La Voix De Lobeke ( November 2003)
Count down to certification: Jengi takes giant step
WWF took an important step early November towards facilating a logging company’s march towards certification. The Jengi Project in the Southeast of Cameroon which one year ago began collaboration with Groupe Decolvenaere to fulfill their desire to obtain certification, has presented preliminary results. The results are based on critical technical studies carried out in the two forest concessions of the company to make sure that Groupe Decolvenaere passes through the eye of the needle of certification. The presentation which was witnessed by Jengi’s major donors (WWF Netherlands and WWF Germany) focused on:
- The socio-economic situation of the peripheries of the group's allocated forest concessions
- Bio-ecological studies within the allocated concessions
- The current logging practices of the company
Conclusions of these studies included recommendations which if implimented would place the company on the rails gliding towards a general convention of partnership with WWF to attain certification.
WWF & GD team taking a step towards sustainable forest management
Background of Groupe Decolvenaere
A family undertaking that spans over three generations, the Groupe Decolvenaere is a force to reckon with in matters of wood transformation. They have been operating in Cameroon since 1972.
In 1895, the Groupe Decolvenaere began business with a sawmill near Gand, Belgium with the main objective of transforming timber from the Ardennes and latter oaks from France.
By 1951, things had evolved in time and space. With the sawmill at Gand turning at full speed, the group became specialised in exotic wood and assured its importation to the markets of Belgium, Holland and France.
In 1960, with inevitable expansion and market diversification, management and policy developed. The group decided that instead of importing more untreated timber from Africa, it was better to do business directly at the source of supply. That is how the idea of installing sawmills in Cameroon was born.
The group created Société Forestière et Industrielle de la Lokoundjè (SFIL) in 1972 followed by La Forestière de Moloundou in 1974, SOTREF in 1977 and MADEXCameroun in 1995. Today, the first three companies carry out forest exploitation and wood transformation. MADEX Cameroun is specialised in packaging, wood seasoning and expedition of finished products.
A pioneer in wood transformation, the group went into timber exploitation “by necessity”, according to Jules Esquenet spokesman for the company. Jules asserts that the supply of timber was less than the capacity of their machines. Above all, the qualitative supply did not exactly meet the demand of the market. It became necessary to go in to the forest in search of not only the quantity, but also the quality needed.
As conservationists put it, to people in the timber trade, rain forests are an important source of fine hardwood timber. The international tropical timber trade, now a multi-million dollar business, is rapidly realizing that if the forest disappear, so too does the trade; and none of the producer countries, the merchants, or consumers wants that. Timber exports contribute to two-thirds of national economies of central African countries. Only if commercially logged forest can be maintained as forest is there any hope of achieving a long-term supply of the hardwood prized by furniture-makers, boat-builders and interior designers, because it is not possible to produce the same range of tropical hardwood in plantations.
The Decolvenaeres make no pretence about it. Economic motivations more than anything else is luring them in quest of certification. Wood seems to be a religion to them.
If technical details work out properly, Groupe Decolvenaere will probably be the first in the sub-region to sell products from a "healthy forest".
WWF Director of conservation hands over preliminary studies to proprietos of Decolvenaere
Mr Guy Decolvenaere
Migrating elephants crush WWF patrol boat
Wildlife activity around the WWF base in Djembe, South East of Cameroon is now taking far reaching proportions, making conservation work a little bit tricky. A couple of days after a leopard took over a dozen live chickens of the base for supper, a group of elephants got nasty over a WWF wooden boat that lay on their way and shattered it in to pieces.
Elephant arrives the shore in Congo-Brazzaville after swimming across the river Sangha from Cameroon
Djembe base assistant, Theodore Milong reports that the herd of elephants had just swamp across the river Sangha from Congo Brazzaville. The huge mammals did not take it kind to see a wooden boat barring their way as they made for the shore after a tiring 15 minutes swim. What remained of the boat after their fury was a floating wreck.
The wooden boat had been of great use to the project as Djembe is only accessible for now by way of the Sangha through the logging town of Libongo. The boat helped in transporting supplies and above all an essential input during anti-poaching drives along the river .
Operational since 2001, Djembe in Lobeke is one of the main and strategic out post of the tri-national region.. Financed by WWF Netherlands and Germany, the post has a VHF radio backed up with a solar energy system. Researchers are expected to use the Djembe base camp as a research site given its great research potentials. The place offers a golden opportunity to monitor mammals especially as it presents itself as a corridor and gateway for cross-border movement of elephants between Cameroon, Central African Republic and Congo.
Notorious parrot trapper nabbed in Lobeke
Relative calm now reigns within forest clearings of Lobeke National Park of Southeast Cameroon permitting African grey parrots to settle and feed quietly . A notorious trapper who is known to have captured hundreds of these birds for commercial purposes was recently caught red handed and handed over to the judiciary for legal proceedings. Atangana, as the parrot trapper is called will soon be tried and probably jailed as has recently been the case with other poachers at the Yokadouma High Court. The nabbed trapper is said to be the brain of a network that smuggles parrots to cities.
According to studies carried out by WWF in the area trading in free-living African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) has been one of the most uncontrolled commercial trades in Cameroon both at the local level and urban cities. These birds are being taken out randomly and captured in their numbers, especially from protected areas, mostly surpassing the annual quota given by CITES, to cities like Yaounde and Douala, later to be exported to Europe or to the United state. CITES quota for Cameroon is 12.000 birds per annum.
One of the most important protected areas in Cameroon Lobeke National Park is said to be one of the highest parrot trapping zone, accounting for 80% of the Grey parrots from Cameroon. Studies have shown that out of every 10 Grey Parrots exported from Cameroon, at least 7 are from Lobeke and the Southeast forest region in general.
Parrot trapping in Lobeke is an all year round activity. Parrot trappers sell at least 50 birds minimum per month. A parrot in Lobeke is sold at 5000 – 10 000fcfa (US$7-12). This same parrot is sold at higher price in urban towns like Douala and Yaounde for (US$20-30) and at much higher prices abroad(e;g S. Arabia) where the birds sell for up to US$800-1000.
Poaching rate drops after jail sentences
Bushmeat has become rare in the menu of most restaurants in South East Cameroon. This is thanks to the concerted efforts of conservation organisations in the region, notably WWF and its partners, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, (MINEF) the German Development Cooperation, (GTZ) and the judiciary.
Field reports indicate a dramatic and general drop in poaching in and around the protected areas of the region. An evaluation meeting held recently in Yokadouma bringing together personnel of the above structures gave the opportunity to make a review of conservation activities for the past three months.
While successes were noted in different dormains, anti-poaching drives stood at first position. With the collaboration of the judiciary and the examplary court decisions metted out to arrested poachers, the forest is said to be relatively quiet. For example, reports talk of more sightings of gorillas in areas where they were once absent. Also, elephants have been spotted closed to some villages beyond the peripheries of Lobeke Park.
However, a booming night market for bushmeat is reported to be gaining grounds in a logging town South of Lobeke with Congo Brazzaville as principal destination. The Jengi Project and its partners are developing strategies to wipe out what appears to be the last bastion of poachers in that part of the region.
The representative of the Ministry of Environment and Forest for the region, Jean Claude Ndo has signed a circular reminding the population in general on the legal implications of buying or selling bushmeat. The local radio stations of the area ( Radio Yokadouma and Radio Moloundou) are making a sing-song of the circular.
Gang of arrested poachers Game rangers burn down a poaching camp in the forest
Baka pygmies ask for own share of forest revenue
Baka pygmies of the Southeast of Cameroon who were generally absent during community activities due largely to ignorance are entering in to an age of enlightenment. They are now asking for their own share of forest revenue. In a letter addressed to the administrative head of the region, (Senior Divisional Officer for Boumba et Ngoko) the Baka community west of Moloundou are seeking to have a village-based resource wildlife management committee, (better known in its french acronym as COVAREF). The letter notes that although they were supposed to be under the control of COVAREF N° 10, Bakas will need a special COVAREF “because we have often been marginalised by the Bantus who always look down on us. We want our own share of forest revenue so that we can also buy cutlasses and hoes and open up farms”
Although a percentage of forest revenue is given to local communities in the region, the Baka pygmies have hardly taken part in its management which is done through Village –based resource management committees, COVAREFs. Efforts made by conservation organisations as WWF and GTZ to include the Bakas in COVAREF activities have often been dampened by cultural and social barriers. Although the indegenous Baka and Bantu ethnic groups are intrinsically linked through cultural bonds, there exists a perpetual atmosphere of distrust between the two. The Bantus consider themselves more superior. This has caused Bakas to literally isolate themselves and try as much as possible not to “mix” with the Bantus even though in most cases they live in the same villages. In many instances the suspicious Bakas have turn down invitations even from administrative authorities to take part in community related activities for their own benefit. More than U.S $ 100.000 has been generated over the past three years through sport hunting in community managed forests.
The recent petition therefore comes as suprise to many. It is a clear indication of a gradual change on the attitude of Bakas. What remains to find is how the local administration will pick up on this rare opening.
Case report: Last year WWF and partners (GTZ and Ministry of Environment and Forest) organised a meeting to elect a new executive for a COVAREF south of Lobeke. Arrangements were made to ensure that Bakas were represented in the executive.Direct contacts were made and some Baka pygmies gave assurances that they will be present. However, on the day of the meeting, the WWF van that went to pick up the designated Baka participants came back empty. Everyone at the Baka settlement had disappeared in to the forest.
La Voix de Lobeke is a WWF Jengi Newsletter.
Coordination: Dr Leonard Usongo
Editor-in-Chief: Peter Ngea
Collaboration: Zacharie Nzooh, Alphonse Ngniado, Louis Ngono Samuel Mbondo, Lambert Bene Bene, Expedit Fouda & Anong Vincent
La voix de Lobeke is also online:
For more information about these stories and on the WWF SE Jengi Project, contact:
Peter Ngea, Communication Manager, WWF Jengi SE Project, P.O Box 6776 Yaounde - Cameroon. Tel: (237) 999 03 94 or (237) 221 70 84. E-mail
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