| 11/10/2005
- Yaoundé, Cameroon – Following the historic Brazzaville
Summit last Februray that saw Cameroon, Gabon, and the
Republic of Congo commit to protecting millions of hectares
of forests, the government of Cameroon has decreed the
creation of two new national parks.
Boumba Bek and Nki National Parks,
both located in southeast Cameroon, cover an area of more
than 600,000ha. They are home to a high degree of biodiversity,
including elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, forest antelopes,
Nile crocodiles and bongos, as well as 283 bird species
such as the rare Dja warbler, Nkulengu rail, and Bate’s
night jar. There are also 300 fish species found within
the parks' rivers, three of which are reported to be new
to science.
“By swiftly moving on with the official declaration of
these two areas as national parks the government of Cameroon
has now re-assured conservation organizations and the
donor community willing to support conservation initiatives,”
said Laurent Somé, regional representative of WWF's
Central African Regional Programme Office (CARPO).
"This is clearly one of the significant milestones
or legacies left behind in the field of conservation in
Cameroon by the late Steve Gartland, WWF Cameroon's pioneer
director who years before had worked so hard to achieve
this level of protection.”
The establishment of the national
parks is a result of a summit held by central Africa leaders
in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in February 2005. During
the summit, African Ministers signed the TRIDOM accord,
which set up the institutional framework to facilitate
implementation of a trans-boundary conservation programme
in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. The accord
is an institutional catalyst in support of a trans-frontier
conservation initiative in one the last remaining intact
forest areas in the Congo basin, which covers more than
147,000 sq km of forests or 7.5 per cent of the basin.
“The agreement will help Central African
countries cooperate across borders in protected areas
management, to tackle poaching and the illicit bushmeat
trade, as well as illegal logging," said Dr Claude
Martin, WWF International Director General.
“WWF has worked in the region for
more than two decades and we are committed to the Congo
Basin for the long term.” |
