A WWF wildlife inventory conducted in Nki and Boumba Bek National Parks and their surrounding areas in Southeast Cameroon shows promising results, indicating relative stability for forest elephant and great ape populations.

A WWF wildlife inventory conducted in Nki and Boumba Bek National Parks and their surrounding areas in Southeast Cameroon shows promising results, indicating relative stability for forest elephant and great ape populations.

Results of the inventory, carried out by Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) and WWF, were validated during a meeting on December 12 in Nkolafamba, Yaoundé, involving conservation stakeholders and the media.

The study that entailed extensive data collection conducted between June 2023 and April 2024, found an estimated 1,004 forest elephants and 19,472 great apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) in the parks, logging concessions, and surrounding communal forests.

The last wildlife inventory carried out in 2015/2016 revealed an over 75 percent decline in the elephant population of Nki and Boumba Bek National Parks in less than 10 years, as a result of poaching.
The forest elephant population has, in the just published study, remained stable since the 2015/2016 survey. The density of elephants within the parks (68%) is significantly higher than in the surrounding logging concessions, although the overall elephant density remains lower compared to other protected areas in the Congo Basin.
The data reveals that gorilla populations have remained relatively stable, with slight increases in both parks. Also, chimpanzee numbers have increased significantly, especially in Nki National Park, where the chimpanzee population has tripled.

While the overall wildlife population in the parks shows signs of recovery, poaching and hunting pressures in the study area have increased by a factor of 3 to 5 since the last inventory, particularly outside the core zones of Nki National Park.

CONSERVATION EFFORTS
“The inventory confirms the success of long-term conservation measures, such as a permanent presence system, protection of wildlife corridors, and engagement with local communities,” states Alain Ononino, WWF Cameroon Country Director.

On the conservation measures that have contributed to the positive result, Gilles Etoga, WWF Cameroon Senior Policy and Conservation Coordinator, talks of «strengthening the commitment of local communities and other partners to conservation efforts, developing alternative income-generating activities, and building the capacity of conservation service staff in the landscape’s protected areas.

“Future actions will focus on monitoring wildlife populations, addressing human-wildlife conflicts, and reducing the impact of illegal wildlife trade and extractive industries on the ecosystem,” Ononino adds.
Thanks to the sustained presence of monitoring teams and strategic conservation efforts, poaching signs in the heart of Nki and the southwest of Boumba Bek remain minimal. These areas have seen wildlife recolonization, as evidenced by the spatial distribution of species during the survey.

“The inventory report permits us to have up to date data on the wildlife populations in our parks, particularly on elephants and great apes. The elephant population increased slightly, signifying relative stability.
Our efforts have enabled us to maintain the population of key species. We will now double our efforts for the species to witness significant growth,” states Georges Azangue, Conservator of Boumba Bek National Park.

DATA COLLECTION
Data was collected by ecoguards, WWF biologists and community members using two methodological approaches; Distance Sampling Method with line transects, and Presence-Absence Method using camera traps. A total of 129 camera trap stations were set up in the two parks, 150 m from the start of each transect at intervals of 6 to 7 km.

The study area spans 1,083,527 hectares of contiguous forest within Cameroon’s permanent forest estate, including both national parks, as well as surrounding logging concessions and communal forests. The region is home to indigenous populations, including Baka and Bantus communities, who are closely connected to the natural resources of the area.

Camera trap photo Nki National Park

elephants inside Nki National Park

Silver back gorilla, Inside Nki NP

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Forest Elephants, Great Ape populations witness stability in TRIDOM Cameroon, WWF study reveals

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