Elephant Population Increases In Mt. Cameroon National Park

Recent statistics have shown that there are currently between 200 and 300 elephants living in the vast Mt. Cameroon National Park in the South West Region. The increase is said to be the outcome of the creation of the national park, which has also led to an increase in the number of other wildlife and flora species.

By Anu Nkeze Paul

According to statistics from forestry and wildlife officials in the South West Region, the park currently hosts 2.300 species of plants from 800 generations and 210 families.

Of this number, 42 species are three genera; strictly endemic in the area. There are also 86 reptilians, 70 species of butterflies, 400 species of birds hosting 20 of 28 restricted ranged species; including two strictly endemic species.

It was also observed that two mineral water companies have their catchments on the mountain wherein they extract water, treat, bottle and sell within and without Cameroon.

The authorities of the national park are working out a new management strategy to ensure that the elephants stay within the park’s limits in order to stop them for destroying farms in the surrounding localities.

The Conservator of the Mt. Cameroon National Park, Besong Simon Besem, said it is a huge challenge to control the systematic rise of the elephant population within the park, considering that the park is bordered by private farmlands.

Besong said the increase in the elephant population is because of improvement in conservation efforts and financial support from concerned stakeholders and international partners like GIZ, WWF, and the World Bank.

“With the pioneer management plan of the Mt. Cameroon National Park, we are convinced the situation will be brought under proper control,” said the Conservator.

According to him, poaching of elephants and other wildlife species has drastically dropped within the past few years.

Park officials are optimistic that the increase in the number of elephants will boost eco-tourism and raise income for the state as well as ensure employment for the locals.

Following the new management plan of the Mt. Cameroon National Park, which was presented during a national workshop on October 29, 2014 in Mvog-Betsi Zoo-Botanic Garden in Yaounde, conservators will henceforth engage in financial administration, park protection and surveillance, collaborative management and local development, eco-tourism development, resources and monitoring and sustainable finance.

Addressing participants on behalf of the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), the Secretary General, Koulagna Koutou Denis, said the Mt. Cameroon National Park brings to 17 the number of conservation parks in the country.

The Secretary General said since its creation, the park has benefited from MINFOF’s programme for the sustainable management of natural resources (PSMNR), GIZ PROSPSFE project, World Bank-sponsored PCFC project, KfW co-sponsored program for the sustainable management of natural resources in the South West Region.

He also praised the PCFC project for the role it has played in promoting the development of ecotourism in Mt. Cameroon National Park, which activities motivated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry Tourism and Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife on August 12, 2014.

According to Koulagna, the management plan of the Mt. Cameroon National Park was drafted in conformity with national and international legislations governing parks.

The Mt. Cameroon National Park was created through Prime Ministerial decree No. 2009/2272/PM of 18 December 2009.

It has a surface area of 58,178 hectares and is located between 4.055-4.378 N and 9.031-9.294 E.

The volcanic mountain park is bordered by 41 villages with a total human population of about 100.000.

The biodiversity richness of the park puts it among one of the biodiversity hot spots in the country.