LOCATION: Dja Faunal Reserve, Yaounde
TARGET SPECIES: Chimpanzees, Western Lowland Gorilla
STATUS: In progress
The Dja Faunal Reserve is located in Southeastern, Cameroon. Cameroon introduced community forestry in 1994 as a means of improving community engagement in forest management, enhancing forest conservation and reducing poverty for forest-dependent people.
However, limited capacity and lack of government support are major constraints to community forestry. The Dja Faunal Reserve, a large, protected rainforest, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with prime habitat for many large mammals including elephants, chimpanzees, leopards, mandrills and lowland gorillas. It’s also home to the Baka pygmies, an indigenous group of hunter-gatherers who have maintained the balance of the tropical forest ecosystems for thousands of years.
Community Conservation Inc. is helping our Cameroon partners, Community-Based Biosynergy Management (CBBM) to hold a conservation “consultation workshop” for local stakeholders and community representatives. We’ve had success in the past with this approach, for example in our project in Peru. The workshop gauges local interest, gathers input, reviews options and invites local people/groups to work together.
The goal is to bring together Community Forestry User Groups (CFUGs), representatives of nonprofits working on community forestry, government representatives and representatives of Indigenous Baka communities.
