ERuDeF Targets another Conservation Corridor to protect African Forest Elephants and Great Apes Species
ERuDeF remains the pioneer non-profit Civil Society Organization in Cameroon to have facilitated the creation a protected area in the Lebialem Highlands, thanks to funds from its partner Rainforest Trust. This Highlands now has a series of conservation projects earmarked by ERuDeF since the beginning of 2017.
ERuDeF is taking the challenge in creating another longer conservation corridor called the Banyang Mbo-Njoagwi Fotabong III Essoh –Ettah- Santchou Corridor. The immense pressure exerted by local communities around the stretch of three key protected in the Lebialem Highlands has prompted the organization to initiate a conservation for the creation and collaborative management of this Corridor. The Corridor will be created by working with local communities along this stretch of protected areas, by creating three community forests and developing its simple management plans.
The project seeks to provide a safe linkage whereby African forest elephant, Cross River Gorillas, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee and other lager mammals can migrate and move within these three protected areas with limited poaching and killing from local hunters. The objective is to create a corridor such that it should act as a genetic connectivity linking species of these areas together therefore reducing inbreeding between them.
ERuDeF has designed the project program and is now soliciting funds for the creation and management in close collaboration with communities .These funds will help implement activities that provide more information about species movement pattern, along the corridor and part for the development of economic livelihoods options in target communities. We will extensive support a technical operation unit created by the government of Cameroon called the Bayang Mbo-Bakossi-Lebialem.
