By Walter Wilson Nana
Simply put, conservation is the rationale and sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of today’s people and posterity.
Inspired by the aforementioned definition, WWF Sweden officials and their Cameroonian counterpart of WWF Coastal Forest Programme, fondly called SAWA Programme, with headquarter in Limbe, have committed themselves to push forward conservation activities in the Bakossi Landscape Area, which is a major project in the SAWA Programme.
After a weeklong evaluation of the SAWA Programme, Senior Adviser at WWF Sweden Sweden, Dr. Allan Carlson told this reporter the Cameroonian rainforest is very unique. “It contains very important biodiversity in the likes of the Bakossi Landscape Area and the Mount Kupe Ecological Reserve. These are international biodiversity hotspots and we have a moral duty to protect them. The link is very tight between the human beings and biodiversity. The world is currently overusing the natural resources, hence, there is the need to protect them for the sustainability of the human being and those yet unborn.”
Satisfied with the huge successes recorded by the SAWA Programme, in recent years, Carlson mentioned that a three-more-year funding has been approved for the SAWA Programme thanks to WWF Sweden and the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA.
This information was corroborated by WWF Sweden Director of International Field Projects, Dr. Jennersten Ola, who is a member of the WWF Sweden delegation to Cameroon. “WWF is a network of many nations. We are doing things that suit the taste of our members. The rainforest in Cameroon is of deep interest for many Swedes, therefore they can look for the necessary funding to ensure that it is sustainable. The good cooperation we have with the government and people of Cameroon and SIDA, gives us the impetus to work for the continuity of the rich biodiversity found in the coastal area of Cameroon. Interestingly, Cameroon is top on our priority, so we have to look for the money,” he said.
Ola rejoiced on the fruitful relationship existing between WWF Sweden and the SAWA Proogramme, which to him is at the root of the successes, which have been recorded so far.
Coordinator, SAWA Programme, Dr. Atanga Ekobo noted that conservation can not be successful and discussed in the absence of a reliable partner, which is the community. “The local communities are at the top of our operations. Everywhere we go to, we have to seek the consent of the local communities and share the essence of conservation with them. That is why we have been on the success lane at the SAWA Programme. This is a message, which our international partners have also understood.”
The Conservationist mentioned that the government of Cameroon has made the proposed Mount Cameroon National Park a National Partk, which he describes as a booster to the work being carried out by the team at the SAWA Programme. “It is also an indication that we have a lot of work to do at the Mount Cameroon rainforest, which has a rich biodiversity that we all need to conserve,” he added.
According to Theophilus Ngwene, Site Manager, Bakossi National Park, a key project of the SAWA Programme, beside taking care of their targets, which include; Chimpanzees, Drills, Small Elephant population, monkeys, the Mount Kupe Bush Shrieks, which are endemic in the area, the water catchments of Kupe, Muanengouba and Moungo, which are important for Cameroon, they have also put in place strategies to achieve their targets. These are; conservation communication, capacity building of local communities, environmental education, biological and sociological monitoring, conservation-based-livelihood activities, culturally acceptable activities, establishment and management of protected areas, and payment of environmental services; a new concept in conservation. All these, he said, will come to fruition thanks to WWF, her partners and the stakeholders.
Reacting to the evaluation team from WWF Sweden and their SAWA Programme partner, the plethora of Common Initiative Groups and Environmental Clubs selected, were unanimous that everyday, they strive for conservation and encourage all, in and around them to join the conservation train.
The Paramount Chief of Tombel, Dr. Bernard Ebong Salle stated that WWF is making a lot of impact on the lives of the grassroots people in Cameroon. “We are impressed with their intervention. WWF has come to educate people to cater for their water catchments, which have been drying up because of uncontrolled human activities in the forest,” he said.