- A new survey finds that populations of forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees have remained relatively stable in a large landscape in southeastern Cameroon.
- In some cases, populations actually rose significantly in the region’s protected areas, but declined on the outskirts.
- Officials attribute this “positive” trend to hard work and the implementation of a “permanent presence technique” to deter poaching by engaging more closely with local communities.
- However, they say more effort is still needed to combat poaching for tusks and the trafficking of great apes.
A survey has found populations of elephant, gorillas and chimpanzees in and around two national parks in southeastern Cameroon has remained relatively stable since 2016. Conservation officials have welcomed this “positive” trend but warn that various threats persist in the region.
The survey was conducted by WWF in collaboration with Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in Boumba Bek National Park, Nki National Park, and nearby logging concessions and communal forests, covering a total area of 1.08 million hectares (2.68 million acres). It found an estimated 1,004 forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and 19,472 great apes (gorillas and chimps).
The results further revealed that elephant density in the parks is 68% greater than in nearby logging concessions. However, the total elephant density in the parks still remains lower than in other protected areas in the Congo Basin.
Meanwhile, the population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Nki National Park tripled, and that of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) increased slightly in both parks.
“The situation is positive,” says Gilles Etoga, conservation director at WWF Cameroon. “The fauna potential of Boumba Bek and Nki continues to be present and representative of the fauna and the great mammals of the Cameroonian forest and is quite well distributed over the two parks and their peripheral areas.”
The region’s forest elephants were hit hard in the past. A previous survey, from 2015-2016, revealed a decline of more than 75% in the elephant population of Nki and Boumba Bek, which it attributed to poaching. The IUCN Red List categorizes forest elephants, which are distinct species from the larger and better-known savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), as critically endangered, largely due to poaching for their tusks.
Eco-guards from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, biologists from WWF, and community members used two methods to collect the data: line transects and camera trapping. Etoga says 129 camera-trap stations were installed in the two parks, 150 meters (about 500 feet) from the start of each transect and at intervals of 6-7 kilometers (3.7-4.3 miles).
“In the forest area, to physically count animals is difficult,” Etoga says. “What is counted are signs of presence — [dung] for elephants and nests for gorillas.” He adds it’s possible there may have been some double counting.
Boumba Bek and Nki are adjoining parks in southeastern Cameroon that were established in October 2005. Together, they make up the nation’s largest protected area, covering a total of 547,617 hectares (1.35 million acres). The region is home to Indigenous communities such as the Baka and Bantu, who are intricately linked to natural resources.
A fifth of Cameroon’s land area falls under some form of protected status, home to a rich biodiversity that includes 9,000 plant, 920 bird, 320 mammal, 260 amphibian, 297 reptile and 613 fish species. These protected areas comprise 22 national parks, six sanctuaries, 27 community-managed zones, 45 “synergetic interest” zones, and five reserves.
Poaching for tusks
The Boumba Bek and Nki area is also part of the Tri-National Dja–Odzala–Minkébé (TRIDOM) transborder forest, which spans 17.8 million hectares (44 million acres) across three countries: Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. It accounts for 10% of the Congo Basin rainforest and is home to many iconic and threatened species. In addition to gorillas, elephants and chimpanzees, there are also bushpigs (Potamochoerus larvatus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and leopards (Panthera pardus).
However, Etoga says the landscape is still subject to human pressures and threats, such as poaching for the bushmeat trade and trafficking in elephant tusks. The latter problem is exacerbated by the proliferation of firearms and extractive industries (logging and mining), which degrade the forest and ecosystem services, Etoga adds.
The survey found that hunting pressures increased across much of the study region from 2016 to 2023, with the exceptions of Nki and southwest of Boumba Bek. In other words, great ape and elephant populations rose significantly in the protected areas, but continued to face great pressure in other parts to the landscape, leading to an overall static population.
Eric Kaba, deputy director of Last Great Ape (LAGA), an environmental law enforcement organization, describes the eastern region of Cameroon as a wildlife trafficking hotspot, serving both as a source and transit area. Wildlife contraband is transported from other regions and countries to major trafficking spots in the major cities of Yaoundé and Douala and the northern regions, he says.
According to Kaba, ivory trafficking is one of the major threats to forest elephants.
“It is important to find ways of effectively combating ivory trafficking for conservation projects to impact elephant populations,” he says. “With apes, bushmeat and pet trafficking are major issues.”
Kaba adds enforcement is urgently needed. “Talking without acting is of little consequence [in the fight to save elephants]. Just fight[ing] corruption and put[ting] in place effective conservation methods that have been tried and tested elsewhere can produce results.”
In 2016, the U.S. implemented a near-total ban on the ivory trade, with other countries rolling out similar measures. That includes China, the top importer of ivory. Yet the illegal trade persists. Etoga says he hopes that if the international community can reduce the attractiveness of ivory, the price will fall, along with the pressure on elephants.
Conservation solutions in Boumba Bek and Nki
Officials attribute the steady numbers of elephants and great apes to conservation work.
“The inventory confirms the success of long-term conservation measures, such as a permanent presence system, protection of wildlife corridors, and engagement with local communities,” says Alain Ononino, country director of WWF Cameroon.
Etoga points to several recent conservation measures, “such as strengthening the commitment of local communities and other partners to conservation efforts, developing alternative income-generating activities, and building the capacity of conservation service staff in the landscape’s protected areas.”
To address the issue of insufficient resources and rangers to properly maintain the parks, officials have adopted what they call a “permanent presence technique” to safeguard significant wildlife hotspots from poaching.
“A team of eco-guards from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Indigenous Baka and Bantu community members, and WWF biologists work together, take turns to stay 15 to 18 days on missions in major wildlife hotspots, dissuading poachers from attacking wildlife, and collecting important biomonitoring data,” Etoga says. “In addition, community surveillance teams collaborate with the parks to safeguard animal routes.”
Collaboration and advocacy by conservation organizations and key government ministries are also helping to check extractive activities in Cameroon’s sector of the TRIDOM landscape, he adds.
According to George K. Azangue a forestry expert and conservator of Boumba Bek National Park, the survey will serve as a sustainable management tool in the short and long terms. He says future actions will focus on addressing human-wildlife conflicts and engaging the population, thereby reducing illegal activities, including regular sensitization of communities on human-wildlife coexistence, involvement of community members in park activities, promotion of income-generating activities such as durable agriculture, nontimber product value chains, and community forestry.
This is echoed by WWF’s Ononino: “Future actions will focus on monitoring wildlife populations, addressing human-wildlife conflicts, and reducing the impact of illegal wildlife trade and extractive industries on the ecosystem.”
Banner image: Elephant density in some parks in Cameroon has increased sharply. Image courtesy by WWF.
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