The Ebo Forest, north of the Sanaga River in the Littoral Region of Cameroon, is an old growth evergreen lowland and cloud forest of c. 2,000 km2. It has the highest plant diversity per degree square in tropical Africa, and is part of the Tropical Important Plant Areas network and a Key Biodiversity Area. Yet despite being a biodiversity hotspot, in April 2023 the government of Cameroon classified 684 km2 of the area as a Forest Management Unit. In an attempt to understand the rationale for this decision, we had a discussion with a high-profile administrator in the government department in charge of wildlife and forestry. We were told that a Forest Management Unit will simultaneously allow timber exploitation and conservation of threatened biodiversity, in Conservation Enclaves (an area within a Forest Management Unit where logging activities cannot be undertaken because threatened species have been identified there). It will provide good farm-to-market roads, health centres, schools, and greater access to non-timber forest products.
Cameroon government once more opens way for logging in the biodiversity rich Ebo Forest, a Key Biodiversity and Tropical Important Plant Area.
However, we know from experience of other Forest Management Units that Conservation Enclaves do not work because there are no law enforcement agents present to prevent large-scale poaching facilitated by logging. It is not a priority for logging companies. The management strategy of Conservation Enclaves within Forest Management Units needs revamping. We fear therefore that this decision will lead to extirpation of threatened and rare species such as Preuss's red colobus Piliocolobus preussi (with only two remaining populations, one of which is in the Ebo forest), the Goliath frog Conraua goliath (the largest living frog), the culturally unique Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee Pan troglodytes ellioti (which both fishes for termites and cracks nuts), and a potential new subspecies of gorilla occurring between the western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli. One hundred and fifty-six threatened and 14 new plant species have been recorded in this forest since 2004 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the National Herbarium of Cameroon.
To mitigate this problem, we recommend the classification of the remaining 1,316 km2 of the Ebo forest as a protected area, to provide a haven for these unique, rare and threatened species, and inclusion of ranger patrols in the management plans of Forest Management Units within Conservation Enclaves, in collaboration with grassroots conservation organizations.
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