Mitigating the impact of the Anglophone crisis on critically endangered Cross River gorilla populations in South West Cameroon
While thousands of people have left the area to nearby urban centres, an estimated 20,000 people stay inside protected areas and other forest enclaves within the Lebialem Highlands. They pose a threat to endangered species in this biodiversity hotspot. Only 200-250 Cross River gorillas remain, of which approx. 120 live in the South West Province. Our project will mitigate the impact of the Anglophone crisis on critically endangered Cross River gorilla populations in South West Cameroon by developing Management Plans for key Cross River Gorilla sites in Lebialem Highlands Landscape (Tofala-Mone Corridor, Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Njoagwi- Fotabong III-Essoh-Attah Wildlife Sanctuary, and Banyang Mbo Sanchou Corridor), supporting (re)settlement of refugees and develop sustainable livelihood activities to reduce their decency on forest resources.
Activity 1.1.
- Training and capacity building of community scouts on advanced methods and tools for bio-monitoring including Forest Watcher, SMART, Cyber Tracker, Camera Traps and GPS in the target landscape.
- Conduct biological and socio-economic surveys in the Lebialem Highlands focusing on refugee communities.
Activity 1.2.
- Mapping deforestation and other conservation threats in the Lebialem Highlands.
- Make maps of deforestation and other threats available for international conservation partners and donors to develop effective and sustainable interventions.
Activity 2.1.
- Development of Management Plans for the Tofala-Mone Corridor Community Forests through participatory community-led activities.
- Preparation and submission of the final management convention.
- Elaborate and deposit the management plans at the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife for approval and signing of the final management convention.
- Follow up the approval and signing of the final management convention.
Activity 2.2.
- Hold village-to-village sensitization meetings in each of communities of displaced refugees to educate them on the importance, and their role in the sustainable management, of forest resources and endangered species.
- Work with the refugees and resident communities to find long-term solutions for relocation (where possible and desired), proper housing and new livelihood opportunities that are not harmful to great apes habitat.
