By Louis Nkembi
In the heart of over 90% degraded landscape of the Lebialem Division (now Lebialem Highlands) was discovered a new sub-population of the most critically endangered Cross River gorilla in 2004.
This spectacular discovery was made in an area known by conservationists and scientists as having nothing to contribute to conservation and science. In the forest today known as the Tofala forest, a small population of up to 40 Cross River gorillas has been recorded by the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) conservation team.
The Tofala forest located on a piece of rugged relief extending from about 300 to 1800m above sea level was once inhabited by the people of Mundani (today Wabane) and Alou (today Bamock and Bangwa) people close to a century ago. The Tofala forest today is a critical watershed not only for the Lower Mundani people but also for Manyu people and those of the Cross River State in Nigeria.
The Tofala forest today represents a perfect patrimony for Cameroon, as it constitutes one of the eleven forest patches lodging the remaining Cross River gorillas population within the Nigeria-Cameroon border region. Beyond the presence of the Cross River Gorillas in the Tofala forest, are also found the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee, the Precess guenon, the bush baby , the Drill, one of the one of the highest concentration of butterflies, reptiles, amphibians and endangered birds in Cameroon. Besides the rich fauna and flora diversity is also immense following the publication of the conservation checklist of the Lebialem Highlands.
In 2010, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife launched the process of transforming the Tofala forest into a wildlife Sanctuary known as the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. Though this process greatly delayed is progressing, many communities both from the Alou and Mundani ethnic clans are rushing to set up farms within the proposed Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
In order to save this unique and only proposed protected area in the Lebialem Division, ERuDeF and its partners are urgently urging the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife to take action to ensure that this proposed wildlife sanctuary is gazetted at its soonest and a management plan signed. If these actions are not taken urgently, then the future of these 40 gorillas and over 150 chimpanzees will be greatly jeopardized and their local extinction would be evident.
It is to be recalled that in the month of March 2013 one adult Silver-back gorilla from the Tofala forest was killed by villagers in Pinyin, Santa Sub-Division North West Region.
The brutal killing of this innocent gorilla showed that the survival of gorillas and other legally protected species outside of protected areas is very uncertain.
Cameroon is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Convention on Migratory Species to which the conservation of gorillas is regulated. It is within this legal framework and the fragile landscape within which these gorillas are found that ERuDeF its partners and friends are urging the government of Cameroon to take immediate action and secure the long-term future of the Tofala gorillas.
Allen Tabi and Asoh Bedwin contributed to this article
