We have been working to conserve the biodiversity of Cameroon’s Bénoué National Park since 2016.
Many rare and threatened species inhabit the park's vast savannah landscape, including important populations of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe and Vulnerable giant eland. However, illegal hunting, cattle herding and gold mining increasingly threaten the area.
In partnership with Cameroonian NGO Sekakoh and the National Park’s Conservation Service, we are working to enhance the effectiveness of anti-poaching patrols and monitor population trends in the region’s wildlife.
This crucial work has been part-funded by National Geographic’s Species Recovery Programme and IUCN’s Save Our Species Africa Initiative, with European Union International Partnerships support.
Our Cameroon projects
We're helping to co-ordinate a data-driven patrol strategy that directs eco-guards to poaching hotspots.
This involves training park staff in the use of a Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) to map the presence of illegal activity, and the direct funding of patrols.
Since 2022, we have:
Funded 10 eco-guards to patrol for at least 10 days per month
Delivered 60 sets of uniforms and equipment to the park’s eco-guards (including combat outfits, boots, berets, backpacks and torches)
Supported two anti-poaching training workshops and one human rights workshop
Improved 100 km of the park's internal road network, facilitating movement of patrol teams across the landscape
We are conducting the first detailed camera trap surveys of the park’s wildlife to detect trends in population change and how species respond to threats. This is supplemented by records of animals collected by eco-guards through detection of footprints and dung.
Since 2022, we have:
Published a population estimate of the park’s Kordofan giraffe and conducted the first robust analysis of their extinction risk
Conducted the first large-scale survey of the park’s wildlife, by deploying 40 camera traps across a 1,800 km2 area of savannah
Sam is a wildlife ecologist with a focus on applied conservation techniques in tropical environments. He currently leads BZS’s biodiversity monitoring and conservation work in Cameroon.
Sam also has research interests on the interface between drones and conservation, and has experience working with a range of threatened taxonomic groups, including rhinoceros and Malagasy amphibians.
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