Protection Strategies for Cross River Gorillas
The first International Conference and Workshop on the Conservation of
the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) took place in
Calabar, Nigeria in April 2001. This meeting provided the opportunity
for government officials, scientists, researchers, managers and representatives
of supporting agencies to exchange information and frame recommendations
for future conservation actions focusing on this subspecies of gorilla,
which in 2000 was listed by the IUCN Primate Specialist Group as
critically endangered.
Over the past two years a variety of government agencies and NGOs have
undertaken further activities in the habitat of these gorillas, which
are restricted to a limited area of southwest Cameroon and neighbouring
parts of Nigeria. These activities include research on the abundance,
distribution and behaviour of the gorillas, conservation education and
the development of management plans. The latest research indicates that
there may be up to 280 Cross River gorillas remaining in the wild and,
specifically within Cameroon, that they are more widespread than previously
believed. Although the discovery of new sub-populations is encouraging,
some of these sub-populations are quite isolated, and therefore pose conservation
challenges. To take account of these new findings, and review progress
since the 2001 meeting in Calabar, a second International Workshop and
Conference on the Conservation of the Cross River Gorillas was held at
the Limbe Botanic Garden, Cameroon, from the 20th to the 23rd August,
2003. This forum was funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS) with support from the United Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) through the Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP), and organised
by WCS in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry
(MINEF), Cameroon. The overall objectives of the meeting were to
- update our state of knowledge of the biology, ecology and distribution of the Cross River gorillas;
- investigate the progress of conservation management activities;
- review the threats, conservation actions and actors identified during the 2001 meeting;
- update conservation actions and recommendations, taking into consideration the recently discovered sub-populations.
Finally we hoped to obtain the political commitment of the governments
of Cameroon and Nigeria to the conservation recommendations arising from
the meeting.
The meeting was attended by 25 individuals representing government departments
and non-governmental organisations in Cameroon and Nigeria, international
supporting agencies from the UK and the USA, and field researchers. Both
the Minister of Environment and Forestry, Cameroon and the Minister for
the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria found time in their busy
schedules to attend the meeting.
The final conservation recommendations formulated by the participants
included
- establishing a trans-boundary protected area for the Takamanda-Okwangwo complex, in particular by upgrading the protection status of the Takamanda Forest Reserve,
- strengthening protection and law enforcement measures for all Cross River gorilla populations,
- developing land-use plans for the Takamanda-Mone-Mbulu area in Cameroon, including a network of protected areas and corridors and a plan for the conservation of Afi-Mbe-Okwangwo area in Nigeria, including both a review of the management status for the Mbe Mountains and the maintenance of forested connections between gorilla habitats,
- maintaining and expanding basic research into the ecology, distribution and population biology of the gorillas,
- strengthening and expanding conservation education and awareness programmes at all levels,
- establishing Cross River gorilla management committees in Cameroon and Nigeria,
- building the capacity of relevant institutions in Nigeria and Cameroon (including Government departments, universities, NGOs),
- incorporating local community needs into the development of management strategies, including the study of alternative livelihoods options,
- reinforcing collaboration amongst all stakeholders,
- delegating a working group to formulate more detailed recommendations based on the deliberations of the workshop.
The final communiqué listing these actions was agreed to and
signed by both the Cameroon and Nigerian Ministers. Now, funding needs
to be secured to implement this programme so as to protect these unique
apes from extirpation.
Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves, John F. Oates
Photo: J. Sunderland-Groves
Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves began working with primates in 1991 with Pandrillus in Nigeria and in 1995 at the Limbe Wildlife Centre. In 1997 she started a gorilla survey in the Takamanda Forest Reserve, since 2000 she has been studying Cross River gorillas in other areas.
Prof. John F. Oates is a member of the Conservation Committee of the IPS (International Primatological Society) and of the Steering Committee of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group. He has been studying the ecology of tropical forest primates since 1964.