Rain Forests and Gorillas in Cameroon and Nigeria

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) estimated that in 1990, 43.7% of Cameroon's surface was still covered by forests. However, satellite pictures showed as early as 1985 that rain forest cover was only 33.4%. In the 1980s, 0.5 to 1% of the forest area was destroyed annually. Slash-and-burn cultivation represents the greatest threat to the rain forests. Between 1975 and 1985, timber exploitation increased from 1.0 to 2.1 million m³ per year; in 1990 it reached 2.5 million m³. In addition, local people cut a lot of firewood. At the beginning of the 1980s, firewood accounted for 86% of wood consumption in Cameroon. It is estimated that 10 million m³ of firewood were brought to market in 1986 compared to 2.1 million m³ of roundwood (unprocessed logs).
Legal logging concessions comprise approximately 80,000 km², more than half of the usable forest area. On average, 2,720 km² were selectively logged every year from 1981 to 1985. Of this, 750 km² were subsequently cleared completely. This means that 96% of cleared areas lie within the areas utilised by logging companies.
Foreigners own 86% of the 150 issued logging permits. French companies control 70% of timber production. France cancelled half of Cameroon's debts under the provision that French companies would be favoured when logging concessions were allocated. So far there is no sustainable timber production and the ITTO does not think that sustainable timber production will be possible if Cameroon continues to export as much timber as it currently does. In the 1980s, annual timber exports ranged between 0.5 and 0.7 million m³. The government decided to compensate for decreased profits from the export of oil, coffee and cocoa through an increase in the export of timber. In 1991/92, timber accounted for 11.97% of all exports; this increased to 19.31% in 1993/94. 80% of exported timber is unprocessed roundwood. Up to 75% of timber is lost in the process of cutting and processing logs. The local population hardly profits from logging. Frequently, this is the cause for strong protests which are then suppressed by armed forces. Lately, a movement of eco-guerillas has arisen, who attack and burn timber lorries.
Local populations - Baka and Bantu - get cooking oil from the seed of the Moabi tree (Baillonella toxisperma). It is sold in the markets and used by many people. However, logging companies also cut Moabi timber and this species has already become scarce in some parts of Cameroon. Because of its significance to the local economy, Moabi's inclusion in Appendix II of CITES was requested some years ago, but without success.
Cameroon has seven national parks. Korup National Park, with an area of 1,259 km², is the only one located in rain forest. In addition, the forest is protected in several reserves: Campo (2,712 km²), Dja (5,260 km²), Douala-Edea (1,600 km²) and Lac Lobeke (430 km²). Gorillas occur in Campo and Dja, and some live in in the Takamanda Reserve (676 km²), but this reserve is not recognized by the IUCN. Logging is customary in many protected areas of Cameroon. For example, large areas of the Douala-Edea and the Campo Reserve have been destroyed through logging. A few years ago a concession for a part of Campo was extended by 25 years.
The largest protected area in Cameroon is Dja Reserve in the south of the country which contains dense rain forest. It is a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. However, human influence has already changed this area considerably, mainly in the north and east. In the border zone of the reserve, wood is cut; professional hunting takes place even in the interior of the protected area. The roads in the border zone of the reserve, which are being maintained by the logging companies, allow transportation of great quantities of bush meat to the towns. Bush meat is an important source of income. Gorillas are frequently hunted for their meat, and the infants are often sold. In addition, farmers kill gorillas as a potential threat to their crops.
According to an analysis using satellite photos, 4.2% of Nigeria was covered by tropical rain forest in 1989. In 1897, the rain forests in Nigeria were estimated still to cover 600,000 km². By 1989, rain forest cover had decreased to 38,620 km². (However, FAO estimated 140,750 km² in 1990.) In 1989, approximately 4,000 km² were destroyed, according to one estimate, or 1,190 km² according to another.
As early as 1976, the Nigerian government banned the export of unprocessed or semi-processed timber. However, this trade never stopped completely. Between 1975 and 1985, logging increased from 2.2 to 5.6 million m³ every year and it stayed at this level until 1990. In 1990, Nigeria imported timber products at the value of about US$ 33 million and exported timber products at a value of only US$ 1,68 million. The demand for timber products in the country itself is very high because of its high population density; by the year 2000 it is estimated to be 10 million m³ (excluding poles and firewood!). As Nigeria gets more than 80% of its foreign currency receipts from the export of oil, the country does not depend on timber export.
There are three national parks in Nigeria, only one of which includes rain forest. This is the Cross River National Park, covering 4,227 km². The northwesternmost gorillas occur in this small mountainous area on the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, more than 350 km from the next population. It is not known for how long these populations have been separated. Gorillas are hunted in Nigeria, as parts of their bodies are used in traditional medicine.
Five small populations of gorillas were found on various mountains in 1987. One of them was separated from the others by a heavily used road. The study estimated the total number of gorillas in Nigeria to be 150; another study in 1990 yielded an estimate of 110. The apes were threatened by hunting for their meat and by the destruction of the forest for cultivation, by firewood collection, and by dry season fires which are started in the grassland and frequently spread to the forest.
Thanks to the activities of the NCF (Nigerian Conservation Foundation), the inhabitants of four villages were convinced to stop hunting gorillas. They hoped to find new sources of income in the introduction of gorilla tourism. However, far fewer visitors than expected arrived to view the gorillas.
Between 1987 and 1990, the forest was cleared even further, especially in the surroundings of the villages. The gorillas may have disappeared from one of the five areas where they had been reported previously. In 1991, the Nigerian government set up the Cross River National Park with two parts: the Okwangwo Division for the protection of gorillas and the Oban Division bordering Korup Park in Cameroon.
WWF-UK started the Okwangwo project in 1989 with the aim of protecting the park and supporting the sustainable development of the park buffer zone. Nature conservation education was set up and various activities were started in the villages of the buffer zone to introduce new sources of income for the villagers. This led to an improved acceptance of the park and to a decrease in poaching.
Only two of those areas where gorillas occur are within the national parks, another one is in the Mbe mountains near the park border. Gorilla poaching increased in the Mbe mountains in the beginning of 1991. Subsequently, the Mbe conservation project was set up, funded by Shell Nigeria.
The fourth gorilla population is isolated in the northwestern part of the Afi River Forest Reserve. Currently, the ecology of the gorillas there is being studied. Logging companies operate in this area, and the gorillas are hunted. The region is threatened even more now by a company that is currently negotiating new logging concessions there including a part of the Afi River Forest Reserve.
The distribution of this population of gorillas extends beyond the Cameroonian border into the Takamanda Reserve, which is known to be inefficiently protected. The number of gorillas there is not known.

Angela Meder

Dr. Angela Meder observed the behaviour and development of captive lowland gorillas for 10 years. A major aim of her various studies was the improvement of the management, rearing and housing of gorillas in zoos. Today she works as a book editor. Since 1992 she has been part of the Board of Directors of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe.

Cross River overview

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