The Ebo Forest is vast, remote and part of the Congo Basin rainforest. It is one of the last remaining largely intact forest landscapes on the western edge of the Congo Basin and provides an important habitat for threatened wildlife.

However, illegal logging, industrial-scale agricultural encroachment and wildlife poaching do not wait for patrol teams to complete difficult journeys through the forest. In some areas, reaching a suspected site on foot can take several days.

To respond to this challenge, SEKAKOH is investing in innovation—not only by introducing new equipment, but also by building the skills of the people responsible for protecting the forest.

Building Local Drone Piloting Capacity

With support from Global Forest Watch (GFW), SEKAKOH organised a five-day drone piloting and natural-resource monitoring training programme.

Eight participants were trained:

• Three SEKAKOH staff members
• Three staff members from Cameroon’s Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF)
• Two local partners

The training brought together SEKAKOH personnel, MINFOF staff, community monitors and technical partners. Participants moved from classroom-based instruction to practical flying exercises, developing the skills required to use drones for forest monitoring.

They can now use aerial technology to support forest-cover mapping, identify possible encroachment, plan targeted monitoring activities and observe changes in important wildlife habitats.

Why Drone Monitoring Matters

Drones allow conservation teams to see areas that may be difficult, dangerous or time-consuming to reach on foot.

A 20-minute flight can survey an area that might otherwise take patrol teams several days to cover. Drone images can help identify new farms, forest clearings, smoke, access routes and other signs of potentially illegal activity.

The photographs, videos and maps produced through drone monitoring can contribute directly to:

• Forest patrol planning
• Detection of agricultural encroachment
• Identification of possible illegal logging
• Wildlife-habitat monitoring
• Government and project reporting
• Community natural-resource management
• Evidence-based conservation decisions

This makes forest monitoring faster, safer and more data-driven. Most importantly, the capacity remains in the hands of local conservation actors and government personnel working close to the forest.

Voices from the Trainees

“For years, we have been walking through the forest with notebooks, GPS devices and compasses. With this drone training from SEKAKOH, we can now cover the whole corridor in one morning and see where illegal loggers and poachers may be entering. This technology puts power back into the hands of those of us protecting wildlife on the ground.”

— Mr Oben Oben, Chef Faune, MINFOF Edea

Another participant highlighted the importance of forest monitoring to the surrounding communities:

“The Ebo Forest provides our communities with water, medicine and life. But we cannot protect what we cannot see. Now, with SEKAKOH, our post and the community monitors have eyes in the sky. When we see smoke or new farms in the drone images, we can act before the damage spreads. This is the future of forest protection.”

— Ngo Damaris, Chief of Post, MINFOF Kopongo

More Than Learning to Fly

The programme was not limited to controlling a drone. Participants received instruction and practical experience in:

• Drone flight safety
• Operational requirements and regulations
• Flight planning
• Aerial data collection
• Image and data processing
• Map production
• Responsible equipment management
• Using drone evidence to support forest monitoring and law enforcement

These skills will remain with the trainees and strengthen future conservation work in the Ebo Forest landscape.

The training was led by Mr Enama Etoga Ambroise, who is certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems operations in the A1 and A3 subcategories.

The programme was conducted under the close supervision of the Sanaga-Maritime Divisional Delegation of Forests and Wildlife and with the involvement of the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

Technology Supporting People on the Ground

Technology alone cannot protect a forest. Drones are most effective when their information is combined with the experience of local communities, conservation organisations, ecoguards and government authorities.

Community monitors know the landscape. Government officers have responsibilities for enforcement and natural-resource management. Conservation organisations can provide technical support, coordination and data analysis.

By bringing these groups together, drone monitoring can help transform observations from the air into responsible action on the ground.

A Stronger Future for Ebo Forest Protection

The drone training represents an important step towards locally led, technology-supported conservation in the Ebo Forest landscape.

SEKAKOH will continue working with communities, government services and technical partners to ensure that the new capacity contributes to better monitoring, faster detection of threats and more informed decisions.

The forest may be vast, but those protecting it now have a better view.

SEKAKOH: Building capacity, protecting nature.