French Agency Gives 500 Million Francs to Protect Cameroon Gorillas

The French Development Agency (AFD) has granted CFAF500 million (US1, 218, 090) to Cameroon to help protect big apes in the Den Deng Forest (east of the country), an official source told APA on Tuesday.

This money will be used to conduct additional censuses and scientific studies allowing to deepen the knowledge about gorillas as well as to monitor operations against poaching and illegal logging with the support of forest commissioners and local community guards.

These operations, due to last three years and led by US NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) will also involve raising populations’ awareness on biodiversity conservation principles.

It will also seek to initiate populations to draft a plan for exploring the forest development unit next to the future sanctuary but also to set up an epidemic watch pilot program for diseases communicable to humans such as Ebola.

The Cameroonian government has built a 550, 000-hectare operational technical unit with a 24, 000-hectare sanctuary for big apes.

A census conducted last year in Den Deng found that gorillas were threatened by illegal logging and poaching.

In addition, experts say that the planned start of the construction works on the hydropower plant in Lom Pangar, on the edge of the sanctuary, will be another challenge if voluntary measures are not implemented to protect big apes and limit the influx of indigenous populations.

Source African Press Agency

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