Funder : Global Forest Watch (GFW)

Project partner: Alliance for the Conservation of Great Apes In Central Africa (AGSAC).

Created in 2015, Sekakoh works in three Key Biodiversity sites across Cameroon. Our key specie is the Endangered Nigeria Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti). The only sub specie renowned for tool use in sourcing for food.

The Ebo forests located north of the Sanaga, and forming part of the Guinean Forests of West African Biodiversity Hot Spot Landscape is also home to our target specie. Our work in Ebo if focused on the issue of the protection of Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzees and its habitat. The Ebo forest is also home to a small population of gorillas and a host of other plant and animal species of international concern. Sekakoh is active in research/ecological monitoring, awareness-raising, anti-poaching, community development/training and support in income generating activities, sustainable farming systems, and ecotourism throughout our sited of intervention.

In February 2021, the Alliance for the Conservation of Great Apes in Central Africa, Alliance GSAC, signed a one-year funding agreement with the Global Forest Watch (GFW). The agreement was for the implementation of the project titled “Community mapping and advocacy for Sustainable Forest Management in the Bolobo Territory in RDC and the EBO Forest in Cameroon”. Sekakoh is a member of Alliance GSAC, and currently holds the office of Secretary General.

The project is implemented by 02 members of the network, namely Sekakoh in the Ebo forest in Cameroon and Mbou Mon Tour in the Bolobo territory in Maidombe Province in the DRC.

The project aims to identify the causes of forest cover loss using GFW tools, and the involvement of local communities in biodiversity protection. It also aims at classifying the main drivers of deforestation in the two landscapes and, with the support of local authorities, propose advocacy actions and solutions to halt this loss.

Sekakoh had recruited, trained and equipped ten (10) local forest watchers from the community. The data collection protocol followed GLADD alerts received through the GFW forest watcher app. During sixty days (2 months) of data collection through the GFW forest watcher app, we obtained the following results. The principal causes of deforestation could be classified as follows.

• Selective cutting of wood (31.65 %),
• Bush fires (29.75 %),
• Agro-pastoral farms (28.48%)
• Linear Infrastructure-roads (5.70 %),
• Agriculture (3,80 %)
• Charcoal production (0.63 %).

Following findings from the data collection team, we developed and initiated the implementation of an advocacy plan, which was presented to the local community and local authorities on the 11 /11/2022 at the Somakek palace hall.

Specifically, Sekakoh and the local communities wish to bring the main actors of deforestation operating illegally in Ebo, to comply with the provisions and texts provided for by law with the support of the competent authorities. During this groundbreaking event, local populations, exploiters, and authorities present at the end of the presentations promised to keep watch over their forest and denounce any deforestation activities.