Establishment of Bakossi National Park, Cameroon

CRES partnerships in Bakossiland continued to develop in 2004, including completion of the field consultation process for the gazettement of Bakossi National Park. The process was jointly supported by the World Wildlife Fund's Coastal Forests Progamme.Local support for the new Park was overwhelming, with over 80 villages signing the legislative support for the Park's creation. Certain boundary changes were recommended to the Steering Committee to accommodate local user rights. CRES staff played a leading role in technical presentations to the government and communities about the Park's structure, including options and legal rights of indigenous peoples, dominated by the Bakossi tribe.

The gazettement report is now in the hands of the government of Cameroon and is undergoing final revision. Final signature of the prime minister for the Park's legal creation into state lands is expected in 2005.

Traditional interest in the creation of sacred forest to complement the new Protected Areas System in Bakossiland continued in 2004, and it is envisioned that such sites will be incorporated into the National Park in 2005. Further social and economic surveys are planned for 2005 to increase the information base for the long-term management planning of the Park.

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Establishment of Bakossi National Park, Cameroon

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