We’ve worked to conserve biodiversity in Cameroon’s Bénoué National Park since 2016.
Many rare and threatened species inhabit the park's vast savannah landscape, including Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe and Vulnerable giant eland. But 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 anti-poaching patrols and monitor trends in wildlife distribution.
In 2025, we were honoured to receive a BIAZA Award in the ‘Field Conservation’ category, recognising the project’s ongoing contribution to protecting wildlife.
Our Cameroon projects
We are helping to co-ordinate a data-driven patrol strategy that directs eco-guards to areas of illegal activity. 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.
Between 2021 and 2024, our work was part-funded by National Geographic’s Species Recovery Programme and IUCN’s Save Our Species Africa Wildlife Initiative, with European Union International Partnerships support. This led to a measurable reduction in the illegal activities within the park.
Funded 10 eco-guards to patrol for at least 10 days per month (2021-current)
Delivered 60 sets of uniforms and patrol equipment to the park’s eco-guards (2021-2024)
Supported two anti-poaching and one human rights workshop (2022-2024)
Improved over 100 km of internal park roads to aid patrol mobility (2022-2024)
We also monitor the distribution and abundance of Bénoué National Park 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.
Published a population estimate of the park’s Kordofan giraffe and conducted the first robust extinction risk analysis
Conducted the first large-scale survey of the park’s wildlife using 40 camera traps across a 1,800 km2 area of savannah (2022 and 2025)
Supported local researchers to attend wildlife workshops in Cameroon and Kenya (2024-2025)
Donated binoculars, camera traps and field equipment to the park’s Conservation Service and to local NGO Sekakoh (2025)
Sam is a wildlife ecologist specialising in applied conservation strategies for tropical ecosystems. He currently leads biodiversity monitoring and conservation initiatives in Cameroon for Bristol Zoological Society.
Sam’s research has spanned a range of threatened taxonomic groups, including rhinoceros, gibbons and Malagasy amphibians, as well as the interface between drones and conservation.
A two-year project to help safeguard the precious wildlife of Bénoué National Park in northern Cameroon, has been declared a success.
New data about the numbers of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe living in Cameroon’s Bénoué National Park has been released.
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