La Voix de Lobéké
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A Monthly Newsletter Of WWF Southeast Cameroon (Jengi) Forest Programme May 2005 Edition
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Highlights Of This Issue:
· Logging company, Decolvenaere prepares for FSC pre-assessment mission
· 36 poachers convicted in Southeast Cameroon in less than 18 months
· Yokadouma police chief in elephant meaet scandal
· Gorilla attacks leave two seriously wounded
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Logging company, Decolvenaere prepares for FSC pre-assessment mission
An exhaustive internal evaluation of activities carried out by a local logging company, Groupe Decolvenaere Cameroun - was recently carried out by WWF Jengi Programmeproject. The company has a technical collaborative agreement with WWF Jengi project for technical assistance to achieve wood certification. The evaluation exercise was in preparation for FSC pre-audit mission with an accredited firm, Smartwood. The company has a technical collaborative agreement with WWF Jengi project for technical assistance to achieve wood certification.
One of Decolvenaere’s field signposts – the
company is now set for FSC pre-assessment
mission
According to WWF Jengi Programme’s Forest Officer, Alphonse Ngniado, results of the evaluation were generally positive. For example, remarkable improvements were noticed in the areas of reduced impact logging, wildlife and biodiversity protection in concessions. Significant progress was also recorded in other domains as wood processing, safety measures of workers and management of concessions with minimum environmental protection standards. . Other improvements included better mastery of forest exploitation inventory software and the recycling of heavy-duty machinery oil by trained field staffs.
. On the other hand, canteens and refrigerated meat store have been constructed and stocked. The beef is sold at relatively low prices as compared to most localities in the region. This has generated less dependence on bush meat by workers of the logging company... Presently, 6 cows are slaughtered each month for sale to employees and interested locals.
Meanwhile, WWF Jengi Programme project iis also doing a pre-assessment study to embark on similar initiative for forest certification with Italian-owned based logging company, SEFAC. SEFAC has about 400,000 hectares ha of logging concessions within surrounding forest of Lobeke. , It is hoped that the other logging companies will follow suit.
36 poachers convicted in Southeast Cameroon in less than 18 months
Thirty-six people were convicted in Southeast Cameroon for poaching and related activities between June 2003 and to December 2004. This was out of a total number of 78 indicted. Two were acquitted while the cases of 40 others are still pending. .
The sentences ranged from one month to 18 months; while the heaviest fine stood at 4.5 million Frs. CFA for illegal hunting and shooting of protected wildlife species. Charges preferred against most suspects included illegal hunting and possession of firearms, carcasses of protected wildlife species, illegal trapping of parrots, artisan mining and destruction of the environment. At least 75 per cent of those convicted were arrested in Lobeke.
Arrested poaching suspect (middle) – many of his like now
languish in jail
Nine firearms, 11 elephant tusks and large quantities of wire snares were seized from poachers during the period.
It would be recalled that increased collaboration between WWF, state conservation officials, security forces, partners, local people and the judiciary has over the years led to more and more poachers being arraigned.
In a related development, a total of five firearms have been seized from suspected poachers in Lobeke during theduring the first five months of 2005. Fourteen suspected poachers arrested in the area during the period have since been arraigned in Yokadouma Magistrate’s Court.
Yokadouma police chief in elephant meaet scandal
The recent scandal involving Yokadouma police chief who was arrested by game guards on March 17, 2005 with 40 pieces of smoked elephant meat recently took another dramatic twist with the police officer claiming his arrest was a gang up.
The police officer attempted to bribe game guards when he was caught arraigned red-handed with bush meat in his service vehicle. In a recent letter to the Prefet of Boumba Ngoko, the police boss claimed his arrest was a cooked affair instigated by some state agents who are widely known to be also involved in such illegal business.. The police chief has been interrogated by local judiciary authorities and La Voix de Lobeke will keep readers updated on this.
The 40 pieces of smoked elephant meat seized from embattled Yokadouma police boss
Also linked to the affair is then assistant game warden of Boumba Bek who allegedly recycled the bush meat to the police boss in what was termed an auction sale. The assi
Late last year, a very senior police official , was arrested by game guards and gendarmes in Mindourou area. He was caught in possession of poached gorilla meat and a firearm. He has since been suspended for three months by national police chief.
Gorilla attacks leave two seriously wounded
Two people recently sustained serious injuries after being pounced on by gorillas – in two separate incidents. The first incident took place in Zoulabot Ancien village adjacent Boumba Bek, in the South East of Cameroon. A Baka pygmy ,pygmy, by name Liko Dieudonné, suffered severe injuries on his thigh and two tibias. Liko claims the attack took place in his banana farm – not far from his home. Only the timely arrival of his brother reportedly saved his life.
Informed of the situation, WWF’s Senior Field Assistant for Boumba Bek, Jean Paul Mahop, rushed the hapless man to a neighbouring clinic where he has since been receiving treatment. WWF has also been taking charge of the cost of hospitalisation and feeding. Though he is responding to treatment, a ligament of the left tibia was completely destroyed in the attack – with the strong possibility that Liko might never be able toable to walk normally.
The second incident happened in northern Nki. A poacher reportedly shot a gorilla. As he approached the fallen animal to finish it off with his machete, it suddenly jumped up and pounced on him. The marauding animal reportedly maimed the poacher. Transported back home to the little town of Ngoyla, the man refused going to hospital for fear that he might be arrested for poaching. All efforts by WWF’s Park Assistant for Nki, Kuoub Begne Serge to locate him have since proved fruitless.
Joint Southeast conservation team sensitizes Messok people in Nki area on poaching
A joint team of WWF and Southeast conservation partners recently embarked on a 7-day sensitization mission in Messok area – located in Nki. The aim of the mission was to educate employees of a local logging company, Ingénierie Forestière and local people on the fight against poaching and bush meat trade. .
The mission was prompted by incessant cases of poaching by local people and employees of this company... This followed the signing of a partnership agreement in 2004 between Ingénierie Forestière and WWF Jengi Programme. Already, wildlife inventories have been carried out by Jengi project in some of Ingénierie Forestière’s concessions. The sensitization trip to Messok area was a follow up to the partnership agreement.
At the end of the mission,s both sides agreed to organize large-scale anti-poaching patrols in Ingénierie Forestière’s concessions soon.
News Briefs:
Surge in numbers of gorillas noticed in PK 27 area of Lobeke
An increasing number of gorillas has of late been visiting the Mambele-PK 27 axis of Lobeke. According to WWF’s Park Assistant for Lobeke, Expedit Fouda,. the frequency regularity aand numbers of gorillas involved is so much that game guards stationed at PK 27 road junction find it difficult going to fetch water from nearby forest.
The surge in numbers of gorillas now visiting PK 27 area can also be attributed to the eviction by state wildlife authorities in 2003 of people who had illegally settlers who had taken up residence right inside the park. The absence of large human presence and consequent threat to the safety of these animals has encouraged them to come back in their numbers.
Also in Mambele village – some 70 km north of PKof PK 27 road junction – complaints by local farmers of destruction of their crops by gorillas have of late been on the increase. Many gorillas have been sighted in the area of late.
According to Fouda,
Large numbers of rare species parrots found in southern Nki
A large number of rare species green parrots were recently found in the Mumisakoti forest clearing in southern portion of Nki. According to WWF’s Senior Field Assistant for the area, Ngwanye Vincent Anong, the newly discovered clearing to date has the largest number of green parrots in southern Nki. Green parrots are a rare species in Southeast Cameroon.
WWF Jengi organises refresher training for game guards
WWF Jengi Programme has in the past weeks organised refresher course for present team of game guards... The training – the first ever since the guards were recruited and trained some years back – was carried out by a consultant, Ephraim Ebong Alobwede. It was aimed at keeping the guards abreast of latest developments in wildlife management. Alobwede had in the past served as game guard for WWF in Korup National Park in Southwest Cameroon.
Elephants create more saltlicks in Nki
Elephants in southern portion of Nki have of late been digging up more saltlicks around the Bayapekeh forest clearing. This, according to WWF’s Anong Vincent Ngwanye, has tended to divert wildlife away from the main clearing. It is thought taught that the soil in the area is very rich in minerals – the reason why elephants keep digging up new salt licks.
WWF staff discusses ways of curbing poaching in Southern Nki with Congolese official
Senior Field Assistant for the southern portion of Nki, Anong Vincent Ngwanye recently held talks with the Congolese administrator for Ngbala on ways of curbing cross border poaching. The discussions took place in the Cameroonian border town of Moloundou where the Congolese administrator had come to celebrate Cameroon’s national festivities... There are always reports on cross border poaching and bush meat trade in Moloundou Ssub division
Ecological monitoring continues in southern Nki
Ecological monitoring that began for the very first time in southern portion of Nki ion January 17, 2005 has so far been reported to be going on hitch-free. . The clearing in use, Bayapekeh, is however located on the outskirts of the park – in a community hunting zone. The first set of animals to observed in the clearings are Colobus monkeys and Sitatungas.
In a related development, boundaries of the southern portion of the park will soon be demarcated. . The boundary demarcation will reduce conflicts between local stakeholders and parks authorities.
UTO Southeast Cameroon staff bid farewell to outgoing GTZ boss
Workers of UTO Southeast Cameroon -- (the umbrella coordination body – comprising WWF, GTZ and government services on April 24, 2005 bade farewell to outgoing GTZ regional boss, Matthias Heinz.
It would be recalled that Matthias spent 9 years in sSoutheast Cameroon with for GTZ. He was very instrumental in most conservation achievements recorded in the area over the years. He moves on to Dzanghha Sangha National Park in neighbouring Central African Republic as Senior Technical Adviser and head of GTZ’s project in that country.
German-born Matthias Heinz has been replaced in Southeast Cameroon by Cameroonian-born Jean Paul Gwet.
Before his recent appointment, Gwet was Senior Technical Adviser in charge of Non-timber Forest Products at GTZ’s national headquarters in Yaounde. He has in the past served in the same capacity in sSoutheast Cameroon.
Number of buffaloes appearing in Likolo clearing increases dramatically
Over a period of three months, the number of buffaloes visiting s Likolo forest clearing of Boumba Bek hasBek has seen a dramatic increase. According to WWF’s Park Assistant for Boumba Bek, Lambert Bene Bene, the increase in animal observationse can be attributed to the sprouting of new plants and grasses (Graminae) highly solicited by browsers as buffaloes.
La Voix de Lobeke
Coordination: Dr Leonard Usongo
Editors: Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, Peter Ngea
Collaboration: Jean Paul Mahop, Byabot Jean-Paul, Alphonse Ngniado, Mboh Danjuma, Lambert Bene Bene, Serge Kuoub Begne, Expedit Fouda, Anong Vincent Ngwanye, Ephraim Ebong Alobwede, Charles Bassama
NB: Any correspondence or request for further information on any of the articles/or issues raised in this publication should be directed to: or pngeawwfcarpo.org