and trained hundreds of African nationals in conservation-all to ensure the survival of heritage unparalleled wildlife of Africa. AWF is a non-profit organization headquartered in Kenya and registered as a 501 (c) (3) in the United States. For more information, visit www.awf.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook toAWF_Official facebook.com/AfricanWildlifeFoundation .
African Apes Initiative
The African Apes Initiative (AAI) is a holistic program of conservation of great apes launched by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in 2013. The initiative first identifies the landscape with the ability to maintain populations of great apes viable in the long term Africa, then works with partners on the ground to study and protect species and surrounding ecosystems. The IAA is based on the financial strength of the AWF and decades of experience conservation of mountain gorillas and bonobos in their respective habitats.
On Arcus Foundation
Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, Arcus Foundation is a private donor institution dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with each other and the natural world. Arcus believes that respect for diversity between people and nature is essential for a positive future for our planet and all its inhabitants. The Foundation works worldwide and has offices in New York and Cambridge, UK.