U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Cameroon Investing in wildlife security, community engagement and applied research to conserve Cameroon’s endangered wildlife.

Located in Western Central Africa, Cameroon shares borders with Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Chad, in addition to a 250 mile coastline along the Bight of Biafra. Since the independence of part of the country from France in 1960 and the rest from the United Kingdom in 1961, Cameroon has been relatively stable, which has benefited economic and infrastructure development. Cameroon’s 23.1 million inhabitants represent a wide range of ethnic groups Cross River gorilla habitat in Cameroon. and languages. More than 50% of the Credit: Aaron Nichols/Wildlife Conservation Society. population live in urban areas. Current threats to Biodiversity in access for traders. Unsustainable Cameroon has 13 national parks Cameroon demand for bushmeat is fueled by representing a multitude of different urban consumers, who associate climates and landscapes. Northern Elephant poaching bushmeat with status and culture. Cameroon’s sahelian savannas are in Poaching for ivory is the greatest stark contrast to the humid, tropical threat to the survival of elephants Extractive industries rainforests of its south. Cameroon in Cameroon. Across Central Extractive industries – including is often called “Africa in miniature” Africa, poaching is increasing due logging, mining, and oil exploration – because of the diversity of landscapes, to the quality of the ivory of forest threaten Cameroon’s wildlife directly including coastal areas, mountains, elephants; the ability of poachers by destroying or degrading habitat, and and deserts in addition to savanna and to remain undetected in their dense indirectly by providing road access to rainforest. forest habitats; and the lack of law poachers, and by attracting new human enforcement coupled with corruption. settlements. The indirect impact of Cameroon’s beautiful and varied In early 2012, approximately 30-40 extractive industries in Central African landscapes are home to more than 900 poachers on horseback rode into Bouba forests represents a serious threat to bird and 300 mammal species. More Ndjida National Park in northeastern wildlife. than 630 of Cameroon’s species are Cameroon, near the Chadian border, listed as threatened on the IUCN Red and slaughtered up to 600 elephants List, of which 183 are Endangered and (including juveniles) for their ivory. 115 Critically Endangered. Cameroon is home to four subspecies of great Commercial bushmeat trade apes: Cross River gorillas, central Commercial bushmeat hunting is the chimpanzees, Nigeria-Cameroon over-hunting of wildlife for their meat chimpanzees, and western lowland and income. Unsustainable hunting gorillas. Other species of global represents the single greatest threat conservation concern include forest and to the majority of wildlife species in savanna elephants, Preuss’s monkey, Central Africa. Bushmeat hunting and the African golden cat. Scientists is particularly problematic around estimate that fewer than 15,000 forest logging concessions and other work elephants exist in Cameroon and only camps, where new roads provide Cross River gorilla skulls confiscated a small number of them occur inside hunters access into previously remote from poachers. Credit: Aaron Nichols/Wildlife protected areas. forests and also facilitate market Conservation Society Since 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has invested in 45 grants, totaling nearly $5.1 million which has been leveraged by more than $5.6 million in matching funds.

Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) Sanctuary, and the deployment of In 2003, the Last Great Ape ‘gorilla guardians’ or local villagers Organization (LAGA) developed an who collect data and conduct outreach. unprecedented approach to wildlife In 2013, an awareness-raising radio law enforcement in Cameroon with theater program was also broadcast to USFWS support. Bridging civil society hundreds of villages across the Cross activism with government enforcement River gorilla’s range to reinforce the capacity, LAGA demonstrates great importance of gorilla conservation. success in investigations, arrest operations, legal follow-up, and Ecole de Faune de Garoua (EFG) outreach to deter wildlife crimes and The Wildlife College of Garoua (EFG) corruption. LAGA’s approach helped was established in northern Cameroon Staff and supporters of Kagwene Gorilla Cameroon move from a baseline of in 1970 to provide training in wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon. zero wildlife prosecutions to the arrest management for francophone Africans. Credit: Aaron Nichols/Wildlife Conservation Society of one major illegal wildlife dealer Since 1970, EFG has trained over 1,300 per week from 2006 onwards. Wide students from 24 countries. To date, media coverage raises awareness EFG remains the only regional wildlife of the highest levels of mammalian of the illegality of the trade and the college serving francophone Africa. biodiversity in Cameroon. Since seriousness with which the government In 2011, through a 3-year cooperative 2007, USFWS has supported WCS to is addressing wildlife crimes. The agreement, USFWS awarded $220,000 improve conservation in Mbam Djerem LAGA model is now being replicated to EFG for 11 graduate student by engaging the local community, in six countries in Central and West scholarships, and for a competitive enhancing law enforcement efforts to Africa, coordinated through the faculty development program to raise combat illegal poaching and bushmeat “Eagle” (Eco Activists for Governance the training capacity of the college. hunting, and building the capacity and Law Enforcement) Network based of park staff. USFWS has awarded in Yaounde. LAGA has received seven $187,013, which has been leveraged Sangha Trinational (TNS) with $133,437 in matching funds. prestigious international awards. The Sangha Trinational, or Tri- Since 2005, USFWS funding to LAGA National de la Sangha (TNS), one of has totalled $669,416, leveraged by the world’s largest blocks of pristine Waza (Human-Elephant Co-Existence) USFWS, through support to Des $977,483 in additional matching funds. tropical lowland forest, represents Elephants et Des Hommes, helps to the first three-country transboundary mitigate human-elephant conflict in Cross River Gorilla area to become a World Heritage Site. northern Cameroon in and around With less than 300 individuals in 11 TNS encompasses three contiguous Waza National Park. This project sites in Nigeria and Cameroon, the national parks - Lobéké in Cameroon, was started in 2012 with an award Cross River gorilla represents the Nouabalé-Ndoki in the Republic of of $48,000 by USFWS. In addition most endangered subspecies of gorilla. Congo, and Dzanga-Ndoki in the to implementing an environmental In 2010, USFWS signed its first Central African Republic. Within education program called “My species-focused cooperative agreement TNS, USFWS has supported various Elephant Neighbor”, which conducts in Africa for the proactive conservation activities through 78 grants, totaling surveys of human-elephant conflict, of this critically endangered more than $6.8 million and leveraging the project develops capacity of subspecies. In collaboration with more than $7.6 million. In 2013, Waza National Park staff to enhance the Wildlife Conservation Society USFWS signed a 5-year, $10 million protection of elephants in the park. (WCS), USFWS funding will total cooperative agreement with the African $1.3 million by the end of the five year Parks Network (APN), WCS, and the agreement. In close collaboration World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to further with the governments of Nigeria and strengthen the ecological integrity and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Cameroon, the agreement has led to connectivity in and around TNS. International Affairs the development of a threat monitoring Division of International Conservation framework to guide wildlife security Mbam Djerem National Park 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA efforts and conservation investment Mbam Djerem National Park, located Falls Church, VA 22041 across the Cross River gorilla’s range. in the center of Cameroon, marks 703-358-1754 In addition, the agreement supported the transition zone between savanna 703-358-2115/fax the establishment and continued and forest landscapes. It contains one [email protected] running of the Kagwene Gorilla http://www.fws.gov/international USFWS Support to Cameroon FY2006-FY2013 twitter.com/USFWSInternatl Facebook: USFWSinternationalaffairs Grants Awarded 45 Amount Awarded $5,090,872 September 2014 Amount Leveraged $5,632,715 Total $10,723,587