Description
Cameroon’s Dja Biosphere Reserve is recognized
as a World Heritage Site for its exceptionally
diverse evergreen forest and globally important
biodiversity, including critically endangered African
forest elephants and western lowland gorillas.
The landscape faces severe pressures of forest
conversion, illegal logging, and poaching for
illegal wildlife trade.
In response, Wild Earth Allies (WEA) and African
Conservation and Development Foundation (ACDEF)
have developed a novel community-centered
approach to strengthen the management of the
reserve and enhance local livelihoods. The proposed
project will establish Community Conservation
Management Areas (CCMAs) covering 30,633
hectares in the northern buffer zone of the Dja
Biosphere Reserve, serving 13 forest-dwelling
villages including one Indigenous Ba’Aka.
The project will also establish joint Eco-guard and
Community Protection Monitoring teams, comprising
community members and park rangers. This approach
will leverage vital traditional knowledge of the
forest and strengthen community participation
in wildlife protection and monitoring.
Overall, the project places Indigenous peoples and
local communities at the heart of conservation
activities by integrating local voices and sustainable
livelihoods into reserve management. We are grateful
to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for
considering investment in this people-centered,
equitable model for forest conservation.
