12 Mar 2007 - WWF Central
Africa: You spent four days in the WWF Jengi
programme area. How did you find the place?
Richard Quest: I think it is the most extraordinary
thing I have seen for a very long time.
I am just amazed. First of all it takes
you hours to get there over these bumpy
roads that sort of almost shake up the bones
in your body. And then you get there and
the scenery is just breathtaking, absolutely
beautiful, unbelievable.
What brought you here?
We are making a programme about conservation,
saving planet Earth. It is about different
people in different organizations and different
ideas and, crucially, how all these affect
all different stakeholders. You have the
developed world, the indigenous population,
the animals and the forest itself.
What did you see?
We saw a gorilla, lots of birds, numerous
monkeys and elephants. One of the elephants
did charge at us.
And what did you do?
Well, it was a mock charge. Late at night
we set up a special camera which you could
see night scope. The elephant was chewing
and then all of a sudden it decided that
it did not like us. We ran in different
directions for our dear lives. It seemed
to have been angered by the fact that we
were disturbing its meal. Then all of a
sudden the elephant stopped some five feet
away from the camera. It looked frightened.
In the morning, while we were driving out
of Djembe, we saw a gorilla just sitting
on the road. We wished it had stayed longer,
we wished it had come on to the car and
waved at us and say, “hello I am Mr Gorilla”,
but it did not.
Did you have the opportunity to talk to
WWF people?
More importantly, maybe than the wildlife
itself, we got a chance to talk to WWF people.
We heard what the goals and the mission
of WWF were. From that, we got an understanding
of how difficult it is to address the various
competing interests. Perhaps that is the
most important thing I have learned. Your
regional director made it clear to me.
It is not an answer to say “we should stop
logging” because US$16 million worth of
revenue comes into Cameroon every year from
taxes paid by logging companies, and jobs
are given. It is also not an answer to tell
people “do not hunt” because the Bakas pygmies
hunt. You bring professional hunters in
but they will pay large sums of money, which
can then be used to build schoolrooms, provide
HIV/AIDS education.
I come away with an enormous respect for
WWF. I had always thought that WWF was concerned
with saving pandas and worried about the
zoos. But I am realising that you are at
the very core, whether it is collecting
data, assessing data, negotiating between
indigenous populations so that they agree
among themselves or setting up community
managed forests.
Did you have the opportunity to speak with
Baka pygmies?
We spoke to them as much as we could. We
heard what their concerns are. They believe
the forest is much difficult for them. They
do not like the fact that they cannot move
around as much as they used to.
There is a certain contradiction to what
they say. Some would say they are happy
to live near the roads, others would say
the forest is not big enough.
What came across is that whatever is happening
they are not very happy about it. Their
traditional way of life is being questioned
and ultimately being threatened, that is
one of the things WWF is working with.
What is happening here in Jengi is more
of economics as it is social and geo-political.
It is a conflict that exists between one
side versus the other and unfortunately,
who gets caught in it? You have the logging
companies with their money; you have the
Bakas who have very few political and economic
power. Then you have the animals with no
powers at all.
How did you get to choose Jengi as a place
to visit?
It was WWF that basically directed us on
what we are doing. We asked WWF to put together
a programme for us that will show the various
sites of conservation. WWF recommended sustainable
forest management, animals in the rainforest
and the indigenous population.
I do not know much about wildlife but I
know about making TV programmes. WWF has
been absolutely superb at basically saying
here is the programme, do with it what you
will. We are not going to spin this in one
way or the other. There will be no propaganda.
We would say turn right but if you want
to turn left, fine.
How was the reception you received from
WWF?
Magnificent.
What didn’t you like?
I cannot say there was anything I did not
like about the rainforest because it was
magnificent. Yes, there are too many mosquitoes
and lot of things that bump into the night.
What souvenirs are you taking home from
Cameroon?
I will like to take home some souvenirs
but I do not want a spear and a mask. I
do not know yet. Do you have some suggestions?
I think whenever you visit Africa there
is always a bit of Africa that goes home
with you?
* Peter Ngea is Communications Officer
at WWF's Central Africa Regional Programme
Office, based in Yaounde, Cameroon.
