New project to assist local communities sue poachers

Local communities living in the Cameroon segment of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkebe (TRIDOM) forest landscape will henceforth appear as civil parties in wildlife crime cases. This follows the launch of a project entitled “Protection of Elephants and Great Apes in TRIDOM; Support to local communities and law enforcement agents in the fight against poaching”. This project will provide legal assistance to at least one local community to file civil claims against poachers in wildlife crime cases before competent courts. They shall also be assisted to recover financial damages slammed against convicts and will be advised on the use of the money.

WWF in collaboration with Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), and partner conservation organizations launched the project, which is financed by WWF France. It aims at stepping up protection of elephants and great apes in the TRIDOM landscape by reducing by 20% poaching and illegal wildlife trade, especially of great apes and elephants, by 2022. The project will also strengthen by at least 40% the operational capacities of law enforcement agencies in the landscape. Promoters of the project hope to achieve this through the sensitization and education of local communities on the need to participate in effort to protect wildlife.

Launched during an inception workshop in Sangmélima, South Region of Cameroon, the project is part of WWF support to state efforts in fighting wildlife crime and is expected to run for two years.
Over the last decade, the TRIDOM landscape has witnessed intensive poaching activities leading to massive loss of wildlife notably elephants and great apes. Inadequate application of the law due to weak operational capacity of law enforcement agents, coupled with poor collaboration amongst partners and corruption have been identified as some of the causes of increased poaching in this landscape.

Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) has welcomed the new project. “We will collaborate frankly towards the successful implementation of this project to curb wildlife crime in the TRIDOM landscape,” said George Mouncharou, the South Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife.