Cross River Gorilla Conservation Project
Background
The Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla dehli) is the most critically endangered of all African primates - there are just 300 remaining in the wild, spread across 11 fragmented localities within the Cameroonian and Nigerian border region. The species is one of the world’s 25 most endangered wildlife species facing risk of global extinction. This is due mainly to human activities - habitat fragmentation, poaching, forest conversion to farmlands and general ignorance of forestry and wildlife legislation amongst local communities.
Cross River gorilla research in Cameroon began in 1996 in the Takamanda Forest Complex before expanding into the Lebialem forests. The research in the latter area led to the discovery of a new sub-population in 2004 in the Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali Forest (Lebialem Highlands). With support from FFI and the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, gorilla exploratory surveys were launched in January that year and the presence of gorillas confirmed in March 2004 with technical support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The Project
The main goal of this project is to conserve the Cross River gorillas through the permanent protection of their habitats and implementation of a participatory biodiversity management model. The project is entirely located on traditional unprotected lands, which raises enormous challenges for the project. Working with logging companies to help conserve gorillas located within their concessions and relocating people who farm inside the gorilla habitats and provide them with acceptable and viable alternative economic activities, are just a couple of examples. The project also conducts education activities in schools and in communities through lectures and videos of gorilla conservation efforts in Cameroon and other countries.
Tusk Trust Support
Tusk’s support enabled the project to acquire a 4WD cabin truck, allowing the project to rapidly expand its area of fieldwork and start investigations into the hitherto unexplored forest corridor between the two forests. This has resulted in the discovery of four new potential gorilla locations and the mapping of a migratory route linking the Lebialem gorillas with those of Takamanda Forest Complex. The status of the gorillas in this area is now being studied through the use of biological and socio-economic methods and is a very positive step forward in the conservation of this highly endangered species.
Comments from the field
“Thanks to Tusk's support we are able to reach where we could not or had much difficulties in going with the arrival of the project truck. In this respect we are now covering a much more bigger area than before and most importantly regularly. We are also in other words reducing the very high transport costs we used to incur due to bad roads”
Louis Nkemanteh, Project Coordinator
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