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.”