Securing the large mammal population of the Mbam and Djerem National Park, Cameroon

The purpose of this project is to support a conservation effort in Mbam and Djerem National Park in Cameroon by consolidating and increasing protection measures in and around the park so that illegal activities are reduced, the negative impacts of road construction on the park are minimized, and the population status and distribution of large mammals is assessed to facilitate adaptive management.

This project is intended to conserve forest elephants, chimpanzees, giant pangolins and other species by addressing the impacts of increasing threats from the bushmeat trade, ivory poaching, and pressures from infrastructure development, extractive industries and rapid human population growth.

Specific activities include: (1) reviewing and updating law enforcement strategy to address new and emerging challenges and threats; (2) conducting regular and spatially distributed law enforcement patrols following the Spatial Monitoring and Resource Tool (SMART) protocol; (3) undertaking aerial surveillance patrols to support ground patrols; (4) providing adequate material and logistics to ground and aerial patrols; (5) engaging with road developers to encourage adoption of best practices to reduce negative impacts on wildlife and the environment; (6) designing and implementing a targeted awareness and environmental education program to encourage attitude changes amongst construction workers and other immigrant groups; (7) developing the survey design for assessing population status and distribution of large mammals; (8) collecting and entering field data; and (9) conducting data analyses and writing a report with management recommendations on the abundance and distribution of elephants and other wildlife and the location and intensity of human activities.