Tackling bushmeat in the Dja

Living Earth and its Cameroonian partner organisation, Fondation Camerounaise de la Terre Vivante (FCTV), sought to tackle the thriving illegal bush meat trade in the Dja with its ‘Community – Game Guard shared management of anti-poaching measures in the Western periphery of the Dja Reserve’ Project.

Project Background

The settlements of Mekas, Mekin, Nkoldja, Evindissi were identified as beneficiaries of the project due to their relevance to the bushmeat trade; sites of entry into the reserve by poachers and their possession of large markets for the meat.

Project Aim

The project worked with 4 communities in the West of the Dja Reserve, tackling the bushmeat trade through a collaborative approach. Working with forest game guards and local community members, the project created collaborative anti-poaching committees and supported local communities to develop alternative sources of income. The committees were trained in forest monitoring techniques such as the mapping of hunting zones, development of early warning systems and the recording of seized bushmeat.  Public auctions were organized for the sale of the seized bushmeat with the proceeds used by communities to implement development initiatives addressing social and economic needs.

Project Activities

• Completing a baseline survey to establish the initial conditions of community organisation and stakeholders.
• Focus group discussions with residents of the villages thought to be the likely entry points for poachers into the reserve.
• Awareness-raising meetings regarding the need for game guard-community collaboration and shared management
• Creation of anti-poaching committees; ‘co-management platforms’ managed jointly by game guards and the communities
• Implementation and follow up of monitoring mechanisms developed by the committees

Key Results

• Anti-poaching committees established in four communities around the West of the Dja Biosphere Reserve.  These committees have between seven and thirteen members and a Government Game Guard is assigned to each committee.
• Each committee received training on information on poaching and wildlife laws in Cameroon; raising awareness within their communities; techniques to monitor poaching activities; conflict management and constructive dialogue.
• There is regular contact between these committees and the Game Guards both through visits and through use of mobile telephones (FCTV provided each committee with a telephone and an mobile antenna for use in areas where there is no existing network coverage).
• Participatory maps designating key poaching areas (entrance points, markets etc) were created with three of the communities and these are used by the committee and the Game Guards in their monitoring work.
• As a result of the early warning systems established by the committees, Game Guards have carried out five anti-poaching missions seizing a significant amount of bushmeat including pieces of endangered species such as chimpanzees.
• There is a now a clear mechanism in place in these communities enabling local people to play an active role in wildlife management, working in partnership with Game Guards to protect their forest resources.

Funding

This is a pilot project which FCTV anticipates up scaling and is funded by the Central African Regional Program for the Environment.