mentor-pop (progress on pangolins) fellowship …...mentor-pop (progress on pangolins) fellowship...
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END OF PROGRAM REPORT
MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program
“Developing a trans-disciplinary team of emerging professionals to address
threats to Central African pangolins and apply conservation actions”
December 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program Goal and Objectives ................................................................................. 4
Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 12
MENTOR-POP FELLOWS ....................................................................................... 14
MENTOR-POP IN PICTURES .................................................................................. 16
FIELD ASSESSMENT ACTION GROUP REPORT ................................................. 19
Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 21
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 24
Methods ................................................................................................................ 26
Results .................................................................................................................. 32
Discussion ............................................................................................................. 45
Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 50
Recommendations ................................................................................................ 51
LEGAL SYSTEMS ACTION GROUP REPORT ....................................................... 58
Executive Summary. ............................................................................................. 61
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 62
Literature Review. ................................................................................................. 64
Methodology. ......................................................................................................... 70
Result of Survey .................................................................................................... 72
Discussion ............................................................................................................. 81
Conclusion and Recommendations. ...................................................................... 89
Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 89
Recommendation ............................................................................................... 89
DEMAND REDUCTION ACTION GROUP REPORT ............................................... 93
Abstract ................................................................................................................. 97
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 97
Materials and methods ........................................................................................ 100
Results ................................................................................................................ 102
Discussion ........................................................................................................... 119
Lesson learnt ....................................................................................................... 121
Recommendations .............................................................................................. 122
GENERAL CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 126
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................ 126
For Cameroon: .................................................................................................... 126
For NGOs: ........................................................................................................... 127
For the Central African Sub-Region: ................................................................... 127
For the Pangolin Savers of MENTOR-POP: ........................................................ 127
FINANCIAL REPORT ............................................................................................. 128
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................................... 132
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MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program
Executive Summary MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program is an 18-month capacity-building professional program based in Yaoundé, Cameroon funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and executed as a collaborative agreement with the Zoological Society of London Cameroon (ZSL), with facilitation by the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF). The program was aimed at developing the capacity of a team of emerging Central African and Asian conservation practitioners to design and execute conservation actions to address threats to Central Africa pangolin species. It was launched in January 2016 and ended in July 2017. Pangolins (scaly anteaters) are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world according to the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group. Threats to Central African pangolins include poaching and uncontrolled harvest, national and regional bushmeat trade, and international trafficking for scales and luxury meat in Asia. The lack of appropriate legal systems and wildlife law enforcement capacity, poor governance, and corruption facilitates increasing numbers of pangolin killed for commercial purposes and exported overseas. Demand remains at high levels both for bushmeat within Africa and luxury meat and traditional remedies in Asia. As populations of Asian pangolin species continue to decline, traffickers are increasingly targeting African pangolin species. Unfortunately, little is known about the impacts of the threats to the four species found in Central Africa, the white-bellied tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), the black-bellied tree pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla), the giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), and the Temminck or Cape ground pangolin (Smutsia Temminckii). The first three species are found in Cameroon and were focal species for the program. Operating from Yaoundé, Cameroon, the MENTOR-POP Fellowship Program provided academic and field-based training, internships, mentoring, and experiential learning in best conservation practices to eight Central Africans (six from Cameroon, one each from Gabon and DR Congo) and one Vietnamese, making a team of nine Fellows. As part of the program, the team, guided by conservation experts, designed conservation actions and executed them with the aim of assisting governments in decreasing poaching, bushmeat trade, and international wildlife trafficking. The program was also intended to propose improvements in the legal systems and reducing demand at local, national, regional and international levels. The team addressed threats to pangolins and other wildlife imperiled by trafficking, and is filling a regional gap in the international pangolin conservation community. The program recognized that to achieve the goal of developing capacity to conserve viable populations of wild Central African pangolins throughout much of their range would require multifaceted conservation actions at three levels: 1) conducting field assessments and monitoring of pangolin populations, 2) addressing the lack of appropriate legal systems, and the upsurge in international trafficking for luxury meat and medicinal use, and 3) reducing bushmeat trade and the pangolin demand at local, national, regional and international levels. The nine fellows were then grouped in three Action Groups along these themes. The program was executed as a Collaborative Agreement with active participation of USFWS staff from inception, through design and execution to evaluation and reflecting
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on options for the way forward. This active participation also involved facilitating participation of the US Embassy in Cameroon who contributed greatly to the success of this unique Program. Partner organizations based in Cameroon and Central Africa and their staff voluntarily contributed to the program through teaching, providing opportunities for internships, workshops and site visits. These include Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cameroon, WCS Gabon, LAGA Cameroon, TRAFFIC Central Africa, WWF Cameroon, IUCN Cameroon, AMMCO Lake Ossa, ENEF Cameroon at Mbalmayo, EF Garoua, Mefou Ape Sanctuary near Yaoundé, and, of course, MINFOF.
Program Goal and Objectives
The goal of this program was to develop capacity to conserve thriving populations of three Central African pangolin species found in Cameroon (Phataginus tricuspis, Phataginus tetradactyla, Smutsia gigantea) in key sites within Cameroon and Central Africa. Objective 1: By July 2017, a trans-disciplinary team of nine Central African and Asian Fellows are trained and well-equipped with the capacity to design and deliver conservation programs to address threats to the three Central African pangolin species. Activity 1.1: High potential MENTOR-POP Fellows are identified for training through a competitive process and all Fellows selected show promise to be able to impact pangolin conservation. In July 2015, the announcement for the recruitment of the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellows was posted on various social media, listserves and websites of major conservation organizations in Central Africa, Asia and beyond. Fellows were selected following a competitive process that started with 155 applications passing through to a shortlist of 50 candidates who were all interviewed (via Skype and/or in-person). Finally, a panel selected the nine Fellows from a second shortlist of 20 candidates. The Fellows in each Action Group are: Demand Reduction Action Group
1. Ms. Goc Bao Linh Nguyen of Vietnamese nationality; her background is in Banking & Finance; she worked as the Demand Reduction Program Officer for pangolin conservation at Education for Nature-Vietnam.
2. Mr. Camille Affana of Cameroonian nationality; his background is in Business Management and Marketing; he worked as a Junior Auditor, and manager of an Agrobusiness (oil palm production) in Cameroon.
3. Ms. Esua Fossung Etogekwe who is a biologist and has worked on bushmeat sensitization with WWF-Cameroon program.
Legal Systems Action Group
1. Mr. Samuel Neba Nebaneh who holds a first degree in Law; he has worked as a wildlife crime investigator for The Last Great Ape (LAGA) Organization in Cameroon.
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2. Ms. Ewah Euphemia Fosab who holds a degree in law and is a Pupil Advocate with the Cameroon Bar Association working at Asongwe Chambers in Bamenda, Cameroon.
3. Mr. Jerry Kirensky Mbi is an anthropologist working with the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF).
Field Assessment Action Group 1. Mr. Nyumu Jonas Kambale is a Conservation Biologist and who works as a
University Lecturer at The Tanya Center for Conservation Biology in Goma, DR Congo.
2. Ms. Carla Louise Mousset Moumbolou just graduated with a Master's Degree from the University of Franceville in Gabon; where she is a Junior Researcher in Population Biology, interested in Population genetics and of Gabonese nationality.
3. Mr. Ichu Ichu Goodwill holds an MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from the University of Buea (Cameroon) and has worked on the Cross River Gorillas.
All Fellows arrived and in the first week of January 2016, followed their induction at ZSL Cameroon Office, signed their contracts and completed all other logistical arrangements; they developed and signed a code of conduct. They all promised and signed engagements to follow the program to the end. In June 2017, the program ended with all of the Fellows having successfully followed the Program. They are now in the field pursuing their careers and addressing threats to Central African pangolin species and other wildlife. During their formation the Fellows achieved key results that are already making significant contributions to pangolin conservation in Cameroon and beyond. Activity 1.2: Appropriate priority competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices) are identified for Fellows to impact pangolin conservation. Priority competencies were identified and summarized in a curriculum document. This was developed as a flexible working document that was adapted and enriched by Mentors and Trainers as the Program unfolded. Fellows received academic training on:
principles of conservation biology,
pangolin conservation,
pangolin trade and trafficking,
pangolin population assessment methods,
communication techniques,
networking,
outreach,
theory of change,
behavior change,
fundraising, project planning and management,
wildlife trade monitoring in Central Africa,
wildlife crime investigation and law enforcement,
socioeconomic survey techniques,
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bushmeat and wildlife economics,
project writing,
adaptive management in conservation projects,
leadership skills, and
conflict management.
This process enabled Fellows coming from diverse backgrounds, countries and cultures to be brought to a more homogenous level in the domain of biological conservation and related fields. Mentors and trainers shared skills in networking, conflict management, the functioning of conservation NGOs, and the profession of a conservationist. The formation on law enforcement dwelled on controls, arrests, and prosecutions, and bushmeat consumption and trade issues and wildlife trafficking, with special emphasis on the trafficking in pangolins and pangolin scales. Interactive training sessions were conducted in classrooms punctuated by field visits to sites like the wildlife sanctuary at Mefou near Yaoundé, the aquatic conservation site at Lake Ossa, the Dja Biosphere Reserve, the Forestry School in Mbalmayo, wildlife control posts and bushmeat markets to bring Fellows into contact with the realities of wildlife conservation on the ground.
The Fellows worked all the time in their Action Groups and, thereby, developed excellent team spirit, respecting each other's contribution and being each other's facilitator and mentor. At the Dja Reserve and at Lake Ossa, they were introduced to the importance of community engagement in conservation. After a one-month internship with a Partner NGOs of their choice, they developed, with guidance from trainers and Mentors, Conservation Action Projects (within each of their Action Groups) following the Adaptive Management workshops organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Cameroon, and executed these actions in the field. Their results are presented in this report. Each Action Group developed and submitted a report at the end of each month. Activity 1.3: Appropriate Mentors and Trainers are identified and contracted for the MENTOR-POP Program The list below presents the Mentors and Trainers of the Program DEMAND REDUCTION Paul THOMSON – Save Pangolins Keri PARKER - USFWS Martin HEGA - WCS-Gabon Heidi RUFFLER – USFWS POPULATION ASSESSMENT Carly Waterman, ZSL London & IUCN-Pangolin Specialist Group David Olson - ZSL Cameroon
Chris Barichievy- ZSL Conservation Program Tom Bruce - ZSL Cameroon LEGAL SYSTEMS & LAW ENFORCEMENT Eric Tah - LAGA Yaoundé
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TRAINERS Baseline Knowledge /Principles of Biodiversity Conservation/Proposal writing/Leadership/Donor's perspectives, Branding, etc. Carly WATERMAN – ZSL Nancy GELMAN – USFWS Ecological monitoring/survey techniques Willaim KANAPAUX – USFWS Oliver FANKEM – ZSL David OLSON – ZSL Socio-economic/market survey techniques Jean Bosco POUOMEGNE – WCS Cameroon Martin HEGA – WCS-Gabon Legal systems SONE Nkoke – TRAFFIC Nancy DIONE –LAGA Ekane Noah HUMPHREY – LAGA Aimé FRISCONIA – LAGA Community engagement/Communication Martin HEGA – WCS-Gabon William KANAPAUX – USFWS Heidi RUFFLER – USFWS Demand reduction/Conflict management/leadership Paul THOMSON – SAVE PANGOLINS Martin HEGA – WCS-Gabon International Trade/CITES/CBD NGEH Paulinus – TRAFFIC MAHONGHOL Denis –TRAFFIC ABESSOLO François –TRAFFIC SONE Nkoke – TRAFFIC National Policy and Engaging with MINFOF ZOURMBA Jouallier – Sub Director for Wildlife Economy/CITES Management Authority Focal Point AKURI John – MINFOF Legal Unit, Yaoundé BABALE Michel – Director EF Garoua LANGSI George Ngwa - Faculty at EF Garoua Law Enforcement (LAGA) Eric TAH Nancy DIONE Ekane Noah HUMPHREY Aimé FRISCONIA
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Adaptive Management/ Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation Anne NHTONGO – WWF Cameroon Nzo'o ZACHARY – WWF Cameroon Andimile MARTIN – MENTOR-BEAN Tanzania Julia BILOGHE – ANPN Gabon Activity 1.4: Appropriate training environment and certification is proposed for the MENTOR POP program. The classroom training site was the University of Dschang campus at Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, which hosts the CRESA-FB program. Fellows were lodged in a facility next to the Catholic University of Central Africa in the neighborhood of the training Center and the rest were lodged in Yaoundé. Some training took place at the ZSL Office. Hotel Meumi Palace, close to the ZSL Cameroon Office, was retained to lodge trainers from out of Yaoundé. Some sessions were conducted in the conference room of WWF about 3 km from the ZSL Office. Also, two one-day joint workshop sessions were organized with the Fellows of the USFWS MENTOR-Manatee Program in the ZSL Office in the months of May 2016 and June 2017 which ended each time with a joint meal and refreshments, occasions to share experiences, exchange notes and start building joint initiatives between Fellows of both Programs. These occasions were well appreciated by Fellows of the two programs. Activity 1.5: Appropriate training curriculum, materials and equipment are available for the MENTOR-POP program. The curriculum was developed by the Program Coordinator and USFWS with assistance and significant contribution from Mentors and Trainers. The curriculum was enriched in the course of its implementation. Each Fellow was assigned a laptop for his/her training program. The program had a 4WD station wagon for movements to the field as well as in Yaoundé; it also served for other ZSL errands and missions. Adjustments in the budget made it possible to purchase field equipment, including three GPS units, 15 compass, 15 head lamps, three binoculars, nine camera-traps, batteries and 10 field notebooks, tents and other field materials. Fellows received many important printed and electronic materials from trainers. Mentors and Fellows were also provided with all equipment that was necessary for the training and project implementation. Fellows were able, thanks in part to additional budget from USFWS, to attend some world-class conferences: the IUCN World Congress In Hawai’i (USA) and a visit to USFWS Headquarters in the Washington DC, the CITES 17th Conference of Parties in South Africa and the 16th Congo Basin Forest Partnership Meeting of Parties in Kigali, Rwanda. One Fellow, alongside the Program Coordinator, participated at a Bushmeat Trafficking meeting in West Virginia organized by the USFWS. The first ever World Pangolin Day in Central Africa was organized by the Fellows at the very beginning of their Program in February 2016, and one year later organized the first World Pangolin Week in the world, as part of the Salon PROMOTE event organized in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The celebrations of the World Pangolin Day 2017 also included two major events: 1) the first ever pangolin scale burn in Africa by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife during which over three tons of scales were destroyed, and
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2) an awareness campaign championed by the US Ambassador to Cameroon, Michael Hoza at the Mbam-et-Djerem National Park alongside the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cameroon and the Ministry in charge of Wildlife. Objective 2: By July 2017, robust methods for assessment of pangolin populations are developed and tested and provide population assessments for key sites in Cameroon, and inform the Cameroon CITES Scientific and Management Authorities. Activity 2.1 Methods for surveying pangolins are developed at key sites. Socioeconomic survey methods were adapted, alongside field assessment methods to determine presence of pangolin species in key protected areas in Cameroon. These were then submitted for expert’s opinions before implementation on the ground in three selected sites.
Activity 2.2 Population assessments for pangolins are conducted at key sites using developed methods
The protocol, which was developed and reviewed, was tested in the Mbam-et-Djerem National Park, Campo Ma’an National Park, and in the Dja Biosphere Reserve. The results are presented in the field assessment report presented in the later part of this document which is now available to conservation experts for their information, reviews, criticisms and suggestions for further improvements. Much was learned about surveying pangolin in the wild with confidence. Camera-trap surveys are effective for documenting the white-bellied and giant ground pangolins when a large number of cameras are deployed. Due caution must be used when sign surveys of scratch marks, scat, and feeding sites are made as there is considerable uncertainty in species and higher taxon identification Activity 2.3 Key Pangolins strongholds are identified. At the end of the Program, assessments were done in three sites (Mbam-et-Djerem National Park, Campo Ma'an National Park and the Dja Biosphere Reserve), and these three confirmed the presence of two species of pangolin (white-bellied and giant ground pangolins). Little evidence was found on the existence of black-bellied pangolins, though this species is known to be difficult to survey as it is nocturnal and thought to be largely arboreal. These are certainly not the only pangolin strongholds in Cameroon. Research needs to be expanded to others areas in the country and only then can an exhaustive list of strongholds be made. Activity 2.4 Field assessments conducted on pangolin off-take and trade. This Activity was not realized as a result of the time it took to design assessment protocols. However, some trade data from markets surveys in some selected urban areas (Ebolowa and Bertoua) were collected by the Demand Reduction Action Group. This data did not include off-take data from the wild. This will be monitored beyond MENTOR-POP as follow-up actions whose results will help inform MINFOF for improved pangolin management decisions.
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Activity 2.5 Information provided to decision makers to recommend and facilitate action This report is being developed first and foremost for the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) to enable her continue to be a leader in Pangolin conservation in Central Africa. It will be important to emphasize the significant support and encouragement of MINFOF before and during the program. The Program owes its great success largely to the support and facilitation of MINFOF and the Fellows will continue to depend on this support as they develop and execute further actions to address threats to pangolins. Objective 3 By July 2017, the effectiveness of law enforcement for pangolin protection is improved. Activity 3.1 Review of laws and legislation especially on how they pertain to pangolin protection and how they are applied in practice. The Legal System Action Group reviewed the wildlife law and conducted a national survey which assessed among other issues, the implementation of the Wildlife Law and difficulties faced by those responsible. They collected data on seizures, arrests, prosecutions and execution of sentencing. They worked in collaboration with the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) and TRAFFIC Central Africa in Yaoundé. The results of the survey are presented in the later part of this report. Activity 3.2 Support for investigations and prosecutions. Support from the Program was in the form of identification of information and technical gaps, bottlenecks and recommendations for improvement. Fellows received training from LAGA on investigation, intelligence gathering and prosecutions. The practical part of this activity was implemented with guidance from the Last Great Ape Organization following the National Survey, conducted by the Legal System Action Group. Activity 3.3 Develop tools and provide training for effective law enforcement. Tools were developed and gaps identified, but the program did not have the material and financial capacity to conduct training for wildlife law enforcement officials, the judiciary, customs, police and others. This activity will certainly be carried forward as a follow up to the MENTOR-POP Fellowship program in collaboration with Ecole de Faune de Garoua, DFAP, RIFFEAC and other stakeholders. Activity 3.4 Site-based enforcement utilizing SMART Given the delay in the Program; this activity was not executed within the MENTOR-POP Fellowship Program, but instead will be planned as part of the Follow-up Program in collaboration with Ecole de Faune and partner NGOs (WCS, ZSL, WWF) who use SMART in their respective sites to plan and execute patrols. Activity 3.5 Supply chains of pangolin meat and scales from key sites to local markets and border posts are monitored
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The data from the national survey contains some information on supply chains of meat and especially scales to markets. The Demand Reduction Action Group conducted some markets surveys in restaurants in two cities and that partially feeds into this activity. However, the program did not have the human and financial resources to be able to monitor supply chains of meat and scales of pangolins from sites to markets. It should be noted here that ZSL and TRAFFIC are conducting a national bushmeat market survey for Cameroon. Understanding the supply chains from harvest sites to market is crucial in developing effective actions to address threats to pangolins. Objective 4: (Modified) - By July 2017, the nature of demand for pangolin products is understood and communication strategies to enable the government of Cameroon to initiate the process of integrating CITES COP17 proposals that up-listed grey parrots and the two tree pangolins (P. tricuspis and the P. tetradactyla) from Appendix II to Appendix I. Activity 4.1: By July 2017, the government validates and initiates implementation
of the CITES COP17 decisions on pangolin species and grey parrot up-listing.
Public Service Announcements (PSA) are being developed to bring governments of
the Central African countries to integrate the results of the adopted proposals at the
CITES COP17 in September in South Africa up-listing pangolins and the grey parrots
into Appendix I. By circular letter No. 007 of 11 January 2017, the Minister of Forestry
and Wildlife confirmed the up-listing at the national level of all pangolins and grey
parrots to Category A (total protection). Cameroon through this circular is the
unquestionable leader in wildlife conservation in general, and pangolin conservation,
in particular in Central Africa. Countries like Gabon, that co-sponsored the proposition
at COP17, are still to enact national laws to protect all pangolins and grey parrots.
However, this is only a first step and if effective implementation does not follow, this
regulation will be as good as if it never existed. As of today, markets continue to sell
live and dead pangolins, even in the national capital, and presently there is no action
being taken on these illegal sales. MINFOF is preparing to act to stamp this out and to
make sure the law is respected after an extensive sensitization of vendors.
Objective 4.2: By July 2017, a pangolin conservation campaign targeting urban
populations is organized in Yaoundé during PROMOTE.
A World Pangolin Week was organized by MENTOR-POP Fellows, led by the Demand Reduction Action Group. During this week, Fellows animated a stand provided by the U.S. Embassy at Salon PROMOTE 2017 event which is a renowned International Trade Exhibition for Enterprises in Cameroon and beyond which ran this year from February 11-19, 2017 (refer to selected pictures in the later part of this report). The stand received more than 600 visitors with 420 visitors leaving conservation messages in favor of Pangolin Conservation. Visitors were given educational conservation materials to help spread the word on pangolins to their colleagues.
The Fellows also participated in the pangolin scale burn organized by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, presided by the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Mr. Ngolle Philip Ngwese, which saw the destruction of more than three tons of confiscated pangolin
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scales. Fellows had a chance to act as pangolin advocates on Cameroon’s national TV channel, the CRTV and also on other private TV and radio stations to dicuss the importance of pangolin conservation in Central Africa.
World Pangolin Day was also celebrated in Mbam and Djerem National Park where MENTOR-POP Fellows celebrated the day with the U.S. Ambassador, a delegation from the U.S. Embassy, USFWS, MINFOF, WCS, local authorities and the inhabitants of Mbakao and its environs.
The U. S. Embassy, with support from USFWS, led the Social Media content and posted Pangolin messages on its Facebook page. Other organizations also shared pangolin conservation messages on their social media.
Many actors in the supply chain still do not know (or pretend not to know) that pangolin are now illegal to hunt, own, or trade in Cameroon. There is a need for an extensive sensitization campaign to be followed by joint repressive actions of MINFOF supported by the Forces of Law and Order.
Objective 4.3: By July 2017, key bushmeat markets in Yaoundé, Douala and
Batouri are surveyed to obtain baseline data on the extent of the urban bushmeat
trade with focus on pangolins
Given the time and other resources, the survey was limited to restaurants in Ebolowa
and Bertoua; these two towns were selected following recommendations from the
Legal System Action Group from the national survey of pangolin confiscations. The
results are presented in this report. However, TRAFFIC and ZSL are presently
conducting a more extensive survey on bushmeat consumption and trade on the
national territory.
Conclusions
Pangolins are now fully protected by law in Cameroon and will soon be protected in
the other Central African countries that are Parties to CITES. Eight Central Africans (6
Cameroonians, 1 Gabonese and 1 Congolese) and an Asian (from Vietnam) have
been well trained and now constitute a voice for Central African pangolins. They are
expected to train others through a multiplier effect as they fundraise to design and
execute conservation actions to address threats to these unique species of mammals
found only in Africa and Asia.
Protocols have been developed and tested to monitor pangolin populations. These will
be further tested and improved adding new techniques and methods including
telemetry to determine home ranges and other parameters that would improve
estimations of pangolin abundance and densities.
Baseline information exists on Cameroon’s effort to combat illegal trade in pangolins
and pangolin products on the national territory. Gaps were identified and if corrected
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will certainly improve the situation of pangolins in the wild through improved law
enforcement initiatives.
Sensitization has begun with some media houses, but needs to be intensified. Social
media has proven to be a very effective sensitization tool and should be used.
Repressive measures need to follow these awareness campaigns to indicate that
national laws can be enforced and that persons will get prosecuted when they disobey
them.
These activities require all Stakeholders to be on board led by Government and
involving NGOs, Diplomatic Missions, Media Houses, Research and Training
Institutions, Technical and Financial Partners, Regional Groupings, among others
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MENTOR-POP FELLOWS
Field Assessment Action Group
Demand Reduction Action Group
Carla Mousset (Gabon)
Most recently, Carla was an intern at the French National Institute for Agricultural
Research in Toulouse, France, where she conducted DNA sequencing and
bioinformatic data analysis. Carla also worked for the Central African Biodiversity
Alliance in Lopé National Park in Gabon and participated in a training course in
tropical ecology. Carla is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Population
Biology and Ecosystems from the University of Science and Technology of Masuku in
Gabon. Carla also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Earth Sciences.
Ichu Ichu Godwill (Cameroon)
Ichu served as an intern in Takamanda National Park, which is home to the critically
endangered Cross River Gorilla. As part of this internship, Ichu took part in field
patrols and community development activities and research. Ichu also volunteered
with the Cameroon Society for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection (CASSDNREP) in Buea and was President of Natural
Resource and Environmental Management students at the University of Buea. Ichu
holds a Master’s Degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and
a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Buea. He is
interested in a PhD on pangolins.
Jonas Kambale Nyumu (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Jonas is an Assistant Lecturer and Researcher at Tayna Center for Conservation
Biology (TCCB) in Goma City in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Jonas’
research interests include biodiversity conservation, sustainable bushmeat hunting,
and pangolin population assessments in Central Africa. Jonas holds a Master’s Degree
in Forestry and Biodiversity from the University of Kisangani (DRC) and a Bachelor’s
Degree in Science, Ecology, and Natural Resources Management from the Tayna
Center for Conservation Biology (DRC).
Camille Affana (Cameroon)
Camille worked as a Junior Auditor for SIC Cacaos, Barry Callebaut’s subsidiary in
Cameroon. Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa
and chocolate products. Camille also worked for a palm oil company and the Union
Bank of Cameroon. Camille holds an MBA in Management from the International
School of Management in Paris, France and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from
the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. Camille also completed a
professional development seminar in Tokyo, Japan.
Esua Etogekwe Fossung (Cameroon)
Esua has over three years of experience working with international conservation
organizations in Cameroon, including World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC, the
Wildlife Trade monitoring Network. During her work with WWF, Esua worked on a
project which aimed to enhance law enforcement to combat the poaching crisis in
Cameroon. While at TRAFFIC, Esua contributed to the implementation of TRAFFIC
Central Africa’s (TCAF) Wild animals & Trade related projects and its activities in Central
Africa. Esua holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from the University of Buea in
Cameroon.
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Legal Systems Action Group
Linh Nguyen Ngoc Bao (Vietnam)
Linh served as a campaign officer for the Demand Reduction Team of Education for
Nature - Vietnam (ENV). ENV is Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization to
focus on environmental conservation and wildlife protection. In this capacity, Linh’s
main responsibilities were to develop and execute public awareness campaigns aimed
to reduce consumption of wildlife and seek partnerships in Vietnam for wildlife
protection. Previously, Linh was a project management officer at one of the largest
banks in Vietnam. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Vietnam’s Academy of Finance.
Euphemia Ewah Fosab (Cameroon)
Euphemia is a lawyer who worked for the Asongwe Chambers in Cameroon for six
years as an Intern and Legal Practitioner. In this capacity, Euphemia consulted and
mentored new clients, represented and followed up with litigants, and carried out
research and analysis on legal issues. In 2015, Euphemia was called to the Cameroon
Bar Association. Euphemia also served as a Policy and Advocacy Consultant to
TRAFFIC and as a volunteer with the Food and Environment Development Association
in Yaoundé. Euphemia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Private Law from the
University of Yaoundé II - Soa.
Jerry Mbi Kirensky (Cameroon)
Jerry currently works at Cameroon’s Ministory of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF). At
MINFOF, he was Chief of Bureau for training for three years and was recently
appointed as Regional Controller of Forestry and Wildlife. In this capacity, Jerry
controls forestry and wildlife regulation applications, wildlife exploitation activities,
exploitation registers, and effective payment of forestry and wildlife taxes. Jerry holds
a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Yaoundé I and a Master’s
Degree in Management of Forest Resources from CRESA Forêts Bois.
Nebaneh Samuel Neba (Cameroon)
From 2012 to 2015, Nebaneh worked as an Investigator and Legal Assistant with the
Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) in Cameroon. While working for LAGA, Nebaneh
helped to identify wildlife traffickers, carry out investigative and legal missions, and
follow up with wildlife trafficking cases as they moved through the justice system.
Nebaneh also collaborated with other members of the EAGLE Network on the
application of wildlife law enforcement throughout Central Africa. Nebaneh holds a
Bachelor’s Degree in English Private Law from the University of Yaoundé II – Soa.
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MENTOR-POP IN PICTURES
Giant pangolin White-bellied pangolin Black-bellied pangolin
Three species of pangolins in Cameroon
World Pangolin Day 2016 in Yaounde
World Pangolin Day 2017 with US Ambassador in Mbam et Djerem National Park
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SALON PROMOTE 2017 in Yaoundé
Pangolin Scale Burn by MINFOF in Yaoundé, 2017
CITES CoP 17, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Closing ceremony
Closing ceremony
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FIELD ASSESSMENT ACTION GROUP REPORT
TESTING THE EFFICACY OF FIELD SURVEYS AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE FOR ASSESSING THE STATUS AND THREATS TO
THREE SPECIES OF PANGOLINS IN CAMEROON
A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the completion of the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program
Field Assessment Action Group Ichu Ichu Godwill (Fellow): Email: [email protected] Jonas Kambale Nyumu (Fellow): Email: [email protected] Carla Louise Mousset Moumbolou (Fellow): Email: [email protected]
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Abbreviations
CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
CMNP Campo Ma’an National Park DBR Dja Biosphere Reserve EDGE Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature LEK Local Ecological Knowledge MDNP Mbam and Djerem National Park MINFOF Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife WCS Wildlife Conservation Society WWF World Wide Fund for Nature ZSL Zoological Society of London
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Executive Summary
Reliable estimates of the populations of a species are vital for its sustainable management. Pangolins are the only scaly mammals. All pangolin species are at risk of extinction due to rapid increase in trafficking, poaching, overhunting and habitat loss. They are presently the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, with over 1 million pangolins estimated to have been poached and trafficked within the last decade. Pangolins are luxury meat in China and the scales are highly desired for Asian traditional medicine. Populations of Asian pangolins have greatly reduced and traffickers have turned to Africa to source for pangolins. While there have been increasing efforts to conserve pangolins in recent years, effective conservation of pangolins require knowledge of pangolins in the wild. Presently, there are no data on pangolin populations both at national and international levels because pangolins are difficult to monitor and are rarely included in wildlife monitoring surveys. In addition, there is no established protocol for pangolin population assessment. In response to the recommendations from bodies involved in pangolin conservation like the IUCN SSC Pangolins Specialist Group calling for the assessment of pangolin populations, we tested a robust protocol for assessing pangolin populations in the Dja Biosphere Reserve (DBR) Mbam and Djerem National Park (MDNP) and the Campo Ma’an National Park, Cameroon in which pangolin hunting was reportedly common. We used line transects, camera-trap surveys, and socioeconomic surveys with questionnaires to provide a benchmark assessment of pangolin populations and threats to pangolins in these protected areas. Two categories of pangolin signs were collected: signs of giant pangolins (Smutsia gigantea) and signs of small pangolins. The signs of the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) and the black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) could not be differentiated and were simply referred to as signs of small pangolins. Due to the fact that pangolin signs are difficult to tell with certainty, these signs could also possibly be signs of other animal species like aardvark (Orycteropus afer), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus). Giant pangolin foot and tail prints were used to confirm if signs were made by giant pangolins while aardvark and red river hog footprints were used to differentiate signs made by these species and giant pangolin signs. With the combined data from all three protected areas, most of the signs collected during transect surveys (90%) were feeding signs. The encounter rate of pangolin signs varied across protected area (5.3 sign/km in the MDNP, 5.7 signs/km in the DBR and 1.9 sign/km in the CMNP). There was a difference in pangolin signs encounter rate between areas located less than 10 km from nearest human settlement (3.5 signs/km) and signs located further than 10km from nearest human settlement (5.3 signs/km). There was no relationship between the encounter rate of pangolin signs and encounter rate of human signs. Eight pangolin photos were recorded by camera traps, five white-bellied pangolins and three giant pangolins. Pangolin hunting was a common activity in the protected areas. Village inhabitants around protected areas reported the presence of all three pangolin species in the Campo Ma’an National Park. Only the white-bellied and giant pangolins were reported in the Mbam et Djerem National Park. Amongst seven mammal species presented to each respondent, the giant pangolin was reported to be one of the rarest mammals in the Campo Ma’an National Park.
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It was not possible to estimate the populations of pangolins but the encounter rate of pangolin signs provides a way in which comparative studies could be carried out between sites and populations monitored over time. There is need for similar studies in other protected areas in order to map out areas of high pangolin concentration which will help the government and organizations prioritize pangolin conservation actions.
Resumé Executif
L’estimation fiable de la population d’une espèce est vitale pour sa gestion durable. Les pangolins constituent l’unique groupe de mammifères ayant des écailles, mais à ce jour, ils sont menacés d’extinction due à l’augmentation rapide du trafic international, du braconnage, de la surchasse et de la perte de l’habitat. En effet, les pangolins sont les mammifères sauvages les plus trafiqués au monde, avec une estimation de plus d’un million de pangolins trafiqués durant la dernière décennie. En outre, l’Asie est la principale destination des produits issus de ce trafic, d’autant plus que la viande de pangolin y est considérée comme luxueuse et les écailles très prisées sont utilisées dans la médecine traditionnelle. De ce fait, les populations des pangolins asiatiques ont été drastiquement réduites ainsi, les trafiquants se sont maintenant tournés vers les pangolins africains afin d’alimenter la demande asiatique. Il existe quatre espèces de pangolins en Afrique dont 3 espèces présentes en Afrique subsaharienne à savoir le pangolin géant (Smutsia gigantea), le pangolin à ventre blanc (Phataginus tricuspis) et le pangolin à ventre noir (Phataginus tetradactyla). Récemment, des efforts ont été consentis pour la conservation des pangolins africains toutefois, la connaissance de leur population à l’état sauvage est nécessaire pour leur conservation efficace. Malheureusement, il n’existe presque pas de données disponibles sur la population des pangolins africains que ce soit au niveau national, comme à l’international, car les pangolins sont difficiles à étudier du fait de leur écologie. De plus, ils sont rarement inclus dans le suivi écologique de la faune sauvage des plans de gestion des aires protégées d’Afrique Centrale et il n’existe pas de protocole scientifique établi pour l’évaluation de la population des pangolins. De ce fait, pour répondre aux recommandations de l’UICN/SSC, plus précisément celles du Groupe des Spécialistes des Pangolins, le but de ce projet était de concevoir et de tester un protocole d’évaluation de la population des pangolins d’Afrique Centrale dans trois aires protégées du Cameroun à savoir : le Parc National du Mbam et Djerem (MDNP), la Réserve de Biosphère du Dja (DBR) et le Parc National de Campo-Ma’an (CMNP). Ces aires protégées avaient été choisies sur le fait que la présence des trois espèces de pangolin présentes en Afrique Centrale y avait été signalée ainsi le braconnage régulier de ces derniers. Le protocole établi avait pour objectif la détermination de la tendance des populations des pangolins ainsi que les menaces qui pèsent sur ces espèces dans les aires protégées précédemment citées via la combinaison d’approches bioécologique et sociale. Aussi, dans un premier temps un suivi écologique des signes relatifs aux pangolins via la méthode des transects linéaires ainsi que la pose des caméras-pièges ont été réalisés afin d’évaluer respectivement l’abondance des signes des pangolins et leur présence/absence dans les zones d’étude. Les signes des pangolins collectés étaient en général les traces et restes d’alimentation, ainsi que les terriers des pangolins. De plus,
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les signes relatifs au pangolin à ventre blanc et au pangolin à ventre noir ont été collectés comme provenant d’un même groupe d’animaux nommé « Petit pangolin », car il était difficile de les distinguer. Dans un deuxième temps, la réalisation d’une enquête socio-économique a été faite afin d’obtenir les mêmes données que précédemment via les connaissances écologiques des populations locales environnantes des trois aires protégées choisies. L’analyse des données a montré que la plupart des signes collectés durant l’échantillonnage sur les transects étaient des signes d’alimentation (90%). Le taux de rencontre des signes de pangolins a varié d’une aire protégée à une autre (5,3 signes/km dans le MDNP, 5,7 signes/km dans le DBR et 1,9 signes/km dans le CMNP). Il y avait une différence des taux de rencontre des signes de pangolins entre les zones situées à moins de 10km des installations humaines (3,5 signes/km) et celles situées à plus de 10 km des installations humaines (5,3 signes/km). La corrélation entre le taux de rencontre des signes de pangolins et le taux de rencontre de signes humains était nulle. Huit photos de pangolin ont été enregistrées par les caméras-pièges: cinq photos de pangolin géant et trois photos de pangolin à ventre blanc. La chasse de pangolin était une activité commune dans toutes les trois aires protégées choisies néanmoins, les chasseurs vont en forêt avec pour objectif la chasse d’autres gibiers et tombent par hasard sur les pangolins. Le pangolin géant était considéré comme le mammifère le plus rare dans ces trois aires protégées. Il n’était pas possible d’estimer les populations de pangolins, mais le taux de rencontre des signes donne la possibilité de mener des études comparatives entre les sites et de faire le suivi de ces espèces au fil du temps. En outre, la nécessité de faire des études similaires dans d’autres aires protégées se ressent avec l’objectif d’établir la carte de distribution des pangolins et les zones de haute concentration de ces derniers. De plus, ces études aideraient le gouvernement camerounais ainsi que les organisations de la conservation à mener des actions efficaces de conservation des pangolins. Finalement, il serait capital d’élargir ces études à tous les pays de l’aire de répartition des pangolins en Afrique Subsaharienne afin d’obtenir des données au niveau régional et international pour une meilleure classification nationale et internationale de ces derniers et donc une meilleure conservation.
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Introduction
Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are unique in being the world’s only mammals covered in overlapping scales comprised of keratin (Challender et al., 2012, 2014). Pangolins are represented by eight extant species distributed across Africa and Asia (Lim and Peter, 2008). Four pangolin species occur in Asia and four in Africa, with three of the African species giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), and black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) present in Cameroon. Pangolins are Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammals, highlighting their importance and the urgent need for conservation action (ZSL and IUCN, 2014). They are primarily nocturnal, foraging for ants and termites during the night and resting in tree hollows and burrows during the day (IUCN Pangolin Group, 2016, Chao et al., 2005). Their large and elongated claws enable them to burrow underground for shelter and to excavate ant and termite nests for food. This activity mixes and aerates the soil, providing habitat for other species, and may help regulate ant and termite populations (CITES, 2016; Pappin, 2011). Pangolins are solitary and males maintain territories overlapping with territories of females in some species (Kingdon 2015, IUCN Pangolin Group 2016). When threatened, pangolins roll-up in a ball, protecting their soft parts and young ones with their scaly bodies as a defense mechanism. Pangolins are easy to catch as they simply roll-up when threatened and don’t fight back. Because of high demand for their meat in Africa and Asia and scales used in traditional Asian medicine, coupled with the ease of catching pangolins, they are highly desirable and hunted. Pangolins are solitary and typically produce one young per year (Ganguly, 2013), making their harvesting unsustainable and threatening the survival of pangolin populations in the wild. Challender et al. (2014) estimates that more than a million pangolin were caught from the wild and trafficked within the past decade, making pangolins the most trafficked wild mammals in the world (Challender et al., 2014). All four species of African pangolins are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and were recently up-listed from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES, thereby, prohibiting international trade in pangolins. In Cameroon animal species are accorded differing levels of protection through the 1994 Forestry and Wildlife Law and its implementing decrees. Animals are listed on classes A, B and C. Class A species are totally protected and cannot be hunted, captured, killed or traded while animals in Class B could be hunted, captured or killed subject to a grant of a hunting permit. Class C species are partially protected and can be hunted, captured or killed following conditions laid down by the government. Only the giant pangolins used to be totally protected in Cameroon, but following the recent up-listing of all species of pangolins from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I, all three species of pangolins present in Cameroon are now listed as Class A species thereby prohibiting hunting, capture, killing and trade in pangolins within Cameroon (MINFOF, 2017). In addition, trade in scales of all three species of pangolins has been prohibited by a ministerial order since 2013 following very high number of request for permits to export pangolin scales (MINFOF, 2013).
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Major threats to pangolins in Central Africa include; their hunting as a source of bushmeat and scales to supply domestic and international demand, opening up of forest through logging and development, and loss of habit.
Pangolin research and conservation
Conservation efforts for pangolins in Central Africa are hampered by the lack of information on their populations, natural history, threats, and the wildlife trade. Pangolins are rarely included in mammal surveys in Central Africa because they are difficult to detect using conventional survey methods because they are solitary, nocturnal, elusive, and may occur at low densities. In addition, there are presently no established protocols for pangolin population assessments. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is currently using diurnal line transects, camera traps, and nocturnal searches to assess the populations of the Sunda Pangolins (Manis javanica) in the Salakpra Conservation Landscape and the Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand (ZSL, 2016). Wilcox et al. (2011) have used diurnal searches for tracks and signs and nocturnal spotlighting walks in small carnivores and pangolins (Sunda pangolins and Chinese pangolins) surveys in Vietnam. In Africa, Akpona et al. (2008) have used strip transects (3 km x 1 km each) to assess the density of the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) in the Lama Forest Reserve, Benin. However, these methods and data have not been sufficient to reliably determine the status of pangolins in these target areas because pangolins are nocturnal, solitary, elusive and difficult to be detected using conventional methods used in wildlife population assessment. However, both the giant pangolin and one or both of the other smaller pangolins (white-bellied pangolin and black-bellied pangolin) in West and Central Africa have been recorded on protected area camera trap grids in Liberia (ZSL; forest), Gabon (Panthera; forest), South Sudan (WCS; savanna forest mosaic), and Dja Reserve, Cameroon (ZSL; forest). In camera grids of 30 cameras, they are photographed only a few times over 100 trap nights or more. Even though pangolins are challenging to survey, the increasing volumes of African pangolins and their scales found illegally in internationally trade represent significant levels of mortality to wild populations. We assumed from these volumes that local hunters are skilled at finding and catching pangolins. Hence, in order to be able to determine the status of pangolins in Cameroon, a logical and efficient first step is to evaluate Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of communities that overlap with pangolin distribution. In Asia, Nash et al. (2016) have used LEK to determine the status and threats of the Critically Endangered Chinese pangolin in Hainan, China. Although LEK have proven to be a useful source of ecological information, management decisions based primarily on LEK, in the absence of scientific scrutiny, should be treated with caution (Gilchrist et al., 2005). Here, we evaluate both LEK and field-based survey data to monitor populations to assess their utility in providing robust information for efforts to conserve threatened pangolins. Field survey approaches that can rapidly, confidently, and cost-effectively ascertain the presence and/or relative abundance of different pangolin species can be useful for:
1) To confirm pangolins presence with pictures in three protected areas in Cameroon 2) To provide a benchmark assessment of pangolin populations and threats in three protected areas in Cameroon
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3) To document local perception of historical trends in pangolins population over time in three protected areas in Cameroon 4) To compare observed incidence of pangolins with LEK estimates of pangolin populations
This project focused on identifying useful and practical methods to help determine the status of the giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), and the black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, the Mbam et Djerem National Park, and Campo Ma’an National Park in Cameroon. With the aid of questionnaires, community surveys were conducted in villages close to protected areas. Data from community surveys were compared with data from field surveys in order to determine the extent to which LEK is able to provide novel insights into key pangolin conservation parameters (Olsson and Folke, 2001;Schulman, 2007; Haen et al., 2014, Cited in Nash et al., 2016). The assessment and mapping of areas suspected of high pangolin populations will provide a better understanding of the situation and, therefore, direct law enforcement efforts, efforts aimed at curbing trafficking at the source, and efforts aimed at reducing local demand for pangolin products through demand reduction programs. This project is aligned with calls from conservation bodies for the assessment of pangolin populations in the wild and the identification of pangolin strongholds. In an information document for the 66th meeting of the CITES standing committee held in Geneva in 2016, IUCN SSC Pangolins Specialist Group recommended in Article 17 that pangolin conservation research (developing protocols for monitoring abundance), the identification and protection of pangolin strongholds and in Article 19 that national maps indicating pangolin distribution be produced and standard protocols for population assessment be developed.
Methods
Location of study
The project was carried out in three Protected Areas in Cameroon; the Dja Biosphere Reserve (DBR), Mbam et Djerem National Park (MDNP) and the Campo Ma’an National Park (Figure 1). These protected areas are known to have populations of pangolins. The Dja Biosphere Reserve and the Campo Ma’an National Park contain forest habitats, while the Mbam and Djerem National Park is made up of both forest and savannah habitats.
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Figure 1: Location of study sites highlighted in yellow.
Dja Faunal Reserve
The Dja Biosphere Reserve occupies portions of the East and South Regions of Cameroon. It covers an area of 526,000 ha (MINFOF, 2014) and is classified among the largest protected areas of the Guinea-Congolian tropical rainforests (Betti, 2003). On a fieldtrip carried out in the DBR in February, 2016, MENTOR-POP Fellows recorded signs indicating pangolin presence in the reserve, such as, feeding signs. Initial observations of abundant pangolin sign in the field, pictures from camera traps, reports of seizures of pangolin scales in the area, and discussions with local inhabitants suggest the DBR still maintains populations of several pangolin species.
Mbam and Djerem National Park
The Mbam Djerem National Park (MDNP) was established in January 2000 and occupies portions of the Centre and Adamawa Regions of Cameroon. The high habitat diversity makes it the most biologically diverse protected area in Cameroon (WCS, 2016). It covers a total surface area of 416,512 ha (MINFOF, 2014) and it is the largest forest-savanna protected area in Cameroon (WCS, 2016). Recent seizures of pangolin scales by MINFOF at Mbam et Djerem National Park, suggest pangolins still occur here. Discussions with local communities confirm the presence of pangolins in the Mbam et Djerem National Park.
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Campo Ma’an National Park
The Campo Ma’an National is is located in the South Region of Cameroon. Created in the year 2000, the Campo Ma’an National Park and its buffer zone cover a total surface area of about 700,000ha (WWF, 2009) which makes about 16% of the surface area of Cameroon’s South Region. The park itself occupies an area of about of 264,064 ha (WWF, 2009) and it is home to about 80 species of mammals, including forest elephants, leopards and gorillas, as well as 302 bird species, 122 reptile species and 250 fish species (WWF, 2009). The Mbam and Djerem National park is reported to be home to all three species of pangolins, hence it was important to conduct pangolin surveys in the park.
Data collection
Transects
In each protected area, line transects were established in two areas distinguished by their assumed level of hunting pressure based upon their distance from the nearest human settlements. We assume that in areas near villages hunting pressures on pangolins will be greater (Abernethy et al. 2013). We have, therefore, classified our areas into high hunting pressure (<10 km) from the nearest human population, and low hunting pressure (>10 km) from the nearest human population. In each forest category, at least fifteen 1 km long line transects were established at a distance of 250 m apart. A total of at least forty 1 km long line transects were established per protected area. Along each transect and with the help of local guides, a 100% search and recording of all signs indicating pangolin presence was conducted. Targeted signs included: sighting of the animal, pangolin burrows, feeding remains, foot print, and feces. When a sign was seen, two local guides observed the signs critically and if they both agreed it was a pangolin sign, the sign was recorded. In cases where there were many feeding signs of the same age in the same area, they were recorded as one sign. This is because the signs were considered to have been made by the same pangolins. Sign identification can be challenging as many different species of wildlife make similar scratch marks and pangolin scat remains poorly known. Ground pangolins in southern Africa are known to bury their feces, but it is unknown if Cameroon pangolin species do the same. Even though the species of primary interest were the three species of Central African pangolins (white-bellied pangolins, black-bellied pangolin, and giant pangolin), all clear signs of other wildlife species, including elephant, gorillas, chimpanzee, duiker spp., and other wildlife species were recorded. Wildlife sign included feeding signs, footprints, nests, and vocalizations. Signs of human presence, such as snare traps, hunter tracks, hunting camps, and gunshots, were also recorded.
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Figure 2: Transect set-up
Recce surveys of 250 km long each were conducted between line transects. During this survey the team followed pre-existing trails where possible and, when necessary, cut a path of least resistance through forest vegetation (White and Edwards, 2000). Sign of wildlife and human activity were recorded as in line transect surveys. The survey team consisted of Fellows, rangers, and local guides (Fig. 2). Camera Traps
Cuddeback camera-traps were installed in order to confirm pangolin presence with images. The camera traps were installed in areas with abundant fresh or active sign of pangolin. Cameras were placed at a height of 30 cm above the ground (Fig. 3). According to Ancrenaz (2012), setting the camera so that the sensor is 30-40 cm above the ground gives good results for small carnivores and higher heights may not record small mammals. The cameras were each retrieved after at least 30 trap nights each (trap days). A total of six camera traps were installed in the Mbam et Djerem National Park, nine in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, and seven in the Campo Ma’an National Park. Each camera trap was set to take three pictures per trigger day and night with no delay between triggers (Fast as Possible for Cuddeback) to reduce time between triggering of animal events. The image quality was 5mp. Due to the fact that pangolins are nocturnal, the white flash was used in order to enable more reliable identification. After installing a camera trap in the field, the camera performance was checked using the ‘walk test’ option to confirm that the camera sensor is working normally. When setting up and retrieving camera traps from the field, a camera setup / recovery photo
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sheet was used to verify if they were working properly and to record information related to: the name of protected area, the camera trap station, the date and the time.
Figure 3: Camera trap
Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) Survey
In addition to field surveys, Local Ecological Knowledge Surveys (LEK) were conducted in local communities surrounding the Mbam et Djerem National Park and the Campo Ma’an National Park with the aid of semi-structured questionnaires. The plan was to conduct these surveys in three protected areas where the field surveys were conducted. Due to reasons beyond our control, surveys could not be conducted in the Dja Biosphere Reserve at the time. The objective of this survey was to make use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to:
Estimate the relative level of hunting pressure in a given locations
Compare the observed incidence of pangolins to LEK estimates of pangolin populations.
The method that was used during data collection was adapted from Nash et al. (2016) who conducted community-based surveys on pangolins in Hainan, China. At least ten villages were surveyed in each protected area. These villages were selected amongst villages that were located close to the areas in which field surveys were carried out and which share boundaries or are located very close to the protected areas. At least ten persons were interviewed in each of the selected villages. Efforts were made to identify respondents deemed to have good knowledge of the wildlife in the area. In each village, the first respondents were selected with the help of a guide while subsequent respondents were selected using snow ball sampling. At the end of each interview, respondents were asked to direct the team to persons they thought
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had good knowledge about the wildlife of the area. At least ten persons were interviewed in each village. Some of the villages were very small and interviewing ten persons meant interviewing almost all families, while some villages had less than ten families. In these cases, one member from each family was interviewed. Interviews were conducted with the help of semi-structured questionnaires made up of both open-ended and closed questions. The interviews were conducted by teams of two persons; one Fellow and local inhabitant; someone with good local knowledge, who spoke the local language and whom locals trusted and felt comfortable speaking with. The first parts of questionnaire addressed demographic information such as sex, age, educational levels. The rest of the questionnaire contained various issues relevant to wildlife and pangolins in particular (See Appendix I for sample questionnaire). After responding to questions aimed at collecting demographic data, respondents were shown color photographs of animals in succession during which questions pertaining to each animal were asked. Respondents were asked whether or not they recognized these animals and whether or not these animals currently exist or had existed in the past in the protected areas. After having shown photographs of each species, respondents were also asked to provide further ecological and morphological details to confirm accurate recognition. Respondents were asked if they had heard of or seen animals in the photographs, and if so how frequently and recently, as well as additional questions about LEK associated with each species. The giant panda was used as a control wildlife species. Questionnaires from respondents who identified the giant panda as a species present in the protected area were not analyzed even though it was quite rare to have such a situation. The main objective of the survey was to find out what the community members know about pangolins, their perception of trends and their perception of current state of pangolin population in the sites. The questionnaires were administered in French since the selected protected areas are located in areas where almost everyone could express themselves in the French language. In some cases, the local guides translated questions orally to respondents.
Figure 4: MENTOR-POP Fellow, Jonas Kambale conducting interview in the Campo-Ma’an National Park
Statistical analyses
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In order to compare the signs of pangolin presence between the two areas distinguished by their assumed level of hunting pressure (high level hunting pressure close to human settlements and low level hunting pressure away from human settlement), the encounter rates of pangolin signs per transect were compared between the high and low hunting pressure areas using the non-parametric Mann Whitney U-test since the data was not normally distributed. To compare how the abundance of pangolin signs differed between areas of high and low hunting pressures within the individual protected areas, the encounter rates per transect were also compared between these sites using the non-parametric Mann Whitney U-test since all the data were not normally distributed. To compare the abundance of pangolin signs between the three protected areas (Mbam et Djerem National Park, Dja Biosphere Reserve and the Campo Ma’an national Park), a Kruskal-Wallis Chi squared test was performed using the encounter rate of pangolin signs per transect. The Spearman Correlation Test and a regression analysis were carried out to find out if the abundance of pangolin sign was influenced by the degree of human presence. These tests were carried out using R version 3.0.0. All the completed questionnaires were subjected to analysis with frequencies, averages, and percentages calculated with the help of Microsoft Office Excel (2010) and IBM SPSS 20. The analysed data were presented in the form of tables, graphs and charts.
Results
Pangolin data was collected during thetransects, camera trapping and socioeconomic surveys. On the contrary, due to the presence of dangerous animals and following advice from national park staff, we could not carry out sufficient nocturnal spotlighting walks as only a total of 8 km nocturnal spotlighting was carried out. Even though data was collected for other species, this report focuses on pangolin data.
Transect Results
Survey effort A total of 123 transects were surveyed in all protected. The number of transects were distributed across protected areas as shown on the Table 1. Table 1: Number of transects surveyed per protected area
Protected area Total number of transects
Mbam et Djerem National Park 40 Dja Biosphere Reserve 41 Campo Ma’an National Park 42 Total Effort 123
Signs were recorded for both the giant pangolin and the “smaller pangolins” (white-bellied and black-bellied pangolins) in all protected areas. The most common signs that were recorded were the feedings (see Fig. 5) signs that consisted of 90% of all pangolin signs recorded. Other pangolin signs recorded included footprints, burrows, and carcass.
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Figure 5: Encounter rates of pangolin signs in protected areas
Encounter rate of pangolin sign
The results from the Mann-Whitney U-test (P-value=0.0084) show that, overall, there was a significant difference between the pangolins signs encounter rate in the high hunting pressure forest (≤10 km from nearest human settlement) and low hunting pressure forest (>10 km from the nearest human settlement). With the combined data from all three protected areas, the average encounter rate of pangolin signs in high pressure hunting forest was 3.5 signs/km while for the low hunting pressure forest the average encounter rate was 5.3 signs/km. Table 2 summarizes the results of Mann-Whitney U-test, comparing encounter rates within each protected area.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Feeding sign
Burrow
Prints
Encounter rate (n/km)
Pan
golin
sig
nMDNP
Smaller pangolinsGiant pangolin
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
FeedingSign
Burrow
Prints
Encounter rate (n/km)
Pan
golin
sig
n
DBRSmaller pangolinsGiant pangolin
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Feedingsign
Burrow
Prints
Encounter rate (n/km)
Fee
din
g si
gn
CMNP
Smaller pangolins
Giant pangolin
35
Table 2: Results of the Mann-Whitney U-test within protected areas
Protected area P-value Interpretation
Mbam and Djerem NP 0.0021 There was a significant difference between the high hunting pressure and low hunting pressure areas.
Dja BR 0.5907 There was no significant difference between the high hunting pressure and low hunting pressure areas.
Campo-Ma’an NP 0.0008 There was a significant difference between the high hunting pressure and low hunting pressure areas.
While pangolin signs encounter rate was higher in the low hunting pressure areas in the Mbam et Djerem and the Campo Ma’an National Park, there was no significant difference between the low hunting pressure forests and the high hunting pressure forest in the Dja Biosphere Reserve (Fig. 6).
Figure 6: Pangolin sign encounter rate in the high hunting pressure forest and the low hunting pressure forest.
The Kruskal-Wallis Chi Squared test (P-value=0.0204) showed that there was a significant difference between the encounter rates of pangolin signs in the three protected areas. As shown in Fig. 7, the average pangolin signs encounter rates for the Mbam et Djerem National Park and the Dja Biosphere Reserve were similar, but these encounter rates were different from the average pangolin sign encounter rate in the Campo Ma’an National Park.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CMNP
DBR
MDNP
Pangolin sign encounter rate (n/km)
Pro
tect
ed a
rea
High hunting pressure area
Low hunting pressuere area
36
Figure 7: Pangolin signs encounter rate The Spearman correlation and a regression analysis was carried out in order to find out if the encounter rate of pangolin signs was influenced by the degree of human presence. With the combined data from all three protected areas, the correlation coefficient (-0.103) indicated that there was a negligible correlation between human signs and the encounter rate of pangolin signs. Fig. 8 shows a simple linear regression carried out with the encounter rate of human signs as the independent variable and the encounter rate of pangolin signs as the dependent variable. Hence, there was generally no relationship between the encounter rate of pangolin signs and the degree of human presence.
Figure 8: Relationship between encounter rate of human signs and pangolin signs encounter rate
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
CMNP
DBR
MDNP
Pangolin signs encounter rate
Pro
tect
ed a
rea
37
The results of the Spearman correlation within each protected area are presented on Table 3 below. Table 3: Results of Spearman correlation within protected areas
Protected area Coefficient of correlation Interpretation
Mbam and Djerem NP -0.5124 Weak negative correlation Dja BR 0.2517 Negligible correlation Campo Ma’an NP -0.2198 Negligible correlation
Camera trap results
Table 4: Summary of camera trap results
Protected area Combined
Effort (trap
nights)
Number
of species
Number of
GP events
Numbe
r of
WBP
events
Numbe
r of
BBP
events
Total Number
pangolin events
Mbam and
Djerem NP
175 16 1 1 0 2
Dja BR 197 12 0 0 0 0
Campo Ma’an
National Park
225 14 2 4 0 6
Combined
Results
597 22 3 5 0 8
The main objective of the camera trap survey was to confirm presence of the different species of pangolins in the three protected areas with pictures. After a combined trap effort of 597 trap nights, there were a total of eight independent photographic events. These included five events for white-bellied pangolin and three events for giant pangolin (Table 4), thereby making the white-bellied pangolin the most commonly recorded pangolin species during the camera trap survey. Pangolins were detected throughout the night between 8:00 PM and 5:00 AM reflecting pangolins nocturnal behavior. Black-bellied pangolin was not detected during any of the camera-trap surveys. A majority of pangolin detections were in the Campo Ma’an National Park (six independent photographic events).
38
White-bellied pangolin
Giant pangolin
Figure 9: Selected pangolin photos recorded by camera traps. Cameras also recorded photos of other wildlife species present in these three protected areas. A total of 22 species were recorded in the three protected areas (16 species in the Mbam et Djerem National Park, 12 species in the Dja Biosphere Reserve and 14 in the Campo Ma’an National Park as shown on Table 4 above (see Appendix III) for a list of all species recorded and appendix IV selected photos of some species). These included forest elephant (Loxodonta
cyclotis), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), and aardvark (Orycteropus afer)). It was difficult to identify animal species in some photos due to the poor quality of the some pictures. For others only the family of the species could be known, especially for some species of duiker. Camera traps also photographed an armed hunter at night in the Dja Biosphere Reserve (See Appendix IV for photograph).
Results of Socioeconomic survey
39
A total of 226 interviews were conducted in two protected areas, 121 interviews in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 105 interviews in the Campo Ma’an National Park. As shown on Fig. 10, overall more men were interviewed compared to women (22%). There was not a great difference between the women/men ratio in both protected areas (0.30 for the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 0.26 for the Campo Ma’an National Park).
Figure 10: Sex Distribution of Respondents
Respondents included youths, working age men and the elderly. In both protected areas, respondents were 20years old and above. No age range was highly dominant as respondents were distributed across many age ranges (see Fig. 11). The median age range of respondents was 40-49 years.
23%
21%
77%
79%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Mbam ab Djerem NP.
Campo Ma’an NP.
Percentage of respondents
Pro
tect
ed a
rea
Female Male
40
Figure 11: Age Distribution of Respondents
A total of seven major tribes were recorded in the two protected areas, four major tribes in the Mbam et Djerem National Park (Gbaya, Mbororo, Vouté and Babouté) and three major tribes in the Campo Ma’an National Park (Mvae, Mabeya and Ntumu). The dominant tribe interviewed in the Mbam et Djerem National Park was the Gbaya while the dominant tribe interviewed in the Campo Ma’an National Park was Mvae (See Fig, 12).
Figure 12: Tribes of respondents Profession of Respondents
Respondents belonged to various walks of life within the communities (see Fig. 13). Farming was by far the dominant occupation of many respondents in the two National Parks, with a number of persons also involved in other commercial activities.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Gb
aya
Mb
oro
ro
Vo
uté
Bab
ou
té
Oth
ers
Mva
e
Mab
eya
Ntu
mu
Oth
ers
Mbam et Djerem NP Campo Ma’an NP
Pe
rcen
tage
of
resp
on
de
nts
Tribes of respondents
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 ≥60
Pe
rcen
tage
of
resp
on
den
ts
Age Range
Mbam et Djerem NP
Campo Ma’an NP
41
Figure 13: Profession of respondents
Identification of different species of pangolins
Most respondents could generally recognize the different species of pangolins. Almost every respondent recognized the giant pangolin (90% of respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 100% in the Campo Ma’an National Park) and the white-bellied pangolins (81% in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 99% in the Campo Ma’an National Park (see Fig. 14). However, while a majority of respondents recognized the black-bellied pangolin in the Campo Ma’an National Park (66% of respondents), only very few respondents identified the black-bellied pangolin in the Mbam et Djerem National Park (7% of respondent) as shown on.
Figure 14: Respondent’s ability to recognize different species of pangolins
Some respondents had seen different species of pangolins species recently while it had been a long time since some respondents last saw some pangolin species. Fig. 15 shows that, the giant pangolin (20% in the MDNP and 49% in the CMNP) and the white-bellied-pangolin (33%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Farming Livestock Business Fishing Retired Others
Pe
rcen
tage
of
resp
on
den
ts
Profession of respondents
Mbam et Djerem NP
Campo Ma’an NP
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Giant Pangolin White-belliedpangolin
Black-belliedpangolin
Per
cen
tage
of
resp
on
den
ts
Species of pangolin
Mbam and Djerem NPCampo Ma'an NP
42
in the MDNP and 91% in the CMNP) had been recently seen by respondents in both the Mbam et Djerem and the Campo Ma’an National Parks. While the black-bellied pangolin had been sighted in the Campo Ma’an National Park (22%), it had not been sighted recently by respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park. The white-bellied pangolin was reportedly widely seen recently by respondents in the Campo Ma’an National Park (91%) compared to the Mbam et Djerem National Park (33%). Most respondents in the two protected areas reported having lastly seen various species of pangolins in the forests and villages.
Figure 15: Time when respondents lastly saw pangolin
Frequency of observation of species of pangolin Most respondents rarely see the giant pangolins in both the Mbam et Djerem National Park (77%) and the Campo-Ma’an National Park (76%) as shown on Fig, 16. The white-bellied pangolin was the most frequently observed (40% by respondents in CMNP and 17% in the MDNP) amongst all three species of pangolins. Most respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park (93%) had never seen black-bellied pangolin while approximately half (51%) of the respondents in the Campo-Ma’an National Park had seen the black-bellied pangolins on rare occasions.
Figure 16: Frequency of pangolin observation
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f R
esp
on
de
nts
Pangolin species
Mbam et Djerem NP
Very Long time ago
Longtime ago
Recently
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
GiantPangolin
White-belliedpangolin
Black-belliedpangolin
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f R
esp
on
de
nts
Pangolin species
Campo Ma'an NP
Very Long time ago
Longtime ago
Recently
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
GiantPangolin
White-belliedpangolin
Black-belliedpangolin
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
po
nd
en
ts
Pangolin species
Mbam et Djerem NP
AlwaysSometimesRarely
0%
10%
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30%
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50%
60%
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100%
GiantPangolin
White-belliedpangolin
Black-belliedpangolin
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Pangolin species
Campo Ma'an NP Always
Sometimes
Rarely
43
Trends in pangolin populations In the Mbam et Djerem National Park, many respondents felt that the population of the giant pangolin was reducing while that of the white-bellied pangolin was increasing. Half (50%) of respondents felt that the population of the giant pangolin is reducing and on the contrary, almost half of the respondents (47%) felt the population of the white-bellied pangolin was increasing (Fig. 17). Not much was said about the population trend of the black-bellied pangolin in the Mbam et Djerem National park since most of the respondents had never seen it. The results were similar to the results in the Campo Ma’an National Park where the population of the giant pangolin was also thought to be reducing while the population of the white-bellied pangolin was thought to be on the increase. Unlike in the Mbam et Djerem National Park where much was not known about the black-bellied pangolins, many respondents in the Campo Ma’an National Park said that the population of the black-bellied pangolin was decreasing (see Fig. 18).
Figure 17: Respondents Perception about trend in pangolin hunting
Pangolin hunting was very common both in the Mbam et Djerem and the Campo Ma’an National Parks (see Fig. 18). Even though pangolin hunting was reportedly common, there was very little specialized hunting for pangolins as pangolins were usually just one of the regular animals caught in the hunting process in general. Most of the specialized hunting took place in the Mbam et Djerem National park where respondents reported that some pangolin hunters hand dug suspected pangolin burrows until they caught the pangolin in the burrow. Pangolins were mostly caught with the use of snare traps both in the Mbam et Djerem National Park (75% of respondents) and the Campo Ma’an National Park. However, informal discussions with local inhabitants suggested that the giant pangolin was so powerful that it usually releases itself when caught in a snare trap. A lot of pangolins were also reportedly caught by simply handpicking or using simple hand held tools like sticks and machetes (see Fig. 19).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
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100%
GiantPangolin
White-belliedpangolin
Black-belliedpangolin
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Pangolin species
Mbam et Djerem NPReducing
Stable
Increasing
0%
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30%
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GiantPangolin
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rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Pangolin species
Campo Ma'an NPReducingStableIncreasing
44
Figure 18 Figure 19 Figure 18: Respondents' perception on pangolin hunting Figure 19: Methods used in catching pangolins
Pangolins were highly used for both local and commercial purposes in both protected areas. Figure 20 shows that 88% of respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National park and 96% of respondents in the Campo Ma’an National Park use pangolins locally including; for meat and traditional medicine. Fig. 21 also reveals that 79% of respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 51% of respondents in the Campo Ma’an National Park use pangolins for commercial purposes. Meat and scales were the main commercial parts of pangolins. More scales were reportedly commercialized as 82% of respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and 77% of respondents in the Campo-Ma’an National Park reported commercialization of pangolin scales (see Fig. 21). Many respondents also reported the commercialization of meat both in the Mbam et Djerem National park (57%) and the Campo Ma’an National Park (see Fig. 22).
Figure 20 Figure 21
Figure 20: Methods used in catching pangolins
0%
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100%
Yes No
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Respondents' perception on pangolin hunting
Mbam and Djerem NP
Campo Ma'an NP
0%
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Methods used in catching pangolins
Mbam and Djerem NP
Campo Ma'an NP
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Local use Commercial use
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Purpose for pangolin hunting
Mbam and Djerem NPCampo-Ma'an NP
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Meat Scales
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Mbam and Djerem NPCampo Ma'an NP
45
Figure 21: Commercial pangolin parts
Amongst all the seven species of animals (duiker sp., red river hog, chimpanzee, giant pangolins, white-bellied pangolins, black-bellied pangolins) presented to respondents, apart from the giant panda that does not exist in these protected areas, the giant pangolin was said to be the rarest species in both the Mbam et Djerem National Park (56%) and the Campo Ma’an National Park (49%) as shown on Fig. 22.
Figure 22: Rarest wildlife species amongst species presented
Discussion
Confirm presence
Even though camera trapping for pangolins is a difficult task, this study shows that the giant pangolin and the white-bellied pangolin can be recorded with a combined camera trap effort of 175-225 camera trap nights using 6-9 camera traps. It confirms the presence of white-bellied pangolin and the giant pangolin in the Mbam et Djerem National Park and the Campo Ma’an National Park with pictures. Even though there were no detections of pangolin using camera traps in the Dja Biosphere Reserve during this study, white-bellied pangolin and giant pangolin were recorded a few times by ZSL in the Dja Biosphere Reserve using 30 camera traps for over 100 days (about 4000 trap nights) in 2016 (Bruce et al., 2017). Pangolins have also been recorded in camera traps in other parts of Africa like South Sudan (Shreya, 2015) and Uganda (Treves et al., 2009). From informal discussions with a pangolin expert (Cassidy R., pers. comm., 2017) who runs a pangolin project in the Central African Republic, the black-bellied pangolin is diurnal, remains mostly on tree tops and only descends when it feels uneasy. This might account for absence of black-bellied pangolin in the camera trap pictures because the camera traps were set to primarily target terrestrial species, making detection of arborial pangolins unlikely. The strange behavior of the black-bellied pangolin was also
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f re
spo
nd
en
ts
Wildlife species
Mbam and Djerem NP
Campo Ma'an NP
46
confirmed by most local inhabitants in the Campo Ma’an National Park during the socioeconomic surveys. Respondents said black-bellied pangolins (known locally as raffia pangolins because it is said to live mostly on raffia palms) behave differently from giant pangolin and the white-bellied pangolin because it is active mostly during the day. Kingdon (2015) indicates that the black-bellied pangolin is active both during the day and during the night. Even though black-bellied pangolins were not recorded, the team recorded the carcass of a black-bellied pangolin (Fig. 23) during transect surveys in the Campo Ma’an National, thereby confirming the presence of the black-bellied pangolin in the park.
Figure 23: Carcass of a black-bellied pangolin
In Asia, Marler (2016) recorded Palawan pangolin (Manis culionensis) soon after camera trap installation. Lim and Ng (2007) also photo-captured the Sunda pangolin (Manis Janica) soon after camera traps were set up but were not successful in consecutive long-term photo-captures of the animal, suggesting that pangolins were curious to find out what happened in the areas in which camera traps were installed. This was, however not the case in our study where pangolins were photo-captured over successive periods. Three pangolin independent photographic events occurred within five days of camera installation, three pangolin independent photographic events after about two weeks and two pangolin independent photographic events after about a month. This suggest that African pangolins are not necessarily repelled or attracted by human presence, but continue operating normally under limited human presence. As expected all the detections of pangolin were recorded at night, suggesting that the giant pangolin and the white-bellied pangolin are nocturnal (Kingdon, 2015). Our results suggest that giant pangolin are more active after midnight as four of five detections occurred between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM. This is supported by other camera trap surveys which reported that giant pangolin within the DBR had a peak of activity at 4 am (Bruce et al. 2017).
Encounter rates
Direct observation of pangolins in the wild is difficult especially when targeted. Indirect signs pointing to pangolin presence (feeding signs, pangolin burrows and prints; including footprints and tail prints) were targeted during the research. Most of the signs recorded were feeding signs of giant pangolins. This is likely because the giant pangolin’s feeding signs are more visible considering that they are more powerful, feed by powerfully excavating ants and
47
termite mounts leaving behind easily visible signs, while the smaller pangolins (white-bellied pangolins and black-bellied pangolins) leave very little feeding traces. The feeding sign of the giant pangolin is similar to that of the red-river hog (Potamoshoerus porcus) and the aardvark, but a little less intense as the pangolin uses its claws for digging while the red river hog and the aardvark use their powerful mouths. Pangolin feeding signs were usually accompanied by foot or tail prints or both which helped us distinguish it more clearly from the feeding remains of the red river hog and the aardvark as their footprints are quite different. Giant pangolin hind legs leave prints that resemble that of a small elephant, while the fore legs have long sharp claws used for digging and foraging (Kingdon, 2015). The tail of the giant pangolin often leaves behind powerful trail marks (Kingdon, 2015).
Figure 24: Feeding signs of the giant pangolin with claw marks
As shown on Fig. 5, and confirmed by the Kruskal-Wallis Chi Squared test (P-value=0.0204), there was a significant difference between the encounter rates of pangolin signs in the three protected areas. The encounter rate was very low in the Campo Ma’an National Park compared to the other two protected areas. This could be as a result of the fact that a large portion of the terrain in the Campo Ma’an National Park was made up of rocks. Hence, it was difficult for pangolins to dig on the rocks, thereby reducing the detection probability in the Campo Ma’an National Park (CMNP). The low encounter rate of pangolin signs in the Campo Ma’an National Park (less than 2 signs/km) recorded during this study is similar to the pangolins encounter rate reported during a mammal inventory in the Campo Ma’an National Park in 2015 where pangolins sign encounter rate in the CMNP was also less than 2 signs/km (Dogmo et al, 2015). Even though the encounter rate of pangolin signs were higher in both Mbam et Djerem National Park (MDNP) and the DBR, the encounter rate of the smaller pangolins (white-bellied and black-bellied pangolins) may have been greater in the DBR as a result of the marshy terrain often encountered in the reserve where even the slightest signs could be visibly noticed. The dominance of the giant pangolin signs does not suggest that the giant pangolins are the most common in the areas. On the contrary, results from the local ecological survey revealed that, the giant pangolin is one of the rarest animals in both the MDNP and the CMNP (Fig. 22) and many respondents had recently seen the white-bellied pangolin in both protected areas. As suggested by the Mann-Whitney U-test, there was a significant difference between the encounter rate of pangolin signs in the high hunting pressure area (≤10 km from nearest
48
human settlement) and the low hunting pressure area (>10 km from nearest human settlement) for the encounter rate was higher in the low hunting pressure area. However, the correlation test and the regression analysis showed that there is a negligible relationship between encounter rate of human signs and encounter rate of pangolin signs. This shows that the difference in encounter rates of pangolin signs between the high hunting pressure area and the low hunting pressure area may be as a result of other factors and not necessarily human presence. Pangolins have been reported (with pictures) to move into research camps in in the MDNP and the CMNP, indicating that they are not necessarily repelled by human presence. Many respondents also reported having caught pangolins by simply handpicking in nearby forests and along footpaths close to their houses. This suggest that pangolins species in Central Africa can tolerate moderate level of human disturbance just like the Palawan pangolin suggested by Marler (2016).
Historical trends
Most respondents based their estimations from the number of pangolin encountered (both in villagers, markets and forest) today compared to what was known in the past. Generally, more respondents felt that the population of the giant pangolin and black-bellied pangolins were reducing while that of the white-bellied pangolin was increasing. In the past, pangolins were hunted just for the meat but today pangolins are hunted for both their meat and scales. Almost everyone knows the commercial value of pangolin scales (see Fig. 21) and this has been an additional motivation to hunt pangolins. In the Campo Ma’an National Park, scales of pangolins are not thrown away but are preciously preserved and sold to middle-men who pass-by periodically. The availability of pangolins in villages and markets may not necessarily be as a result of the increase in populations but as a result of increase in hunting pressure to fuel the trade. With the recent up-listing of pangolins from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES, there is hope that more efforts will be made to stop the illegal trade in pangolins or their parts. This may lead to increase in sophistication of the trade and increase in the price of pangolin scales in the destined market. The increase in awareness about the commercial value of pangolin scales in the Asian market may increase the number of middle men and hunters involved in this illegal trade. There is therefore need for counter efforts to curb down this illegal trade which is having a negative effect on pangolin populations in the wild.
Comparing field and socioeconomic data
Part of the pangolin data collected in the field seems to agree with the data collected during the LEK surveys. Pangolins are generally known to live in burrows and pangolin burrows were observed in the MDNP but not many in the DBR and the CMNP. In the Campo Ma’an NP, most respondents said that pangolins live in caves and large hollow tree trunks. This could be true because only one pangolin burrow was recorded in the park during field surveys. The aardvark makes burrows that are similar to the giant pangolin burrows and the species is common in the Mbam et Djerem National Park for we gathered camera trap photos, burrow, and feeding sign of the aardvark in this park. From informal discussions with local guides in the Mbam et Djerem National Park, pangolins share the same burrows with aardvarks. They think that burrows are mostly dug by the aardvark and after it uses and abandons it, it is then used by the giant pangolin. This seems to suggest that the giant pangolin does not create a living pace for itself but prefers areas that are already made. In the Mbam et Djerem National Park where
49
the aardvark is present and creates burrows, the giant pangolin lives in abandoned burrows while in the Campo Ma’an National Park where the aardvark is not present, the giant pangolin was said to live in caves and hollow tree trunks.
Figure 25: Giant pangolin burrow
Part of the data collected during the field studies also seem to differ from the opinion of respondents and from pangolins realities. The encounter rate of giant pangolin signs was the highest for all three protected areas probably because they are larger and more visible (Fig. 5). On the contrary, most respondents said the giant pangolin was one of the rarest species in both the Mbam and Djerem National Park and the Campo Ma’an National Park. For most of the respondents, the white-bellied pangolin was the most frequently observed and the most common species of pangolin in both the Mbam et Djerem and the Campo Ma’an National Parks.
Threats to pangolins
Pangolin hunting is a major threat to pangolins in both the Mbam et Djerem National Park and the Campo Ma’an National Park. Pangolin hunting is common as they don’t fight back and are easy to catch with simple hunting tools like traps or simple hand held tools like sticks and machetes or simply picked up with the hand in the case of the white-bellied pangolin (see Figure 20 and Figure 21). In the Mbam and Djerem National Park, hunters spend up to three days in the wild, searching and digging suspected giant pangolins burrows.
50
Figure 26: Snare trap and wires
The quest for pangolins to feed the domestic demand for meat and the international demand for scales is giving high motivation for hunters who are then putting immense pressure on these already very vulnerable species. Hunters are more determined and motivated today than ever, they continuously harvest pangolins in regular basis thereby seriously reducing their populations in the wild given that they have a very low reproductive rate. Unfortunately, the high volumes and frequencies of observation in villages leave local inhabitants with the perception that pangolins population are increasing and that pangolins could not be hunted to extinction. Pangolin meat is a source of protein to many local households as the meat is said to be very tasteful. It also a source of income as the entire pangolin is sometime wholly sold with scales or cut into smaller more affordable slices, prepared and sold in the village markets. Many of the scales are sold in the ‘black market’ while some traditional practitioners also use pangolin scales for traditional medicine. Some respondents in the Mbam et Djerem National Park said they mix plants seeds in powdered white-bellied pangolin scales before sowing. They belief that because pangolins have many scales, the pangolin scale powder will enable them to have much yields. In the past, the scales of the giant pangolins were used for cleaning cooking pots and also to chase away evil spirits in the Mbam et Djerem National Park. In the Campo Ma’an National Park, the black-bellied pangolin is also called “pangolin de malchance” (pangolin of ill-luck) because it is believed to announce ill-luck to anyone who sees it. As a result, most local inhabitants do not desire to see the black-bellied pangolins for they think it announces the death of a close family member. Some respondents could recount the occasions in which they observed the black-bellied pangolin and the family members they lost shortly after. While some respondents said that they would not kill the black-bellied pangolin, others said that they will kill and eat it because after all, they had already seen it.
Conclusions
Reliable estimates of the populations of a species are vital for its sustainable management. Estimating the population of pangolins in Central Africa remains a challenge because pangolins are difficult to study. In this study, we have tested the effectiveness of some standard scientific
51
field techniques (transects and camera traps) and socioeconomic techniques to have a picture of the pangolin populations and threats in three protected areas in Cameroon. This study has shown that it is important to combine field and socioeconomic techniques in efforts to estimate pangolin populations in Central Africa. Even though we were not able to estimate the number of pangolins in each protected area, field techniques have provided scientific evidence of the presence of pangolins, provided numbers that could be compared between potential pangolin sites and provide a baseline from which comparative studies could be carried out in future to monitor changes. Socioeconomic surveys have helped us to compare the pangolin situation in the past to the current pangolin crisis. Both techniques are important in having a good picture of the threats to pangolins.
Recommendations
1. A similar project needs to be carried out in other protected areas in Cameroon suspected of having wild populations of pangolins in order to have a national picture of pangolin populations in their natural habitats. This will be helpful in the development of a national pangolin action plan for Cameroon. 2. Pangolins need to be included in mammal surveys and the regular biomonitoring patrols carried out by rangers (eco-guards) in protected areas in Cameroon. Pangolins are not included in the regular biomonitoring patrols in some protected areas in Cameroon. Some protected areas do not even have pangolins in their SMART database making it impossible for pangolin data to be collected during biomonitoring patrols. Only direct observation of pangolins should be recorded and confirmed with pictures because rangers may not be able to differentiate pangolin signs with signs of other species like the aardvark 3. More detailed studies need to be carried out on the behavioral ecology of the three species of pangolins in Cameroon, especially the black-bellied pangolin which seems to exhibit behaviors that are different from the white-bellied and giant pangolins. 4. Similar research on pangolin populations and ecology need to be carried out in other Central African Countries. 5. There is need for research on the home range of the giant pangolin which can be
combined with giant pangolins signs encounter rate to estimate the population of giant
pangolins.
6. The white-bellied pangolin is the most common species of pangolins and easily found in
markets and villages. There is need for more on-the-ground more research into the rate of
offtake which could be compared over time to monitor hunting pressure.
7. Local communities near protected areas should be educated about the impacts of trafficking on pangolin populations. 8. Research on pangolins in the region should be collected, compiled and analyzed together or population modeling. 9. More detailed research need to be carried out over a long periods of time, taking into consideration seasonal variability 10. There is also need for research on Central African pangolins using other methods like
radio telemetry.
Lessons and Experiences
52
At the beginning of the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship program, Fellows did not have much field experience. Most of our field experience was gotten from our academic internships and master’s degree research. During this research work, Fellows have learned a lot about field work, living and working in the field and in very remote areas over long periods of time. During this field works, Fellows improved their skills in using field equipment like GPS, compass, and topofils. Working with field Biologists and experienced local guides, the team learned a lot about animal signs identification especially the identification of pangolin signs. In all circumstances, we made it known to the teams that we were there to learn so we asked demanded explanations every time we did not understand something. Field work required a lot of planning, so we developed planning skills. We carried out field surveys (transects and camera trapping) in three protected areas and also conducted socioeconomic surveys in two protected areas between November and May. This was a huge amount of work and to be able to do all these required planning for each activity and also prioritizing activities. Carrying out each field activity required that we developed a budget, requested for finance, spent and later justified the expenditure. This process helped us improve our financial management and accountability skills. For a team of three Fellows, local guides, porters and rangers, there was bound to be huge logistic needs. We had to request some of the equipment we used from ZSL and meant following ZSL procedures for requesting and returning equipment. We had to be careful to make sure that we returned with all the equipment with which we went to the field. This instilled some sense of responsibility in us and helped develop our skills in logistic management. Working as a team of three Fellows (the Field Assessment Action Group), and in teams with local guides and rangers with different background and culture, conflicts were inevitable. We therefore needed to be able to resolve and transform these conflicts, assign roles and responsibilities and provide leadership when necessary to ensure that we achieve project objectives. This helped us improve in our abilities of working in teams.
Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the support and participation from a number of organizations and persons. We wish to immensely thank US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Zoological Society of London for organizing the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program during which this project was conceived, proposal developed and implemented. Thanks to the project writing workshops we had during the program, we were able to put the research proposal together. We also thank the USFWS for providing the financial resources needed and also for their supervisory role throughout the project. We thank ZSL for providing some field equipment and for their administrative and supervisory role during this project. We thank our Mentors from the USFWS, ZSL, WCS, WWF, who took time to review our proposal and provide comments which were very helpful in developing our
53
proposal. The proposal was finalized after months of exchange with our Mentors. We thank Chris Barichievy and Tom Bruce for project design and analysis advice. We are grateful to our partners who facilitated our work in the field: WCS Mbam and Djerem National Park, the conservator of the Mbam and Djerem National Park, ZSL-Dja Biosphere Reserve, the Conservator of the Dja Biosphere Reserve, WWF-Campo Ma’an National Park, and the Conservator of the Campo Ma’an National Park. We are also grateful to other Fellows who provided useful insights for our project. We thank the local guides and porters from all three protected areas who were also very supportive and from whom we learnt a lot on pangolins.
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Ancrenaz, M., Hearn A.J., Ross J., Sollmann R., and Wilting W. (2012). Handbook for wildlife monitoring using camera‐traps. Sabah, Malaysia, BBEC II Secretariat. Actman, J. (2016). Four Tons of ‘Plastic’ Discovered to Be Smuggled Pangolin Scales. National Geographic. Retrieved July, 2016 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/pangolin-scales-smuggling-hong-kong/ Akpona, H. A., Djagoun, C.A.M.S., Sincine Brice. (2008). Ecology and ethnozoology of the three-cusped pangolin Manis tricuspis(Mammalia, Pholidota) in the Lama forest reserve, Benin. Mammalia, 72, 198 – 202. Betti, J.L., (2003). Impact of Forest Logging in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. Ministry of Environment and Forestry/PSRF, Yaoundé/ Cameroon. Retrieved 28th March, 2016. Bruce T., Wacher T., Ndinga H., Bidjoka V., Meyong F., Bata N.M., … and Olson D.(2017). Camera-Trap Survey for Larger Terrestrial Wildlife in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon Diversity and Intactness of the Larger Vertebrate Fauna, Zoological Society of London (ZSL) & Ministry of Forests and Fauna (MINFOF), Yaoundé, Cameroon. Challender, D.W.S., Baillie, J.E.M., Waterman, C., the IUCN-SSC Pangolin Specialist Group. (2012). Catalyzing conservation action and raising the profile of pangolins. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology, 1(2), 140 - 141. Challender, D. W. S., Waterman, C., & Baillie, J. E. M. (2014). Scaling up pangolin conservation. IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group Conservation Action Plan. Zoological Society of London, London, UK Chao, J. T., Tsao E. H., Holzer, K. T., Reed, D., Leus, K., (2005). Formosan Pangolin Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Final Report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Faunal and Flora. (2016). Consideration of Proposals for Amendments to Appendices I and II in the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from September 24 – October 5, 2016. Dogmo, Z.N., N’goran, K.P., Fondja, C., Nkono, J. (2015). Evaluation de la Dynamique des Populations de Grands et Moyens Mammiferes Dans le Domaine Forestier Permanent de l’unite Technique Operationnelle Campo Ma’an. Rapport Inventaire Faunique du Parc National de Campo Ma’an. WWF Regional Office for Africa. Ganguly, S. (2013). Pangolin Zoological Characteristics and Its Uniqueness in Mammalian Group. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 1 (1), 1 – 2. Gilchrist, G., Mallory, M., & Merkel, F. (2005). Can local ecological knowledge contribute to
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Haen, N., Schmook, B., Reyes, Y., Calme, S. (2014). Improving conservation outcomes with insights from local experts and bureaucracies. Conserv. Biol. 28, 951–958 IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group (2016). The Conservation Status, Illegal Trade and Use of Pangolins (Manis Spp). Information Document for the 66th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, 11-15 January 2016, Geneva, Switzerland. Kingdon J. (2015). The Kingdom Field Guide to African Mammals (2nd edition), London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Lim, N.T. L., Peter, K. L. (2008). Home range, activity cycle and natal den usage of a female Sunda pangolin Manis javanica (Mammalia: Pholidota) in Singapore. Endangered Species Research, 4, 233 – 240. Marler, P.N. (2016). Camera trapping the Palawan Pangolin Manis culionensis (Mammalfa: Pholidota: Manidae) in the wild. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(12), 9443-9448. Ministry of forestry and Wildlife (2013) Circular letter No 0153/LC/MINFOF/SG/DFAP/SDVEF of 27 th June suspending the exportation of pangolins scales. Yaounde, Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (2014). Cameroon Protected Areas. MINFOF Communication Unit. Yaounde, Cameroon.
Ministry of forestry and Wildlife (2017). Circular letter No 00017/LC/MINFOF/DFAP/SDVEF of January 2017, relative to the exportation pangolins and Grey Parrot. Yaounde, Cameroon. Nash, H.C, Wong, M.H.D.G., Turvey, S.T. (2016). Using local ecological knowledge to determine status and threats of the Critically Endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Hainan, China. Biological Conservation 196: 189–19
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Sunderl, T. C., and Tchouto, P. (1999). A Participatory Survey and Inventory of Timber and Non-Timber Forest Products of the Mokoko River Forest Reserve, SW Cameroon. Unpublished report for USIAD/CARPE. Treves A., Mwima P., Plumptre A., Isoke S. (2009). Camera-trapping forest–woodland wildlife of western Uganda reveals how gregariousness biases estimates of relative abundance and
distribution. Biological Conservation 143 (2010) 521–528. White, L., Edwards, A. (2000). Conservation research in the African rainforests: a technical handbook. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York. 444 pp., many illustrations Wilcox, D., Hao, D.T., Phuong, T.Q. (2011). An internal report on the collaborative survey between the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program and the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Project carried out between February – March 2011. Wildlife Conservation Society (2016). Mbam Djerem National Park. Retrieved June, 2017 from https://programs.wcs.org/cameroon/Wild-Places/Mbam-Djerem-National-Park1.aspx World Wide Fund for nature (2009). Campo-Ma’an National Park, Cameroon. Retrieved June 23, 2017 from http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/cameroon/index.cfm?uProjectID=CM0858
Zoological Society of London and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2014). Eating pangolins to extinction; Press Release. Retrieved June, 2016 from.https://www.ewt.org.za/WILDLIFETRADE/pdf/ZSL%20&%20IUCN%20Pangolin%20Red%20List%20Press%20Release.pdf Zoological Society of London (2015). Terms of Reference for Planning, Installing and Recovering A Camera Trap Monitoring Array at Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon, November 2015 to March 2016. London. Zoological Society of London (2016). Investigation into the Ecology, Distribution and Threats of the Sunda Pangolin (Manis Javanica) in Salakpra Conservation Landscape and Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary: Progress Report (Unpublished)
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58
LEGAL SYSTEMS ACTION GROUP REPORT
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.
AMCEN African Ministerial Conference on the Environment.
ATAU Anti Traffic Airport Unit.
CFBC Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
COP Conference of the Parties.
CPC Criminal Procedure Code.
DRAG Demand Reduction Action Group
FAAG Field Assessment Action Group
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
IWT International Wildlife Trade
JPOGC Judicial Police Officer of General Competence.
JPOSC Judicial Police Officer of Special Competence.
LAGA Last Great Ape Organization.
LSAG Legal Systems Action Group.
MENTOR-POP Mentoring for Environmental Training in Outreach and Resource Conservation-
Progress on Pangolins
MINFOF Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
PNGE Programme Nationale pour la Gestion d’Environnent.
TRAFFIC The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network.
UK United Kingdom.
UNGA United Nations General Assembly.
USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
WWF Worldwide Fund for Nature.
ZSL Zoological Society of London
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work was made possible with collaboration and contribution of individuals and institutions
associated with wildlife law enforcement activities.
We would like to express our profound gratitude to delegates and staff of MINFOF Regional,
Divisional offices, National Parks and Control Posts of the Centre, South, East, Littoral, South West, West,
Adamawa and the North West Regions for the pains they took to attend to us.
We equally thank the various courts staff of these Regions for opening their doors for to us when
we came knocking to get judgments of cases concerning pangolins.
We are particularly grateful to Sone Nkoke Christopher of TRAFFIC, Eric Tah Kaba and Aime Nya Frisco of
LAGA for their technical support to see that this work was realized. We could not do it all alone without
you.
We thank the other MENTOR-POP Fellows in the persons of Etugekwe Esua Fossung , Affana Nkoa
Camille Nguyen Ngoc Bao Linh , Ichu Ichu Godwill, Mousset Moumbolou Carla Louise and Jonas Kambale
Nyumu for their immense support to the realization of this work.
Tarla Francis Nchembi, “the shepherd of the sheep”, remains in our hearts forever. You made this
programme happen. Your parental advice and leadership skills account for the success of this project in
particular and the MENTOR-POP programme in general.
Special mention and gratitude is made to the entire staff of the USFWS, particularly Nancy Gelman,
Heidi Ruffler, Tatiana Hendrix, Keri Parker and Matt Muir for the pains they have taken to enable us come
out successful since the genesis of this programme. We also remain grateful to the entire staff of ZSL
Cameroon for their support all through.
We acknowledge the support of all individuals and institutions contacted during this work even if
they are not directly mentioned here by name.
Finally, the Legal Systems Action Group (LSAG) of MENTOR-POP acknowledges the fact that no human
being is infallible; therefore we welcome positive criticisms that will enable us strife for perfection.
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Executive Summary.
Cameroon has a mosaic of habitats, ecosystems, climate and vegetation including forests, coastlines
with mangroves, savannahs and the Sahel; these have permitted a high concentration and a variety of
biodiversity, many of which are endemic. Just as the ecosystems, the threats to biodiversity especially
wildlife species like pangolins are varied and intricate with the major ones being wildlife crime, poaching
and trafficking. To combat this, the Cameroon government has put in place different measures, and it is in
this context that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in collaboration with the Zoological
Society of London (ZSL) through the MENTOR-POP Fellowship program decided on a nationwide survey
to be conducted by the Legal Systems Action Group (LSAG) of the Program to collect data on pangolin
seizures, arrest and prosecutions in Cameroon.
This survey was carried out between August 8th 2016 and January 25th 2017, covering 8 out of 10 Regions
in Cameroon: the Centre, South, East, South West, Littoral, West, Adamawa and the North West Regions,
taking into consideration pangolin habitat and diets (as they are found in forest zones and feed exclusively
on ants and termites); the more reason why the two main Sahel Savannah Regions of the North and Far
North were excluded.
The key indicators used to collect data were the number of seizures and arrest made, cases sent to
court and prosecutions. Information was also obtained on the obstacles to effective wildlife law. Though
faced with some difficulties, we were able to obtain statistics on prosecutions from courts and data on
seizures and arrest from 2012 - 2017 from the archives of the various delegations, national parks of the
Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF).
A total of 98 seizures were made with the East Region registering (37 seizures) the highest.
A total of 9165kg of pangolin scales were seized from traffickers from 2012 to 2017 with the
highest quantity coming from Littoral (5815kg).
253 pangolins were seized within this period with the highest (122 pangolins) coming from the
East Region.
98 traffickers were involved in the trafficking of pangolin scales/products with 69 of them being
Cameroonians, 7 Chinese, 2 Nigerians, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Malian and 18 unidentified individuals.
24 cases were registered with the courts while 11 of these cases have been judged and sentenced.
Despite efforts made by government and other stakeholders to crack down on illegal trade,
traffickers and their network of corruption still persists, as many dealers caught with pangolin
meat or scales were reported to have escaped.
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Introduction
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mentoring for Environmental Training in
Outreach and Resource Conservation (MENTOR) Signature Initiative was established in 2008 and since
then has been building the capacity of emerging African and Asian conservationists. Following on from the
MENTOR-BEAN, MENTOR-FOREST, MENTOR-PACE, and MENTOR-Manatee programmes, the MENTOR-
POP (Progress on Pangolins) Programme is a partnership between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) who are both committed to investing in the capacity building, training,
and career development of emerging conservation leaders.
Capacity development is a fundamental objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in
Africa. The MENTOR Fellowship program provides an important mechanism for achieving this objective.
MENTOR programs combine rigorous academic and field-based training, mentoring, learning through
experience, project design and implementation to build the capacity of young conservationists to address
threats to wildlife. The Program brought together nine Fellows from Africa and Asia to address major
threats facing the three species of pangolins found in Cameroon and Central Africa.
Based in Yaounde-Cameroon, the eighteen months programme began in January 2016 with the nine
Fellows divided into three groups: the Field Assessment Action Group (FAAG), the Demand Reduction
Action Group (DRAG) and the Legal Systems Action Group (LSAG) according to their background and
interests. Each action group has its main objective to achieve by the end of the program. While the Field
Assessment Action Group was developing and implementing protocol to determine the abundance and
distribution of pangolins in the wild, the Demand Reduction Action Group was developing and piloting
interventions to reduce demand for pangolins and finally the Legal Systems Action Group has been
working closely with government and law enforcement agencies to strengthen wildlife/pangolin
legislation in Cameroon.
The pangolin is said to be the most trafficked mammal in the world today with over a million of
them poached from the wild in the past decade (Challender et al. 2016). Three of the world’s eight species
are found in Cameroon and across Central Africa and very little is known about them while illegal trade
for their meat and scales is driving them closer to extinction. The demand for its scales from Asian
countries like China is alarming as seen from the tons that are either seized from illegal trade either at
departure points or at arrival points (Challender D). This may be due to rising wealth in Asia, the search
for high profits and low risks businesses, corruption, etc. Pangolin scale trafficking is estimated to be a
multibillion-dollar business involving very influential and rich people fuelling organized crime networks
that are increasingly sophisticated and dangerous (Challender D). It is claimed that in some parts of Asia
like China, pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments. While there is
little scientific knowledge to support this claim, the constant increase in demand for these scales from
these countries is pushing pangolins towards the brink of extinction (Zhou, Z).
In her efforts to combat this, the Cameroon government is Party to international conventions and
one of such is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). CITES is an international agreement between governments which aims to ensure that
international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Recently, the
63
Cameroon government actively participated and voted for the up-listing of the white bellied and black
bellied pangolins to appendix I of CITES during the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP 17) in the
Republic of South Africa in September 2016. This was an opportunity for Cameroon to show leadership in
improving law enforcement and demand reduction to better protect pangolins in Central Africa. This
leadership of Cameroon has been made possible thanks to organizations and agencies like ZSL, TRAFFIC,
LAGA, WWF and friendly countries like the USA, United Kingdom, and France amongst others. But the
question is whether the measures taken by the state and these stakeholders are enough to mitigate the
decline of pangolin populations in the wild?
In Cameroon as from 2013 with the signing of Ministerial Circular Letter
No.0153/LC/MINFOF/SG/DFAP/SDVEF of 27 June 2013, suspending the exportation of pangolins scales,
seizures are being made by the forces of Law and Order as a way to fight illegal trade but no records are
being kept to know what have been seized and where it is being stored. Therefore the LSAG decided to
carry out this survey, which also focused on major axes including policy, legislative framework,
enforcement action, communication and other mechanisms such as the collection and movement of
commercial consignments to international destinations, corruption and governance issues. This is to know
what has been achieved so far as the result and recommendations will be made to the government and
other wildlife stakeholders to rein-enforce the laws on pangolins conservation.
Championed by the Legal Systems Action Group of MENTOR-POP, the five months survey took into
consideration pangolin habitats and diets (as they are found in forest areas and feed exclusively on ants
and termites), the more reason why the two largely covered savannah Regions of the North and Far North
were excluded.
Objectives.
The overall objective of this survey was to apprehend government actions and efforts to fight
trafficking in pangolin/ scales in and out of Cameroon with focus on major axes including policy,
legislation, enforcement actions, communication, corruption and governance issues.
Specific Objectives.
To collect and analyze data and information on pangolin seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of
dealers in pangolins/scales from 2012 to 2017.
Assessing government policies and other regulatory frameworks to identify gaps and weaknesses
and propose measures to fill them so as to ensure the effective fight against trafficking in pangolins/
scales.
To evaluate the effectiveness of collaboration of various law enforcement agencies (MINFOF,
justice, customs, police, gendarmes) in combating trafficking and formulating recommendations to
enhance the existing collaboration.
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Literature Review.
The Wikipedia defines Wildlife trafficking as the illegal gathering, transportation, and distribution
of animals and their derivatives. This can be done either internationally or domestically. Estimates of the
money generated by wildlife smuggling vary, in part because of its illegal nature. It can involve the trade
of living or dead individuals, tissues such as skins, bones or meat, or other products. This is different from
legal wildlife trade which is regulated by the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which currently has 170 member countries called
Parties. https://.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_trade
TRAFFIC defines wildlife trade as any exchange of wild animal and plant resources by people. This
can involve live animals and plants or a diverse range of products needed or prized by humans- including
skins, medicinal ingredients, tourists’ curios, timber, fish and other food products. Most wildlife trade is
probably within national borders, but there is a large volume of wildlife in trade internationally
(www.traffic.org/trade/)
The illicit wildlife trade have many dangerous consequences in both animals and the economy,
violence used to perpetuate the business, economic collapse of wildlife tourism, health impacts caused by
animal-human diseases, and of course the environmental impact of removing species (such as keystone
species) that play crucial roles in their ecosystems (e.g. loss of biodiversity and proliferation
of invasive species). There is a growing trade in substances such as elephant ivory, tiger bones, pangolin
scales and rhino horns. Furthermore, the profits from wildlife trafficking are increasingly used by
transnational criminal organizations and even terrorist groups to fund other actions that endanger global
stability. It is the responsibility of all nations to combat the illegal wildlife trade. Hard punishments should
therefore be included to dissuade people from participating in illegal poaching and animal trafficking. At
the same time, range states should provide economic alternatives to the wildlife trade for their citizens.
Often aided by poor rule of law, poaching in African countries has reached incredible levels. In 2012,
over 450 elephants were discovered dead in Bouba Ndjida national park in Cameroon, most likely hunted
by poachers from neighboring Chad and Sudan. Those 450 elephants are a small subset of the more than
100,000 elephants hunted and killed by poachers in the past four years, which represent an over 60
percent decrease in the elephant population in Central Africa. Rhinos have not fared much better, as the
number of rhino deaths is projected to surpass the number of new births by 2016. In South Africa, rhino
poaching rates have tripled in the past five years. Today the poaching of pangolins for the meat and scales
have top the chart in illegal trade in wildlife with roughly 5.4 tones seized in one consignment in Douala
Cameroon.
The alarming rate of wildlife trafficking triggered some countries and Non Governmental
Organizations to devote themselves to curb this illegal gotten wealth from traffickers. In 2014, United
Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague recognized the need to galvanize the international community
to take action on illegal wildlife trade and secure political commitment at the highest levels of government.
And in February that year, 42 countries met in London and signed the Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade,
where they made a collective commitment to end this scourge, help communities that suffer from its side
effects and protect endangered species. UK conference signed a memorandum called “The London
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Declaration’s Role in the Fight Against Wildlife Trade” The Declaration secured ambitious political
commitments from all 42 Governments, including:
Support for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) commercial prohibition on international trade in elephant ivory, until the survival of
elephants in the wild is no longer threatened by poaching.
Treating poaching and trafficking as a serious organized crime in the same category as drugs, arms
and people trafficking.
For the first time ever, renouncing the use of any products from species threatened with extinction.
In another conference organized by the government of Vietnam in November 2016, Naoko Ishii,
the CEO and chairperson of GEF said “Poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking are reaching
unprecedented levels and while many efforts are underway to combat the problem, reliable
information on donor funding has been lacking. The analysis fills an important gap in our
understanding of the collective response. It will not only provide a better understanding and
coordination of the contributions of the international community, it should ultimately assist those on
the ground protecting the wildlife and the livelihoods of local communities,”
Due to the cross-border and multi-dimensional nature of illegal wildlife trade, the developing
communities must partner with stakeholders from multiple sectors and countries to reduce poaching,
trafficking, and the demand for wildlife and wildlife products.
According to Ousmane Dione, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, “The Government of
Vietnam has been making growing and visible efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade and reduce
consumer demand for wildlife products. The World Bank strongly supports Vietnam in its wildlife
protection agenda to ensure that future generations experience wildlife not just in books or movies
but in their natural habitats.”
To stem the flow of illegal wildlife trade, many nations have set a proper solution to address
multiple components that deal with law enforcement and customs coordination in addition to policies that
decrease both the supply and demand for wildlife goods. In the past, most international and national law
enforcement organizations have primarily focused on other types of transnational crime, such as the drug
trade. However, agencies have recognized that the wildlife trade is a major contributor to regional crime
and instability and a problem that exacerbates many other crimes, including drug smuggling and money
laundering. More focus by international organizations such as the International Criminal Police
Organization (Interpol) would help bring attention to environmental crimes and would enable more
information sharing between national governments. At the same time, law enforcement agencies at the
national level should double down in their efforts to prevent the illegal capture and sale of at-risk species
within their borders. Agreements such as the South Africa-Mozambique “hot pursuit strategy” are
examples of innovative and cooperative solutions to law enforcement issues that could be copied by other
range states.
The United States has taken some steps to combat wildlife trafficking with former President Barack
Obama having signed an executive order to create a “broad based approach” to wildlife trafficking that will
involve numerous US agencies. Furthermore, Obama pledged US$10 million to support capacity building
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for law enforcement agencies in Africa in order to allow them to better respond to wildlife trafficking. The
US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of
State, and Department of Homeland Security are all playing an important role to prevent trafficking both
at home and abroad. In Europe, which is a major transit point for wildlife shipments from Africa to Asia,
the European Union has strengthened rules regarding the trade in wildlife. However, individual member
states should take a strong role in securing their borders from illicit flows of wildlife products.
Coordination through multilateral law enforcement organizations such as Interpol and the European
Police Office (Europol) will be necessary in order to maintain consistent and effective screening and
interdiction policies.
USAID have helped strengthen previously weak wildlife laws in countries like Kenya and
Mozambique where higher fines and jail terms are now helping deter poaching and trafficking. Across
Africa, hundreds of rangers, law-enforcement agents and the judicial officials have been trained in
techniques to prevent poaching or bring perpetrators of wildlife crimes to justice, significantly increasing
detection of wildlife crimes and number of seizures, arrest and prosecution; 2015 progress Assessment:
National Strategy to combat wildlife trafficking.
In Cameroon the fight against wildlife trafficking is championed by the Ministry of Forestry and
Wildlife and strongly supported by LAGA. The signing of a circular letter in 2013 suspending the trade and
exportation of pangolins scales set the pace for arrests and prosecution of those involved in illegal
business. In a subsequent letter after the up-listing of all eight pangolins into appendix 1 of CITES, the
minister went further to put an end in the harvesting of all pangolins and grey parrots in the national
territory. This shows the importance that Cameroon attaches to wildlife trafficking and pangolins in
particular. On the eve of World Pangolin day 2017, the Ministry of Forestry incinerated 3 tones of
Pangolins, in an extract; Minister Ngole Philip Ngwese noted “We are doing this on the eve of the
International Day of the Pangolin. It is good for the public to know that Pangolin is classified as one
of the most protected animals in the whole world, initially it was just the giant pangolin but following
the convention of parties which sat in Johannesburg South Africa last year, all the species of Pangolins
have been set in class A, meaning that they are not susceptible to be haunted and to be sold, so today
we came to send a message to the public that pangolins scales have no place but on the pangolins”.
Better law enforcement and customs coordination may slow the trade in wildlife, it is crucial to
develop policies that will better deal with the ultimate causes of trafficking. As the “war on drugs” has
demonstrated, a pure focus on interdiction will not work; rather, targeted policies should be directed
towards providing economic alternatives to the wildlife trade and reducing the supply and demand for
illegal animal products. In Africa and Cameroon in particular, it is common for rural citizens to get involved
with poaching or illegal harvesting because of perceived economic benefits. Regional countries should
increase their educational campaigns to stress the economic and environmental dangers of the
illegal wildlife trade. The United Nations Environment Program has collaborated with a number of other
multilateral organizations, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the UN
Development Program, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to raise attention towards animal
trafficking. This collaboration could be expanded to include regional organizations and individual
countries. At the same time, range states should endeavor to support economic development in these
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regions that is both pro-poor and pro-environment. Setting aside conservation areas for ecotourism and
allowing nearby communities to share in the revenues is an innovative model that has found success in
Kenya and Uganda. As some early trials have demonstrated, these policies create incentives to stop
poaching, and give much-needed revenue to some of the poorest parts of Africa. The scope of similar efforts
should be expanded, as they provide a strong economic alternative to wildlife trafficking while enabling
greater economic development.
The legal framework
Due to constant increase in the demand of wildlife products leading to a rise in wildlife criminality
and continuous threat to biodiversity, the government of Cameroon has put in place some legal
instruments to effectively combat illegal wildlife trade/trafficking.
At the International level,
Cameroon is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES), also known as the Washington Declaration (1973). CITES is an
international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in
specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Cameroon became a party
to this convention on June 5th 1981 and following section 45 of the constitution this convention
was ratified on September 3rd 1981.
The Convention on Biological Diversity of 14th June 1992 was ratified by Cameroon on the 29th of
December 1994. This is considered as one of the principal guides in the management and
exploitation of wildlife and forest resources. It is sustained by other texts among which, the
RAMSAR convention on humid zones (ratified by Cameroon in 2006); the convention of Algers on
the conservation of nature and natural resources; and the convention of Paris on desertification
(Paris, 1994).Paris conference of 05 December 2013 on the fight against traffic and poaching on
species threatened with extinction. London declaration on illegal trade of wildlife species (February
2014) with the goals to re-enforce trans-boundary and regional actions through better
coordination.
In addition to these conventions, Cameroon is party to other conventions regarding wildlife such
as Convention on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage (Paris, 23 November 1972),
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, more commonly called the
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention (1979), Cooperation Agreement
with International NGOs (IUCN, WWF).
At the Sub Regional Level:
Recognizing the importance of forest in central Africa and the increasing threats affecting
ecosystems, the heads of states of this sub region have adopted the issue during a first summit,
and published an important declaration named the Yaoundé Declaration. By this declaration, they
took the commitment to put in place appropriate policies for the conservation and sustainable
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management of the Congo basin forest. This initiative benefited from the support of the United
Nations General Assembly expressed through the resolution A/RES/54/214 UN.
The initiative of the Congo basin forest programme (PFBC) came to give more weight to the
Yaoundé declaration. Created in September 2002, during the Johannesburg summit on sustainable
development, it grouped about 30 organizations whose objective was strengthening of the
coordination of various initiatives and conservation policies of the Congo basin forests.
Convention on the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Resources (Algeria 1968), revised to
become African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (Maputo 2003);
Agreement on the Joint Regulations on Fauna and Flora in the Lake Chad Basin (Enugu 1977).
Convention on cooperation relating to the protection and development of the Marine Environment
and the Coastal Areas of West and Central Africa (Abidjan, 16 March 1981);
Accord for cooperation and consultation among central African states relating to wildlife
conservation (Libreville, 16 April 1983).
In addition to these conventions and agreements at the continental and regional levels, there is
also the Brazzaville Declaration of May 2015 urging co-ordinated regional and international action
against wildlife crime at the end of a meeting on illegal exploitation and illicit trade in African
wildlife products.
The 20 points Declaration urges African States to finalize the Draft ‘African Common Strategy on
Combating Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora’ and its action plan to deal with the crisis. The
conference also recommended African States to take leadership at the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) in introducing a Resolution on Wildlife Crime with a strong reporting
mechanism. The Declaration itself builds on outcomes agreed at previous international
conferences on wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade, including those of the Elysée Summit on
Peace and Security in Africa (December 2013, Paris, France), at the two Conferences on Illegal
Wildlife Trade (February 2014, London, UK and the follow-up meeting in March 2015 at Kasane,
Botswana), the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN, in early March, Cairo,
Egypt), with a strong focus on Africa-specific challenges and responses as:
- The Tri- national cooperation of SANGHA regrouping Cameroon, Central Africa Republic and Congo
commonly called TNS.
- Tri-national cooperation of DJA in Cameroon, ODZALA in Congo and MINKEBE in Gabon, fondly
called TRIDOM
- Tri-national cooperation of anti poaching between Cameroon, Central Africa Republic and Chad.
- Anti poaching declaration (PEXULAB) in Central Africa by Ministers of CEMAC in Yaounde (March
2013).
- Brazaville conference of 27-30 of April 2015, on illegal exploitation and illegal trade in fauna and
flora in Africa to prescribe coordinated action in the application of wildlife law on fauna and flora.
At the National Level
69
At the national level, the main piece of legislation governing wildlife is Law N° 94/01 of the 20th January
1994 to lay down Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries regulations and its subsequent act which is Order N°
0648/MINFOF of 18 December 2006 to set the list of animals of classes A, B and C, according to the degree
of protection. Section 11 of this law states that: ‘‘the state shall ensure the protection of the forestry,
wildlife and fishery heritage’’, and section 18 of this same law states that: ‘‘It shall be forbidden for anyone
to dump, in national forests as well as in public waterways, in lakes and in the sea, any toxic product or
industrial waste likely to destroy or modify animal and plant life’’.
In addition to this main law, other regulatory mechanisms on the protection of wildlife in Cameroon
include:
The Cameroon Constitution of 18th January 1996 which unambiguously states in its preamble that:
‘‘every person shall have a right to a healthy environment, the protection of the environment shall be
the duty of every citizen. The State shall ensure the protection and improvement of the environment.’’
Law N° 2005/007 of 27 July 2005 to lay down Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). The Cameroon
Criminal Procedure Code spells out the various steps that must be followed in criminal matters
from investigation right up to execution of judgment. This law also classifies wildlife crimes as
misdemeanor offence, and provides all the modalities and procedures to be followed in prosecution
of wildlife crimes.
Law N° 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 to lay down Penal Code.
The Finances law of July 1996, relating to right and taxes for hunting licenses and other permits
issued by the wildlife administration.
Decree N° 95/466/PM of 20 July 1995 to lay down the conditions for the implementation of Wildlife
Regulations.
Decree N° 2005/099 of 06 April 2005 to law down the organization of the Ministry of Forestry and
Wildlife.
Decree N° 2005/495 of 31 December 2005 amending and supplementing certain provisions N°
2005/099 of 06 April 2005 to law down the organization of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
Presidential Decree No 2014/413 of 22 October 2014 to lay down the creation, organization and
functional of Anti Traffic Airport Units (ATAU) within the International Airports of Cameroon.
Order N° 0649/MINFOF of 18 December 2006 to lay down the distribution of animals species
whose killing is authorized as well as the latitude of killing per type of sports hunting permit.
Order N° 0083/MINFOF of 06 February 2008 amending and supplementing certain provisions of
Order N° 0649/MINFOF of 18 December 2006 to law down the organization of the Ministry of
Forestry and Wildlife.
Decision N° 000857/D/MINFOF of 10 November 2009 to lay down the organization of the sale of
bush meat
MINFOF Emergency Action Plan for Safeguarding Protected Areas; Revised 2015-2017
MINFOF Priority Action Plan for Forest and Wildlife Sectors; 2020 Strategy
National Program for Environmental Management (PNGE).
70
Decree No. 96/237/PM of 10 April 1996 relating to the functioning of special
funds created by the law of 1994,
Ordinance No. 99/001 of 31 August 1999 to amend certain provisions of law
No. 94/01/ of 20 January 1994;
Arête No. 082 / PM / of 21 October 1999 creating a national committee for the
fight against poaching;
Order No.022/MINFOF of 2nd May 2006 to lay down conditions on wildlife
inventory in forestry areas.
Order No.0648/MIMFOF of 18th December 2006 to set the classification of
animals into class A, B, and C per Articles 2, 3 and 4.
Order No.0649/MINFOF of 18th December 2006 to lay down the distribution
of animal species whose killing is authorized as well as the latitude of killing
per type of sport hunting permit.
Circular letter No.0153/LC/MINFOF/SG/DFAP/SDVEF of 27 June 2013,
suspending the exportation of pangolins scales.
Circular letter No.00017/LC/MINFOF/DFAP/SDVEF/ of January 2017, relating
to the exportation of Pangolins scales and Grey Parrot.
Methodology.
This survey to collect data on pangolins seizures, arrest and prosecutions was carried out in three
main phases, namely:
Mapping out Regions where pangolins are found. This was done taking into consideration their
distribution in the country as per habitat and diet. Pangolins are said to be found in forest areas and
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feed exclusively on ants and termites, thus, the North and the Far North Regions were excluded from
this survey on these basis.
Figure 1: General indication of Regions surveyed
The production of questionnaires that carry research information on arrest, seizures, and successful
prosecutions of pangolin traffickers and the efforts put in place by Cameroon government to combat
this since 2012.
Field research was characterized with fact findings which was the main method used for this survey
and entailed getting access to information and data. Regional, Divisional, National Parks and some
MINFOF Forestry and Wildlife Control Posts were contacted to acquire relevant data and documents.
The courts were also consulted to obtain judgment decisions in situations where traffickers arrested
were handed to the judiciary for effective trial. Other structures like LAGA, TRAFFIC, ZSL etc and
individuals in charge of wildlife law enforcement were also contacted for more detailed information
on trafficking in pangolins/scales in Cameroon and government efforts.
Data collection began on the 8th of August 2016. A total of 16 missions were carried out in 8 out of the
10 Regions of Cameroon representing 80% of the National Territory. The Centre Region registered the
highest number of missions (4) due to its administrative vastness, followed by the North West with 3,
the East, West and Adamawa with 2 each while the South, Littoral and South West Regions had one
mission each. Duration per mission varied due to distances, availability of Forestry and Judicial Officers
to fill questionnaires, unforeseen circumstances such as breakdowns etc. These missions were carried
72
out by the Fellows of the Legal Systems Action Group (Kirensky Nebaneh, and Euphemia). All of these
missions were done through public transportation system while ZSL made financial packages available
upon request. Receipts and balances were submitted to the financial administrator of ZSL immediately
upon return from the field.
Result of Survey
4.1- Scales seizures
4.1.1 Seizures per Region
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Table 1: Qty of scales seized per Region Fig 2: Quantity of scales seizures per Region.
Data on seizures was collected from 8 out of 10 Regions of Cameroon from August 2016 to January
25th 2017. All 8 Regions had at least a seizure made during this period (2012-2016). Total quantity of
pangolin scales seized during this period came up to 9165kg. 8750kg of scales were seized by the
authorities of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) while 415kg were seized by the customs
department. The Littoral Region, recorded the highest quantity of scales seized in Cameroon (5815kg of
scales) representing 63.6% of total scale seizures carried out nationwide. Douala the chief town of the
Littoral Region and the economic capital of Cameroon, is a hub for domestic and sub-Regional wildlife
trafficking; facilitated by both international air and seaports where huge quantities of scales are exported
to other countries.
The Centre Region is the administrative Region in Cameroon all covered by forest that is suitable
for pangolin habitat. Wildlife control in this Region is severe as it hosts the capital of Cameroon. The main
exit point here is the Nsimalen International Airport that is subject to severe control; reason why it
registered the second highest seizure rates (1311kg of scales) within this period.
The South West Region registered 777kg of scales seized from 2012 to 2017. The Region is covered
by dense forest with numerous parks where pangolins are found. It has a seaport and numerous creeks
that serve as exit points to neighboring countries like Nigeria. Most scales seized in this Region were on
transit to consumer countries like China and Thailand.
A good quantity of pangolin scales were also seized from the North West Region though it is largely
covered by savannah. The 605kg of pangolin scales seized in this Region were destined for neighboring
Nigeria.
The East Region registered 446kg of scales seized during this period. This Region is highly covered
by dense forest that is suitable for pangolin habitat. But pangolins are harvested here mostly for local
consumption and trafficking in their scales is still a new phenomenon.
Region Quantity of
scales seized(kg)
Littoral 5815
Centre 1311
South West 777
North West 605
East 446
South 151
Adamawa 55
West 5
Total 9165
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In the South Region of Cameroon, some 151kg of scales were seized between 2012. The exit town
of Kye-Ossi registered highest seizure rates due to severe control mechanisms put in place since it is linked
to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea by road.
Though the Adamawa and West Regions are highly covered by savannah, a few seizures were made
here. The Mbam & Djerem National park is a habitat for pangolins; reason why pangolins could be
identified here. Meanwhile some 5kg of scales were seized from traffickers in the West Region coming
from Magba which is a bit forested and suitable for pangolin habitat.
Quantity of seized pangolin scales per year.
Table 2: Qty of scales seized per year Fig 3: Quantity of scales seized per year
Pangolin scales seizures in Cameroon actually began in 2008
where two culprits were apprehended in Abong Mbang and tried. In 2009, some culprits were arrested
in possession of pangolin meat but were pardoned since they were fugitives on the run.
The curve of this trade actually started ascending as from 2012 when the demand for it also began
rising. In this year, 5kg of pangolin scales were seized. The influx of Asians (especially Chinese) into the
country only made matters worse. The following year (2013), a total of 647kg of scales were seized. It
raised an alarm and the government of Cameroon through the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
(MINFOF), came out with a Ministerial Circular Letter banning the trade in pangolin scales in the country.
This preventive measure however, though a bit effective, did not deter traffickers as it was fueled by the
huge benefits accrued to it. In 2014, enforcement witnessed a slight drop from the figures of 2013 as
636kg were seized. In 2015, 589kg of scales were seized from traffickers. Due to a constant increase in
demand from Asian countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam, trafficking became more sophisticated
and more indigenes became involved. MINFOF and partner organizations like LAGA were equally
working hard to nip it in the bud. Meanwhile the commencement of the MENTOR-POP Programme in
January 2016 and its activities like the celebration of the 2016 world pangolin day only came to raise
year
Quantity.
2012 5
2013 647
2014 636
2015 589
2016 1888
2017 5400
Total 9165
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more awareness and kept the powers that be on the alert. This accounts for a rise in the seizure rate to
1888kg in 2016.
In January 2017, a record breaking operation was carried out in Douala by MINFOF authorities
with the technical support of LAGA and 5400kg (5.4 tons) of pangolin scales were seized from two
Chinese citizens destined for their home country.
Whole Pangolins Seizures
Pangolins seized per Region
Table 3: No. of Pangolins seized per Region
Fig 4: Number of Pangolins seized per Region
Enormous seizures on pangolins were also made during this period. A total of 253 pangolins were
seized from 2012-2017.The East Region registered the highest number of pangolins seized. In total, 122
pangolins (2 giant and 20 both white and black bellied pangolins) were seized in this Region during this
period. This is a Region where a large proportion of its population depends on subsistence farming;
hunting for local consumption being part of their major activities. Pangolins harvested from this Region
Region Number of pangolins
seized.
East 122
South 97
South West 15
Centre 8
Littoral 7
West 3
North West 1
Total 253
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are mostly sold locally as a delicacy; reason why trafficking in scales is lower than the meat itself. The
South Region also registered a huge number of pangolins seized as 97 (giant, white and black bellied
pangolins were seized. This Region shares boundaries to the south with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon
which enables trans-border trade with severe control mechanisms put in place. This accounts for the
reason why the border town of Kye-Ossi registered high seizure rates.
In the South West Region, 15 pangolins were seized. Most of the pangolins seized here were
harvested from the National parks and because these parks are guided, hunters hardly go through
unnoticed. The Centre Region registered 8 pangolins seized. Most of the pangolins harvested in this area
are for local consumption while the scales are extracted for trafficking. Though the Littoral Region
recorded highest scales seizures, just 7 pangolins were seized in this Region during this period. This
indicates that it is a collection centre for scales where they will easily be exported. The West and North
West Regions are located in the grassland where pangolins are scarcely found, reason why seizure rates
are low- 3 and 1 pangolins respectively.
Pangolins seized a year.
Table 4: No. of seized Pangolins per year Fig 5: Number of seized Pangolins per year
Pangolins seizures per year varied as per magnitude of enforcement. In 2012, only 5 pangolins
were seized by the authorities in charge of wildlife law enforcement (MINFOF). This perhaps, was due to
the fact that there was a general believe that pangolins were still in abundance in the wild. In 2013 a
Ministerial circular was signed banning the trade in pangolin scales in Cameroon which equally
witnessed an increase in the number of pangolin seizures that year. 2014 witnessed a drop in seizure
rates to 23 pangolins seized. Due to awareness raised by stakeholders and government’s determination,
confiscations rose to 67 pangolins in 2015. 2016 witnessed the highest number of pangolins seized all
over the national territory. Out of a total of 253 pangolins seized from 2012-January 2017, 123 of them
were seized in 2016 alone. This was due to the fact that much pressure was mounted on middlemen and
poachers by traffickers due to the huge financial benefits gotten from trade in scales. When the scales are
Year No. of seized
pangolins/year
2012 5
2013 35
2014 23
2015 67
2016 123
2017 0
Total 253
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gotten, the meat itself is sold to restaurant owners or consumed locally. By January 2017 when this
survey ended, there was no record of pangolin seizures anywhere.
Arrests and Persecution
Traffickers and their nationalities.
Table 5: No. of traffickers/nationalities Fig 6: Number of traffickers/nationalities
From 2012 to January 2017, 98 traffickers were involved in the trafficking of pangolins/pangolin
products. 69 of these traffickers were of Cameroonian nationalities, who mostly were middle men. 7
Chinese were involved, who possessed the financial strength that fueled trafficking in scales. 2 traffickers
were from Nigeria while 1 came from Vietnam. 1 Malian was identified within this period while 18 were
unidentified.
Table 6: No. of cases sent to court, awaiting trial and Pardon
Number of cases sent to court Number
tried
Number
awaiting trial
Number of
pardoned
cases
Centre 9 1 3 3
East Region 7 4 3 0
South West 3 2 1 0
South 1 0 1 2
Nationality Number of
traffickers
Cameroonians. 69
Chinese 7
Vietnamese 1
Malians 1
Unidentified 18
Nigerians 2
Total 98
78
Littoral 1 1 0 0
West 1 1 0 0
Adamawa 1 1 0 0
North West 1 1 0 0
Out of the 24 cases taken to court from 2012 to January 2017 within the National territory, 11 of
them have been sentenced to serve imprisonment terms. This still gives us a low prosecution percentage
falling below 50%. The highest number of registered dealers prosecuted was in the East Region where 4
out of the 7 cases sent to court have received sentences making up for 36.36% of total number of culprits
prosecuted in Cameroon so far. In the South West Region, 2 out of 3 cases sent to court have been
prosecuted making up for 18.18% of pangolin cases prosecuted throughout Cameroon. The Centre,
Littoral, West, North West and Adamawa Regions have so far registered only 1 case each prosecuted.
Though it is widely acknowledged that there are always delays in judicial proceedings in Cameroon, it
may not always be the case as sometimes; the delay is to allow the prosecution counsel to produce
concrete evidence to proof their case. Another reason why prosecution rates after arrests are low is
partly due to post arrest negotiations (settlements) mandate given to wildlife officials per sections146
and 147 of the 1994 wildlife law which talks of the compounding of wildlife regulations and sections 17
and 77 and 78 of the Prime Ministerial decree to lay down the conditions for the implementation of the
1994 wildlife law.
Section 17 defines “settlement” as an instrument by which the author of wildlife- related offence
committed in a communal or cynegetic zone shows his willingness to repair the damage by paying certain
fee. Acceptance of such settlements by the service in charge of wildlife shall extinguish prosecution.
Also section 78(1) and (2) state that “settlement shall be solicited by the offender and shall be
jointly signed by the competent authority representing the service in charge of wildlife and the offender
and shall be registered at the offender’s expense”. But section 77(2) states that “only the Minister in
charge of wildlife as well as his provincial (now regional) representatives shall be authorized to conclude
settlements under the conditions laid down by the Minister in charge of Wildlife.
The above sited sections of the wildlife law give room for such negotiations which if and when
successfully concluded by the right officials will extinguish prosecution. This is what to a lesser extent
has led to the non-transfer of wildlife cases to court as such cases can be settled out of court. The most
important disadvantage of this law is that sections 17, 77(2) and 78 are grossly violated in application.
MINFOF agents who do not have the mandate as per section 77(2) enter into such settlements with
traffickers and poachers and as such are never called to book. This has therefore enlarged the margin for
corruption in wildlife cases. To further buttress this point, all such inferior negotiations in violation of
Section 77 are supposed to be automatically rendered null and void as prescribed by Section 78(3). This
has hardly ever happened in Cameroon which brings out a weakness in the transparency and follow up
of wildlife cases and the procedure by the Ministry in charge of wildlife.
Another important point to raise here is the fact that the role of MINFOF is supposed to end once
a suspect has been apprehended and a statement of offence drawn. Thereafter whatever happens to the
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suspect should be the decision of the gendarmerie or police (custody) to a maximum of 48hrs or so
extended as per sections 199 Cameroon Penal Code (CPC) or the decision of the courts (trial). There is
always a breach of procedure whenever MINFOF officials take matters into their hands and dispose of
criminals without sometimes notifying the judiciary. These leave the Judiciary believing that there are
not as many wildlife cases which is not the reality and they end up treating the few wildlife matters that
come to them with laxity.
Cases still pending.
Out of the 24 cases taken to court from 2012 to January 2017, 8 of them are still awaiting trial
with over 90% of the culprits kept under custody. In the Centre Region, 4 cases were sent to court. While
1 has been sentenced, 3 are still awaiting trial and it gives a 37.5% of the total number of cases still
pending in Cameroon. The East Region equally registered 37.5% of total number of culprits still awaiting
trial as 3 dealers are still to be sentenced. The south West and the South Regions each have a culprit still
awaiting trial. The delay in rendering quick justice at times is to allow the prosecution counsel to produce
concrete evidence to proof their case.
There is no particular reason for this, as there is no prescribed legal provision for the duration of matters
in courts. Cases are adjoined for varied reasons and most often at the discretion of the Judge.
Pardoned cases.
Five (5) cases of trafficking in pangolin scales were pardoned during this period. One (1) was
pardoned for being a minor while 4 of these cases were let go through negotiations with MINFOF. Three
(3) of these cases were pardoned in the Centre Region while 2 were pardoned in the South Region as
prescribed by sections 146 and 147 of the 1994 wildlife and section 17 and 77 and78 of the 1995
implementation decree.
Since judgments as prescribed by the Section 391 CPC are handed down according to the law and the
Judge’s personal conscience, the numbers of pardoned cases are solely dependent on these two aspects.
Mode of detection of pangolins/scales.
Over 99% of pangolins and scales seizures during this period were detected through a routine
manual search on highways and in major airports like Yaounde and Douala, Sea ports like Limbe and
Douala and other outlet towns like Kyo-Ossi. Just a single case involving a Chinese in 2013 was detected
by a scanner at the Yaoundé Nsimalen International airport. The said Chinese was in possession of 12.5kg
of pangolin scales coming from Equatorial Guinea through Yaounde to his home country. The
unidentified cases were those that the owners did not own up during checks or abandoned the products
at the point of arrest.
Mode of transportation of pangolin/products.
Over 76% of pangolins/products seized were from traffickers using road networks. About 30
seizures were made after a manual search of public inter-urban transport vehicles where most
unfortunately, no body owned up or claimed responsibility over the products. Commercial motorbikes
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also facilitate this trade as about 20 seizures were made from this means of transport. Clandestine
transportation means (commonly called clando), constitute another major means of transporting
pangolin/products from one area to another. About 12 seizures were made from this means of transport.
Meanwhile, about 12 cases individuals on foot were caught in possession of pangolin meat or scales.
Heavy duty trucks (especially those carrying timber) also act as a major means of transporting these
products from the source areas to exit points. The airports and seaports which are the final means of
exporting pangolin products out of the country still constitute a major challenge to the authorities in
charge of Wildlife. These ports usually serve as the final collection point for exportation. This accounts
for the reason why thousands of kilograms of scales are confiscated either at the airports or major
seaports like Douala.
Other wildlife products seized with pangolin products.
Before the Ministerial circular of 2013 banning the trade in pangolin scales in Cameroon,
pangolins were referred to as by-catch to major wildlife products like elephants for ivory and apes like
gorillas and chimps. During this survey, it was realized that about 25 worked pieces of ivory, 23 sea
turtles, 10 elephant tusks, 4 crocodiles, parts of apes and a chunk of wild meat of various species were
seized with pangolins/products.
As demand for scales increased lately, due to the huge financial benefits attached to it, poachers go in
now purposely for pangolins scales as witnessed from the huge quantity of scales seized in Douala.
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Discussion
Strength and weaknesses of wildlife law and policies in Cameroon.
Strength.
One cannot talk of the strength of policies and legal framework relevant to wildlife without
starting with the CITES. In order to protect its biodiversity and intensify the fight against poaching and
trafficking, Cameroon joined the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (Sometimes referred to as the Washington Convention, but more commonly known as
CITES) which aims to protect endangered species from over exploitation by controlling international
trade, under a system of import and export permits.
CITES came with some of its advantages like having a global coverage with a membership of 183
parties, including 182 states and the European Union as of October 2016 which regulates the
international trade of over 41,000 different plant and animal species classified under different
appendices. Appendices I, II, and III to the Convention are lists of species accorded different levels or
types of protection from over-exploitation. Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among
CITES-listed animals and plants; they are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international
trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance
for scientific research. During the last COP17 of CITES that was held in Johannesburg South Africa in
September 2016, MENTOR-POP Fellows played a commendable role in lobbying for the up-listing of all
four pangolin species found in Africa to Appendix I, giving them total prohibition from international
trade.
Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but may become so
unless trade is closely controlled; international trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be
authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export certificate. Appendix III is a list of species
included at the request of a Party that already regulates trade in the species and needs the cooperation
of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation; international trade in specimens of
species listed in this Appendix is allowed only on presentation of the appropriate permits or certificates.
Law N° 94/01 of 20th January 1994 is the main legislation governing the protection and management
of Forestry and Wildlife in Cameroon. This law has strong probative sections that can easily proof and
sanction a wildlife offence. Some of its strengths include:
Firstly, it should be noted that the wildlife law is a specific law unlike the Penal Code which is a
general law. Therefore, in situations of conflict between the wildlife law and any other laws, the
Wildlife Law shall be applied according to the legal Latin maxim ‘‘specialia generalibus derogant’’
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which means that special laws derogates/supersedes the general laws. In other words, special
laws are stronger than general laws in their area of application.
As concerns their status and prosecution of offence, the wildlife legislation has given wildlife
officials the power to act as judicial police officers with special competence (JPOSC) after haven
taken oath before a competent court. The sworn officials shall therefore have the powers to
investigate, establish, and prosecute offences relating to forestry, wildlife and fisheries. They shall
also establish facts and seize products collected without authorization and the objects used to
commit the offences, and write a report thereon. The sworn officials shall also question and
identify any offender who is caught in flagrante delicto and forward him/her before the state
counsel. Sections 141 and 142 of the law.
Generally, the wildlife law is a very strict and hard law; an example can be seen in its section 101
(1) which states that: “Any person found at any time or any place, in possession of a part or a whole
of a live or dead class A or B protected animals, as defined in section 76 of the present law, shall be
considered to have killed or captured the animal.”
This therefore means that, in the context of criminal law and the responsibility raised to be liable for
criminal offences by this section is quite deterrent because it has not given any possibility for wildlife
perpetrators to escape criminal responsibility. Section 101 has no exceptions; once a suspect is arrested,
he/she is liable to face the full penalties as provided for by the law. The section doesn’t exclude any
wildlife offender irrespective of his status, personality, nationality as well as the quantity and the nature
of the animal or its trophies. Section 101 extends criminal responsibility not just to poachers but also to
traffickers, collectors of wildlife products and even middlemen. In effect the section is a good weapon to
be used in fighting wildlife criminality and as such secure a deterrent penalty for wildlife perpetrators
under section 155 and 158 of the same law.
The maximum penalty provided by this law in section 158 is up to 3 years imprisonment and up
to 10,000,000FCFA as fines. These penalties justify that wildlife crimes fall under misdemeanor
offences and as such are serious crimes. These penalties are deterrent enough to deter other
criminals.
Section 150 extends legal responsibility to accomplices whether natural persons or corporate
bodies and such accomplices shall be given the same penalties as in the case of the offender.
Section 162 doubles the penalties in two instances: (i) where there has been a previous offence or
where the offences were committed by sworn officials of the competent service in charge of
wildlife or by judicial police officer with general competence (JPOGC); (ii) in case of escape or
refusal to obey orders from officials in charge of control.
Unlike those established by judicial Police Officers with general competence (JPOGC), the offence
report drawn up and signed by the sworn MINFOF official is considered as a true record of the
facts stated until proven false. Section 142 of the wildlife law.
During court hearing, Section 147 gives the MINFOF representatives the power to sit and act in
association with the State Counsel in uniform and without caps during prosecution of wildlife
offender. They shall not be refused the right to speak and lodge appeals as provided for by law in
accordance with ordinary law procedure. Such appeals shall have the same effect as those lodged
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by the Legal Department. In fact, this aspect is a platform of collaboration between the State
Counsel and MINFOF officials for proper investigations and effective application of wildlife laws
during trial.
Establishment of proof or evidence - Proof of guilt for the offender may first of all either be noted
or appended to the report establishing the facts of the offence. Listing the elements that should be
found in the report, the Decree [Section 70 (1)] in fact makes mention, among other things, of the
following: the statements and signatures of witnesses and accomplices or possible co- offenders;
any other useful information. Evidence may equally be presented before the court by the
representative of the services in charge of wildlife, who shall associate with the State Counsel.
According to Section 147 of the Law, this representative shall be empowered to submit any
written statements and submissions and make any observations, which they deem necessary to
protect the interests of the services in charge of wildlife.
Independent action for damages by MINFOF - The Cameroonian law recognizes the right of
MINFOF to associate in court action with public prosecutor as concerns matters relating to the
violation of the wildlife regulation. In fact, considering that MINFOF has the legal status and given
that it represents the Cameroonian State as a victim in acts of illegal trade in wildlife and poaching.
As such, MINFOF has the right to sue for compensation from any person who is guilty of
committing a wildlife-related offence. Damages granted to MINFOF must be calculated taking into
account the economic prejudice, the investment made by the State on taking care of the animals
and also the 1996 finance law.
Wildlife legislation has also given wildlife officials the right to keep products and materials seized
in section 145 of the law. This makes it possible for products and materials seized to be well
managed, guarantee their security and ensure their availability in court during prosecution as
exhibits.
In other to intensify the fight against wildlife trade, the Cameroon government through a
presidential decree N°2014/413 of 22 October 2014 created an Anti-Traffic Airport Unit. This
organ constitutes three main law enforcement actors as members namely; police, gendarmerie
and customs with the objective of combating the exportation and importation of contraband
goods including wildlife and its derivatives in and out of the airports. According to the presidential
decree, the Anti-Traffic Airport Unit is to operate only at international airports. This unit serves
as a platform of collaboration between key law enforcement agencies to better tackle
international wildlife trafficking within the air transport system.
The government has created a platform and encourages joint enforcement efforts between the
police, gendarmerie, customs, judiciary and non-governmental organizations to combat
International Wildlife Trade (IWT) through law enforcement. Some examples are seen today
where joint patrols are made in reserves and parks, arrests, seizures and preliminary
investigations are successfully carried out in collaboration with the police, gendarmerie and
NGOs.
The NGOs provide technical support to these key stakeholders through capacity training
workshops, seminars, internship, donation of materials, sensitization etc.
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Cameroon has introduced Biodiversity Action Plan to improve the wellbeing of citizens, protect
ecosystems and promote alternative livelihoods. Typically, in Cameroon, forests are managed by
the state with assistant of the communities’ involvement.
Gaps of the wildlife legislation in Cameroon.
These weaknesses can be looked at from two dimensions: those within the texts (Internal) and
those beyond the texts (External);
Internal weakness
These weaknesses can be viewed both from the international and national perspectives. At the
international level, focusing mainly on CITES, the key weakness of CITES is that the export and import
permits effectively acquire a value, opening up possibilities for fraud, theft and corruption in issuing
them. Falsification of CITES permits is a common problem, particularly for some species as was with
parrots in Cameroon in the late 2000s. Theft and sale of blank documents similarly undermines the
system. In theory, for an export permit to be issued, the Management Authority of the exporting state
must be satisfied that the specimen was not obtained in contravention of the state’s laws for the
protection of fauna and flora. In practice, however, this is often not observed, thanks to lack of capacity
and/or corruption.
At the national level, the 1994 wildlife law gives provisions to settlements between wildlife
officials and offenders. The law on wildlife has given only the Minister of Forests and Wildlife and his
regional representatives the right to conclude transactions and the various rates based on the conditions
laid down by the decree (Article 77 of the 1995 Decree). In most cases, offenders are arrested in localities
very far from the regional structures of MINFOF and these agents are not always sufficiently equipped
with materials and they therefore use the option of settlement in some wildlife offenses.
Moreover, section 78 of the same decree also creates a legal vacuum. This section provides that
“no settlement shall be authorized in case of the killing of an animal that is a totally protected species”.
In other words, the logical sense behind this section is that an offender caught flagrant delicto in
possession of a product or a live protected species may solicit for settlement and goes free from criminal
sanctions. One can say therefore that Section 78 of the decree gives open doors for offenders to escape
from criminal responsibilities. Besides, the section also contradicts section 101 of the law which states
that: “any person found, at any time or any place, in possession of a whole or part of a live or dead class A or
B protected animal, as defined in Section 78 of the present law, shall be considered to have captured or killed
the animal.”
In matter of transaction, any amount above 500.000FCFA is reserved to the lone competence of
the minister. In this case the MINFOF officials who carried out the seizure always find it difficult to seize
the competent authority for transaction early enough. This is because they are usually caught by the
prescribed (48 hours) time limit for police custody making it possible for the perpetrators to go
85
unpunished judging from the fact that at the expiration of the time limit of a police custody order,
detention becomes illegal.
The application of section 147 of the wildlife law equally has a problem of incompleteness,
where there is no settlement or in cases where such settlement was not executed, prosecution must be
instituted within 72 hours at the request of the administration and after a formal notice to the offender.
A legal vacuum or incompleteness arises in this case, because the law does not lay down the form and the
time-limit for the said formal notice, the 72-hour period being assumed to run from the expiry of the
period of formal notice. Otherwise, it would be reasonable to assume that the period of formal notice is
within the 72 hours prescribed by law. In practice, procedures have already been cancelled in the context
of the application of this text because of divergent interpretations.
The decree of implementation of the law stipulates in its section 78 that once transaction is
agreed upon, it must be executed within 3 months. In practice it implies that the offender would
undoubtedly be released. In the event of non-payment of the agreed sum after the expiration of the 3
months’ period, it would be difficult to re-arrest him in order to give him prior notice of prosecution
within 72 hours, especially where the suspect was provisionally released with or without surety or
guarantor. In these instances, even summonses from the state counsel are usually unsuccessful. This
again leads to inefficiency of the law and making prosecutions virtually impossible.
With respect to hunting, the 1994 wildlife law provides for participatory management of natural
resources through community hunting zones. However, the key problem is that traditional rights holders
have been disenfranchised with the benefits going to those not directly concerned, such as village elites
and government officials. The legislation is somehow contradictory in the sense that on the one hand it
confers rights through hunting zones and on the other hand it promotes sanctions against hunting. This
has always resulted in conflict between people and park authorities and impoverishment of local hunters.
The wildlife law is not also very clear when it comes to sanctions. Many arguments always arise
on whether to apply or not to apply the provisions of sections 155 and 158 in punishing offenses provided
for in sections 78, 98 and 101 of the wildlife law.
In practice, section 155 of the wildlife law punishes up to 50.000FCFA to 200.000FCFA or imprisonment
term of 20 days to 02 months or both such fines and imprisonment for the violation of sections 87, 98,
101, meanwhile, section 158 punishes with fines of from 3.000.000FCFA to 10.000.000FCFA and or
imprisonment of from 1year to 3 years or both such fines and imprisonment for the killing and capturing
of protected animal be it during the period where hunting is closed or in a protected area or areas where
hunting is forbidden.
In effect, the two sections tend to punish the same offence differently; there would have been a
comprehensive legal provision to give priority to one of the two sections. However, these two provisions
give rise to a wide discrepancy of opinion in court. This contradiction was witnessed in a case before the
Yokadouma court in 2012, where an accused person although found guilty for killing an elephant and
being in possession of elephant tusks was instead convicted under section 155 whereas he was
prosecuted using section 158.
Another weakness of the 1994 wildlife law concerns the taking of oaths. Section 141 (2) of the
wildlife law provides that the officials of the administration of forestry, wildlife and fisheries shall at the
86
request of the services concerned and under the conditions laid down by decree, take an oath before the
competent court. However, neither the law nor the decree is clear on the effects and modalities of the
oath-taking, notably on the territorial competence. According to them, they are required to take oath
anytime they are transferred to a new jurisdiction even under the same category and rank. For example,
a MINFOF official working at Nanga Eboko takes an oath there, and later being transferred to Batouri
where he is expected to take another oath upon assumption of duty. Failure to do so renders him a non-
JPO and therefore cannot carry out duties such as arrests, investigations, writing of offence reports and
forwarding offenders and products seized before the court.
Again, their oath taking has a territorial limitation. This means that the exercise of their powers
of oath-taking are limited only within the jurisdiction in which the oath was taken. From observations,
MINFOF officials pointed out that the issue of “mobile oath-taking” usually slows down and even
jeopardizes their duties especially that of investigations, drafting of wildlife offence statements,
forwarding of seized products and suspects before the court and even during prosecution of wildlife
cases. To them it makes the implementation and enforcement of wildlife laws ineffective.
Under the 1994 law, only sworn MINFOF officers have the power and capacity to establish facts and seize
products collected without authorization and the objects used to commit the offences, and write a report
thereon, section 142. This provision therefore tends to limit the scope of action of wildlife officials,
knowing very well that there are localities with no sworn officer or where they are very few. In such
areas there is always the problem of inadequate law enforcement.
Another area of weakness concerns air transport. A presidential decree N°2014/413 of 22
October 2014 created Anti-Traffic Units within airports to combat international wildlife trade. The scope
of these units are very limited, as they are limited only to international airports such as Douala and
Yaoundé airports forgetting that other airports equally give access in and out of Cameroon. Similarly, as
to what concerns the constitution of the commission, MINFOF officials are not part of the unit whereas
its representatives are present at the level of various international airports of Cameroon and wildlife
products are becoming more and more a subject of international wildlife trafficking.
The 1994 wildlife law states in section 64(2) that “the exportation of wild animals, their hides
and skins or their trophies or not, shall be subject to the presentation of a certificate of origin and
an export permit issued by the services in charge of wildlife in accordance with the law and related
international conventions in force”. This means there is first of all room for the exportation of wildlife
products and highly placed traffickers who are connected to those in power or political big wigs will
always find their way through. This equally gives room for the falsification of such documents.
External weaknesses
Corruption is a major hindrance to the effective implementation of wildlife policies in Cameroon.
Most wildlife officials abuse section 77 which gives them the powers to negotiate. They claim to
negotiate even where it is not possible due to the exchange of money. Thus, it is common today to
see highly placed traffickers moving freely and committing the same offense due to the negotiating
powers of MINFOF officials.
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The lack of knowledge of texts and procedures governing wildlife by actors in charge for its
implementation constitutes an element of ineffective enforcement;
The weak and low penalties meted out on wildlife crimes is an important factor that constitutes
an ineffectiveness of wildlife law;
Unnecessary judicial delays are another factor; wildlife matters are mostly cases of flagrante
delicto which under normal procedure don’t have to suffer court adjournments. In most cases
matters are unnecessarily adjourned due to the nonchalant attitude or corrupt practices of the
court officials or simply because an accused, for example, challenged the nature of the product or
animal found in his possession meanwhile the same accused acknowledged it his statement of
offence;
The absence of a centralized database and a formal network for exchange and sharing of
information among the various bodies involved in the application of wildlife law is also another
problem that makes the implementation and enforcement inefficient. It also makes the availability
and analysis of court cases very difficult;
The inability to quickly identify and recognize seized wildlife products delays investigations and
even prosecutions, at times expert opinions are required for certainties;
Another serious issue is the regular inadequate designation of the representatives of Wildlife
Administration in wildlife matters. According to the 1994 wildlife law (section 147), the wildlife
representatives sits in association with the State Counsel in uniform and without caps. This law
appears to refer here to the sworn officer who drew up the offence reports while in the field, and
he has the power as the case may be heard as a prosecution witness to adduce useful evidence
and observations against the accused especially where he/she pleads not guilty;
In practice, however, during court hearing there are regularly situations of duplications where on
the one hand there is a sworn officer in uniform belonging to the appropriate local unit of MINFOF
and on the other hand there is a second agent in ordinary plain dress coming from the central unit
following a mission order without any knowledge of the case file for which he is appointed. The
result is always a scenario in which one will seat with the state counsel and the other usually in
civilian clothes will after having produced its power of attorney or letter of representation, will
simply seat and follow the trial as any other member of the public;
It is important to raise up this fact that judicial delays have often occurred due to references for
MINFOF to appoint a simple civilian representative from the central unit, even when the sworn
officer who participated in the arrest, seizure and investigation of the case is indeed present in
court and seated in uniform for a better composition of the tribunal and to be heard as a
prosecution witness;
Generally, there are limitations on the enforcement of wildlife crime as a result of lack of capacity
and resources, with poorly funded and understaffed enforcement agencies, inadequate numbers
of park rangers, lack of technology and limited experience and knowledge of wildlife issues.
Cameroon lacks the resources to effectively monitor their vast natural reserves and parks with
part of the challenge being the effective tracking of poachers across its remote forest terrain. The
legal authority responsible for the protection and conservation of wildlife is wildlife
88
administration. This authority alone cannot effectively manage the vast natural reserves and
parks especially as the reserves and parks are mostly situated around the borders surrounded
with countries witnessing terrorism and other insecurities. These vast natural reserves and parks
have very limited park rangers with little or no guns, vehicles and other relevant resources to do
patrols, leaving the parks and reserves so loose for evasion by very heavy militarized and
organized traffickers to massacre wildlife especially elephants. There is therefore a dire need for
collaboration at the national and regional levels and the availability of adequate resources.
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Conclusion and Recommendations.
Conclusion
The aim of this survey was to apprehend government actions and efforts to fight trafficking in
pangolin/ scales in and out of Cameroon with major focus on seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of
dealers in pangolins/scales. The work also focuses on collaboration, policy, legislation, enforcement
actions, corruption and governance issues. The survey data is limited to the period 2012-2017 and in 8
out of 10 Regions of Cameroon.
The survey revealed that most of the traffickers are Cameroonians (69), 11 of them foreigners and
18 were unidentified. In all, a total of 98 seizures were made within a period of five years (201-2017)
and the East Region registered (37 seizures) the highest. 9165kg of pangolin scales were seized with the
highest quantity coming from Littoral (5815kg). 253 pangolins were seized within this period with the
highest (122 pangolins) coming from the East Region. 24 cases were registered with the courts while 11
of these cases have been judged and sentenced.
Despite efforts made by government and other stakeholders to crack down on illegal trade,
traffickers and their network of corruption still persists, as many dealers caught with pangolin meat or
scales were reported to have escaped. From the above findings all is not perfect considering it is the first
piece of work done by the Legal System Action Group of MENTOR-POP Fellows in Cameroon. It is hoped
since pangolins and other wildlife trade continues to strive, the government and all stake holders in
conservation should multiply their effort to curb the illegal trade in our endangered species.
Recommendation
From the data collected on the number of arrest, seizures, court cases and prosecutions, and from
discussions with stakeholders, it can be said that the government of Cameroon and her partners are
putting in much effort to combat trafficking. In spite of this, more efforts still need to be put in place to
overcome obstacles to effective wildlife law enforcement such as corruption, lack of capacity, ambiguity
and lack of proper application of deterrent articles in the wildlife and penal laws, lack of collaboration
and lack of engagement or interest from some law enforcement agencies.
The following are therefore recommended for further progress to be made and to effectively stem
trafficking in pangolins and other wildlife products:
Integrating Biodiversity Conservation into National Development Policy should be taken as
priority by the government of Cameroon. Wildlife conservation should also be integrated into
developmental and conservation action plans.
Revision of the 1994 wildlife law criminalizing wildlife offences to making the law more deterrent,
and to effectively address the gaps to avoid misinterpretation of some articles, or to avoid wildlife
criminals from taking advantage of the legal loopholes to propagate their criminal activities.
90
Clear procedures need to be put in place to organize the bush meat trade. For example, decision
N° 000857/D/MINFOF of 10 November 2009 laying down the organization of bushmeat trade
needs to be revised. This decision till now is not applied as there are problems with the issuing of
collection permits; the bushmeat trade is not carried out in places specially arranged to that effect
etc.
MINFOF Agents should be part of the Anti-Traffic Units within international airports created by
the Presidential Decree N°2014/413 of 22 October 2014 to combat illegal wildlife trade given that
wildlife issues in general are the remit of MINFOF. Also, these units need to be created at other
exit points such as seaports and road borders.
Inter-agency collaboration needs to be intensified between MINFOF and other law enforcement
agencies such as the police, gendarmerie and customs in terms of joint investigations, operations
and legal procedures. In some instances, collaboration also needs to be created or intensified with
the military to assist in the proper guidance of the national parks. Generally, there is poor
collaboration between the law enforcement actors, and some of the major reasons for this poor
collaboration is not only the lack of understanding of the texts that provide the competences,
attribution, missions and responsibilities of each of these actors but also because of the shallow
interpretation and knowledge of regulations governing their respective responsibilities.
Build collaboration with other law enforcement agencies at the sub-regional, continental and
international levels to also ensure the application of sub-regional and international conventions
governing wildlife conservation. Most porous borders are always key transit points for trafficking.
There is need to implement and enforce legislations prohibiting the trade, to support range states,
to tackle the rising demand for these products, to break down the links to transnational organized
crime and most importantly to ensure that suspects apprehended for wildlife crimes are treated
as serious criminals and penalized to the full extent of the law.
Build collaboration with development partners such as NGOs to provide expertise and assistance
in the provision of equipment and capacity building. Efforts need to be harnessed if trafficking has
to be limited or totally stopped as the case may be.
Equip and train more wildlife rangers or eco-guards to properly secure national parks that serve
as the main source areas of wildlife illegally traded. Also build capacity of all the law enforcement
agencies on the wildlife legislation and legal procedures pertaining to wildlife crimes. Training
should be complemented with awareness-raising and vigilance against corruption, as well as use
of technology and tools such as sniffer dogs, which have been successfully deployed in other
countries to effectively combat trafficking in pangolin scales.
Put in place or apply measures to combat corruption at all levels of the wildlife enforcement chain
(investigation, operations, legal procedure). Corruption is said to erode the legal, judicial and the
enforcement systems entrusted with applying and enforcing the laws in the first place.
Re-enforce or put in place new mechanisms to properly secure confiscated pangolin scales and
even other wildlife products and the national stock pile should be well managed in order to avoid
trade recycle or leakage.
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Reinforce collaboration nationally and regionally through the creation of platforms that would
permit discussions and actions with different state agencies beyond those responsible for nature
conservation, such as administration, finance, defense, and judiciary.
Detective machines should be made available at all Regional, Divisional, Sub-Divisional and
control post to enable MINFOF agents to be able to detect scales that go through the trade chain.
Also, more scanners should be made available at the airports and sea ports where scales and other
wildlife products are being exported.
Weighing scales should be provided to MINFOF offices to be able to weigh and know the exact
quantity of scales seized so that data produced should reflect exactly what was confiscated. This
will also help in legal proceedings against defaulter(s).
MINFOF should put in place mechanisms to supervise the implementation of court decisions,
making sure that the suspects sentenced to serve prison terms are effectively in jail, following up
to get payments of damages awarded by the courts and confiscation of equipment used by wildlife
traffickers. Hitting them financially will serve as a deterrent factor, discouraging some or totally
putting some out of business.
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utilisation of African pangolins. TRAFFIC Bulletin 15(1): 15-22.
Challender D. W. S., Baillie J. E. M., Waterman C. and the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group
(2012) Catalysing conservation action and raising the profile of pangolins – the IUCN SSC Pangolin
Specialist Group (Pangolin SG). Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 1(2): 140-141.
Challender D. W. S., Baillie J. E. M., Waterman C., Pietersen D., Nash H., Wicker L., Parker K., Thomson P.,
Nguyen T. V., Hywood L., and Shepherd C. R.. (2016) On scaling up pangolin conservation. TRAFFIC
Bulletin. 28(1) 19-21.
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Mohapatra, R. K., Panda, S., Nair, M. V., Acharjyo, L. N. and Challender, D. W. S. (2015) A note on the illegal
trade and use of pangolin body parts in India. TRAFFIC Bulletin 27(1): 33-40.
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Zhou, Z. et al.., Scaling up pangolin Protection in China
RESOURCES
A global collaboration to fight wildlife and forest crime
BROCHURE: Global Wildlife Program
FACT SHEET: Analysis of International Funding to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade
Putting a Stop to Global Environmental Crime Has Become An Imperative
REPORT: Analysis of International Funding to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade
The Illegal Commercial Bushmeat Trade in Central and West Africa.
93
DEMAND REDUCTION ACTION GROUP REPORT
PROJECT TITLE: BUSHMEAT CONSUMER SURVEY AT RESTAURANTS IN
BERTOUA AND EBOLOWA, CAMEROON TARTGETING PANGOLIN SPECIES
Photo 1. Pots full of different cooked bushmeat in La Taverne Bar, Bertoua, Cameroon
© Affana Nkoa Camille / MENTOR-POP
Demand Reduction Action Group
MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program
Linh Bao Nguyen
Etogekwe Esua Fossung
Affana Nkoa Camille
94
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for providing funding and support to
realize this project. Special thanks also goes to the Ministry of Forest and Wildlife (MINFOF)
for the help in securing relevant research permits and permissions. We are thankful to Julian
Easton and Carly Waterman (ZSL), Willow Outhwaite and Francois Abessolo (TRAFFIC),
Marcus Rowcliffe (Institute of Zoology, ZSL), Nancy Gelman and Keri Parker (USFWS) for
assisting in the survey design and Francis Nchembi Tarla (MENTOR-POP Project Coordinator,
ZSL) for providing technical and statistical advice. Fieldwork assistance was provided by local
people from the two target sites.
95
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Correlation between gender distribution and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
Figure 2. Correlation between gender distribution and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
Figure 3. Correlation between age distribution and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
Figure 4. Correlation between age distribution and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
Figure 5. Correlation between education level and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
Figure 6. Correlation between education level and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
Figure 7. Correlation between occupation and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
Figure 8. Correlation between occupation and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
Figure 9. Correlation between household monthly income and bushmeat consumption at Bertoua
Figure 10. Correlation between household monthly income and bushmeat consumption at Ebolowa
Figure 11. Preferred bushmeat specieis of respondents
Figure 12. Reasons to consume bushmeat rather than other domesticated meat
Figure 13. Responses to pangolin consumption
Figure 14. Responses to the frequency of pangolin consumption
Figure 15. Reasons to consume pangolins
Figure 16. Price of a pangolin dish at restaurant
Figure 17. Maximum price that respondents are willing to pay more for a pangolin dish
Figure 18. Places to eat bushmeat
Figure 19. Occasions to eat bushmeat
Figure 20. Barriers to consume bushmeat
Figure 21. Responses to effective conservation messages that would help demand reduction efforts
96
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Three species of pangolin found in Cameroon and across Central Africa
Table 2. Gender distribution of respondents
Table 3. Age distribution of respondents
Table 4. Tribes of respondents in Bertoua
Table 5. Tribes of respondents in Ebolowa
Table 6. Religions of respondents
Table 7. Marital status of respondents
Table 8. Education level of respondents
Table 9. Occupations of respondents
Table 10. Household monthly income of respondents
LIST OF PHOTOS
Photo 1. Pots full of different cooked bushmeat in La Taverne Bar, Bertoua, Cameroon
Photo 2. Women selling bushmeat at Mokolo II, Bertoua, Cameroon
Photo 3. Live tortoise purchased by a priest in Mokolo II, Bertoua, Cameroon
Photo 4. Cooked bushmeat for sale in Bertoua, Cameroon
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Abstract
Bushmeat consumption remains significant in the cities of Cameroon, but few studies have
focused on the specific demands for bushmeat (Wilkie and Carpenter. 1999). As urban
centers continue to grow in population, the commercial trade in bushmeat to supply them is
raising obvious threats to vulnerable species like the pangolin. All three species of pangolins
found in Cameroon: Smutsia gigantea, Phataginus tricuspis and Phataginus tetreadactyla
are listed in Class A which means they are fully protected by the Cameroonian Wildlife law.
However, many urbanites are not aware of the laws and they also do not know that their
behaviors have negative impacts on the survival of pangolins and other wildlife. We
conducted surveys on bushmeat consumption in restaurants at two main cities of Cameroon
where pangolin seizures have been highly reported and bushmeat markets and
consumption are commonly well-known to better understand the underlying factors
influencing attitudes and behaviors of urban consumers. Data collected from the survey has
contributed to the national bushmeat project focusing on pangolins by the Zoological
Society of London (ZSL) Cameroon Office, this will help to plan strategies for effectively
reduction in the demand for pangolins and other endangered species.
Common name
Latin name IUCN Red List Assessment
Cameroon Wildlife Classification
Existing estimates of range, population size, or abundance
Threats to the species that the project is working to reduce, eliminate, or mitigate
Giant ground pangolin
Smutsia gigantea
Vulnerable A4d (2003)
Class A (Fully protected)
No global estimates
Poaching for local and regional consumption, and illegal international trade
White-bellied pangolin
Phataginus tricuspis
Vulnerable A4d (2003)
Class A (Fully protected)
Black-bellied pangolin
Phataginus tetreadactyla
Vulnerable A4d (2003)
Class A (Fully protected)
Tab. 1. Three species of pangolin found in Cameroon and across Central Africa
Introduction
Pangolins (Pholidota) are the world’s only scaly mammals and are nocturnal, elusive, solitary
and harmless. The species is native to Africa and Asia. There are eight species of pangolin in
the world. Africa is home to four pangolin species and three of those species are found in
Cameroon and across Central Africa, namely the Giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea),
the White-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) and the Black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus
tetradactyla). They are highly vulnerable to overexploitation due to their low reproductive
rate as they give birth to only one offspring per year. Unfortunately, despite their
uniqueness, all eight pangolin species, representing over 80 million years of evolution, are
now threatened with extinction due to poaching and illegal hunting for international trade
to meet demands for their meat and scales from China and Southeast Asia as well as the
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local demands for bushmeat within Central Africa.
More than a million pangolins have been illegally caught in the wild over the last decade,
giving them the unenviable record of being the most illegally traded mammals in the world
(Challender et al., 2015a). In Asia, pangolin meat is often served as luxury item and pangolin
scales are commonly used in traditional Asian medicine through history (Wu and Ma, 2007;
Pantel and Chin, 2009; Challender, 2011; Zhou et al. 2014). As a result, the Asian species are
becoming depleted, and traffickers are now increasingly turning to Central African pangolin
species to meet the increasing demand in Southeast Asia. At the same time, Central African
species are facing a huge threat driven by local and regional demands for bushmeat.
In Cameroon and other Central African countries, bushmeat is an important source of
protein and economic resource for both rural and urban population, and with increasing
urbanization, bushmeat consumption has spread from villages to cities. Hunting thus
provides about five million tons of game each year in the Congo Basin (Ringuet et al. 2011)
and the amount of bushmeat sold in major cities in the Southern part of Cameroon is
estimated at about 10,950 tons per year (Lescuyer and Nasi, 2016), which raises obvious
ecological concerns, especially for the endangered species like pangolins. On one hand, for
the vast majority of urban consumers, bushmeat can be a necessity for poorer urban
households because it is more financially affordable. In comparison to other sources of
protein, bushmeat has a positive cultural connotation (Fargeot 2005, van Vliet et al. 2011),
provides valuable nutrients and has good taste, claimed by many consumers. On the other
hand, some bushmeat species – usually large-sized and/or threatened species can be luxury
products which are bought by wealthier elites (Brashares et al. 2011).
According to a research from TRAFFIC Cameroon in 2016 in which 40 consumers were
interviewed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the pangolin is recognized as one of the most preferred
bushmeat species. In addition, through interviews with more than 600 visitors at the 2017
Salon PROMOTE in Yaoundé, Cameroon where the World Pangolin Day 2017 was organized
by the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellows for one week, it was evident that
pangolin meat is appreciatetd by many Cameroonians, especially those born and raised in
rural forest areas. Many respondents admitted to have eaten pangolins at least once in their
lives and were surprised to know that this species could face extinction if the current rate of
hunting for meat and scales was maintained the same. Only a few visitors knew that all
three species of pangolins in Cameroon are now totally protected by both international and
national laws.
During the past few years, a large number of seizures of pangolin scales and meat trafficked
from Cameroon have been made. In June 2016, Hong Kong authorities seized 4,000 kg of
pangolin scales in a shipment originating from Cameroon. As the crisis continued, in January
2017, Cameroonian wildlife officials made one of the biggest seizures ever of pangolin scales
in the Central African sub-region, taking hold of 5,400 kg of pangolin scales in a Douala
warehouse and two Chinese traffickers arrested.
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Very little is known about the impacts of these compounding threats on the species. To
date, conservation efforts targeting pangolins in Central Africa have been minimal.
Combined with the largest threat which is the intercontinental trade between Central Africa
and Asia. If the demand for illegal and unsustainable bushmeat and pangolin scales
continues to increase with rapid urban population growth (Africa Research Institute. 2012),
improved hunting equipment (Feer 1996, MacDonald et al. 2012), expanding road networks
(Laurance et al. 2006), lack of alternatives for accessing protein in rural areas (van Vliet et al.
2012) and competitive pricing of bushmeat (Fargeot, 2006), it will be at the expense of
some of the most spectacular wildlife in Central African and Cameroon including the
pangolin.
Without a compatible effort to address effectively the persistent market demand that drives
this trade, enforcement action to protect pangolins from illegal trade may be fruitless.
However, the majority of campaigns for reducing demand for endangered species
undertaken to date have failed, primarily because they have lacked the in-depth and
culturally sensitive understanding of the drivers behind attitudes and behaviors of illegal
wildlife consumers (Sabri Zain. 2012).
Understanding all the factors that influence the behaviors that need to be changed is a
crucial starting point in formulating an effective strategy to tackle threats to wildlife from
trade. In response to the Action Plan of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, Scaling Up
Pangolins, calling for developing pangolin consumption index which is listed as the highest
priority, this project was a baseline consumer survey in urban restaurants at Bertoua and
Ebolowa, in Cameroon. These are areas in which pangolin seizures have been highly
reported and bushmeat markets and consumption are well-known. The aim of the survey
was to understand demand demographics, attitudes and behaviors, and to inform the
development of demand reduction strategies. This pilot research aims at understanding why
people are eating bushmeat whereas there are other types of protein sources available
within the sites. The data collected from our surveys will be later merged with data from a
larger bushmeat project of ZSL which focuses on collecting data from traders and consumers
in bushmeat markers at different sites in Cameroon. Since their project also targets pangolin
species, results from this project will contribute to their database to have a better
understanding on the consumption and the trade chain of the species within the country.
This would contribute to appropriate and effective conservation strategies for reducing
demand for pangolins and other endangered species in Cameroon and Central African
countries.
Study sites Bertoua (4°35′N, 13°41′E) is the biodiversity-rich capital of the Eastern Region of Cameroon
in which approximately the lower two thirds of the region are covered in rain forest. The
upper third of the region (beginning at about the latitude of Bertoua and Batouri) is
dominated by humid and wooded savanna. The government of Cameroon has established
four forest and game reserves in the East: The Dja Faunal Reserve in the southwest; Lobéké
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National Park, the Boumba-Bek National Park and the Nki National Park in the Southeast.
Wildlife is extremely abundant and diverse here. However, many of these animals are
currently under threat of extinction due to deforestation and the bushmeat trade. Bertoua
is one of the main cities of Cameroon and the Eastern Region’s capital where bushmeat
markets are open and is inhabited by a high proportion of people born in rural areas nearby.
MENTOR-POP’s Legal System Action Group (LSAG) who conducted National Survey on
pangolin seizures throughout Cameroon reported that in the East Region, there was 426kg
of pangolin scales and 122 whole-bodied pangolins were seized since 2012.
Ebolowa (2°55′N, 11°9′E) is the capital of Cameroon’s South Region located 170km far from
Yaoundé. Along with agriculture, rural inhabitants of the South also practice hunting and
gathering. It has led to a great depopulation of many animal species, especially as demand
has risen in urban centers such as Yaoundé for bushmeat from the region. The inhabitants
of Ebolowa are known to consume bushmeat. Restaurants here mostly offer local specialties
such as bushmeat broths. According to results from the National Survey of the LSAG, 151kg
of pangolin scales and 97 whole-bodied pangolins were seized in the South Region.
Materials and methods
1.1. Survey methods
To obtain baseline data of regional bushmeat consumption with focus on pangolins, 609
consumer surveys were conducted during 15 days in May 2017 at Bertoua and Ebolowa.
A target number of 15 interviews were conducted per day per site. Local guides who
understand the regions and people as well as local languages were identified to help
build trust with the local people and then facilitate our interview surveys. They also
helped orientate surveyors to key restaurants known to be dealing in bushmeat.
Respondents of both genders and diverse occupations were interviewed.
The strategy used for identifying respondents was to randomly select people to
interview by approaching restaurant customers who were not having their meals but
waiting for food or those who had already finished their meals and were free to talk.
Surveyors first introduced themselves as interns carrying out research and asked
permission to conduct interviews. It was only after receiving a positive verbal response
from consumers that the interview could begin. All responses were anonymous and
respondents were all informed that they could stop the interview at any time, if they felt
uncomfortable.
A standard questionnaire was developed in both English and French and used for all
interviews which took about 20-25 minutes to complete, and which contained a set of
structured and open-ended questions. All interviews were conducted in French by using
printed questionnaire. Information obtained from the interviews was entered on the
Internet cloud-based KoBo Toolbox for data collected right after surveying any given
restaurants. GPS points of the restaurants were taken via the KoBo application to map
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the study sites.
Respondents were asked questions about their background and demographic
information (gender, age, tribe, occupation, level of education, religion, marital status
and household income). Following this, respondents were asked questions regarding
bushmeat consumption and their preference with the pangolin included in the list of
other nine species which are considered as common bushmeat in Cameroon and were
selected by the ZSL and TRAFFIC for their questionnaire survey.
Further questions about consumption habit, frequency and price, places and occasions
for eating bushmeat focusing on pangolins and other two species namely gorilla and
porcupine were asked to obtain more specific information of the species. Gorilla is a
fully protected species (Class A) and porcupine is Class C which means partially
protected so it is legal to hunt or consume this species. It is assumed that people in
Cameroon are aware of the protection status of the two aforementioned species since
there are already many conservation efforts focused on gorilla which happens to be a
well-known species within the country; while the conservation status of the porcupine is
rather clear to most people. The reason for choosing these species alongside pangolins
was that once data is collected, it might be easy to tell if people prefer protected species
even though they are aware of the laws. Additionally, incorporating a wide range of
species in the interview is in a bid to obscure the potential importance to interviewers of
the target species - pangolins, and therefore respondents will be more open to report
potentially sensitive information about the species (Pan et al., 2015; Turvey et al.,
2015a).
Finally, respondents were asked what kind of conservation messages they think would
encourage others not to buy, sell and eat endangered species. It was to explore what
messages different groups might be receptive to. From that, information collected could
help to inform the development of an effective behaviour change campaign.
1.2. Analytical methods
After going through all the questionnaires to ensure the consistency of responses and
detect omissions, data in KoBo was exported and analyzed using SPSS and descriptive
statistics (frequency and percentage) with the Excel software. Interpretation and
analysis was done to understand demand demographics, attitudes and behaviors, and to
inform the development of demand reduction strategies. The research aimed at
understanding why people are eating bushmeat when there are other sources of protein
available within the sites, their preferences and levels of consumption.
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Results
1.3. Gender
During the study period, a total of 609 interviews were carried out at both cities with
49.4% of respondents from Bertoua (n = 301) and 59.6% from Ebolowa (n = 308). More
men than women were interviewed (n = 420 versus n = 189).
Bertoua Ebolowa Combined data
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
Male 198 66% 222 72% 420 69%
Female 103 34% 86 28% 189 31%
Total 301 100% 308 100% 609 100%
Tab. 2. Gender distribution of respondents
Photo 2. Women selling bushmeat at Mokolo II, Bertoua, Cameroon
© Affana Nkoa Camille / MENTOR-POP
Figure 1 and 2 show the gender representation in bushmeat consumption in the
restaurants visited 56% male in Bertoua affirmed that they eat bushmeat and 29% of
female confirmed eating bushmeat. While in Ebolowa we saw the number of male
increased to 69% and the percentage of female reduced to 27%.
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Fig. 1. Correlation between gender distribution and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
Fig. 2. Correlation between gender distribution and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
1.4. Age
Respondents were mostly aged between 26-35 (34%, n = 209) and 36-45 (35%, n = 215);
others fall into the following age brackets: Under 18 years old, 18-25 years old, 46-55
years old, 56-65 years old. No one who was over 65 years old was interviewed.
104
Bertoua Ebolowa Combined data
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
<18 11 4% 1 0.3% 12 2%
18-25 49 16% 24 8% 73 12%
26-35 94 31% 115 37% 209 34%
36-45 88 29% 127 41% 215 35%
46-55 45 15% 40 13% 85 14%
56-65 14 5% 1 0.3% 15 2%
>65 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Total 301 100% 308 100% 609 100%
Tab. 3. Age distribution of respondents
In Bertoua, in terms of age and bushmeat consumption, the results show that 27% of
respondents aged between 26-35 years old recognized that they eat bushmeat, 24%
between 35-45 years old, 14% aged between 46-55, 4% aged between 56-65 and 3% less
than 18 years old (see Figure 3).
Fig. 3. Correlation between age distribution and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
In Ebolowa on the contrary, 41% of respondents aged 36-45 demonstrated their
bushmeat eating habit by saying that they love bushmeat. This was followed by the
group age 26-35 (35%), then 12% for the 46-55 years old and 7% for the 18-25 years old.
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Fig. 4. Correlation between age distribution and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
The results demonstrate that the main target audiences for potential awareness raising
campaigns or other bushmeat demand reduction strategies must target people aged 26-
45. The two figures above show that they are the highest consumers of bushmeat in
both cities.
1.5. Tribe
A total of 56 different tribes were recorded in the two target sites. There were 46 tribes
recorded in Bertoua. No tribe was highly dominant here; however, Baya and Maka were
a little bit higher than other tribes. In Ebolowa, there were 23 tribes recorded. The
majority of respondents belongs to the Bulu tribe.
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
Baya 40 13% Bulu 125 41%
Maka 36 12% Ewondo 47 15%
Others 225 75% Others 230 44%
Total 301 100% Total 308 100%
Tab. 4. Tribes of respondents in Bertoua Tab. 5. Tribes of respondents in Ebolowa
1.6. Religion and Marital status
As far as religion is concerned, it was noted than Christians participated in the study
more than Muslims; other respondents have no religion. The number of married
respondents is almost double that of those who are single.
106
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
Christian 420 88% Single 210 34%
Muslim 55 9% Married 388 64%
No religion 20 3% Others 11 2%
Total 609 100% Total 609 100%
Tab. 6. Religions of respondents Tab. 7. Marital status of respondents
1.7. Education
The highest education level achieved by respondents in both cities were mainly recorded
as secondary school (47%), followed by primary school (17%), post-graduate degree(s)
(12%) and no formal education (11%).
Bertoua Ebolowa Combined data
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No formal education
30 10% 35 11% 65 11%
Primary school 45 15% 57 14% 102 17%
Secondary school
136 45% 148 49% 284 47%
Undergraduate degree
41 14% 19 6% 60 10%
Post-graduate degree(s)
43 14% 29 10% 72 12%
Others 4 1% 17 6% 21 3%
Total 299 100% 305 100% 604 100%
Tab. 9. Education levels of respondents
In Bertoua, the percentage namely 39% of people who consumed bushmeat had
secondary school as the highest education level. 14% had post-graduate degree(s), 12%
undergraduate degrees, 12% primary school and 7% had no education. The observation
made here is that bushmeat consumption is not related to education level respondents
with secondary school education eat more bushmeat than people with post graduate
degrees.
107
Fig. 5. Correlation between education level and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
The observation made in Ebolowa (see Figure 6) was quite similar with 46% of
respondents having secondary school as highest education level, then 19% primary
school, 11% no education, 7% post graduate degrees, 6% undergraduate degrees and 6%
other. The important point here is that in Ebolowa young people are more bushmeat
consumers than older generations. If we assume that the age gap from primary school
to secondary schools is between 12 to 19 years old. This is an important indicator to
identify the right target audience.
108
Fig. 6. Correlation between education level and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
1.8. Occupation
Reported respondent occupations included mostly farming (15%), transport (14%) and
government (13%).
Bertoua Ebolowa Combined data
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
Banking, finance, insurance
14 5% 22 7% 36 6%
Farming 37 12% 56 18% 93 15%
Fishing 16 5% 7 2% 23 4%
Forestry 8 3% 5 2% 13 2%
Government 44 15% 37 12% 81 13%
I.T 28 9% 6 2% 34 6%
Media, entertainment
11 4% 13 4% 24 4%
Medical 19 6% 7 2% 26 4%
Military 23 8% 19 6% 42 7%
Transport 38 13% 48 16% 86 14%
Tourism 10 3% 11 4% 21 3%
Others 51 17% 74 24% 125 21%
Total 299 100% 305 100% 604 100%
Tab. 10. Occupations of respondents
In Bertoua, the occupation seemed to play a big role in bushmeat consumption in the
109
city. The percentage of respondents who either run their own businesses or work in
sectors that were not mentioned in our questionnaire and who affirmed to be eating
bushmeat frequently was the highest 15%. While 14% of respondents working for the
government, 11% in farming, 9% in I.T, 5% in both fishing and banking 3% in media and
7% in military actually do eat bushmeat on a regular basis. The result shows that there is
some correlation between the occupation and bushmeat consumption. The assumption
here is that private business owners, government workers, farmers, IT workers and
military officials are among the biggest bushmeat consumers in Bertoua according to the
survey.
Fig. 7. Correlation between occupation and bushmeat consumption in Bertoua
The situation is slightly different in Ebolowa, but there are also private business owners
and other occupations not mentioned in the survey coming first in terms of bushmeat
consumption with 23% of respondents. The result also showed that farmers are the
second highest bushmeat consumers in Ebolowa which is different from Bertoua where
we had government workers came second. Respondents working in the transport sector
(16%) confirmed eating bushmeat followed by governmental workers. There is a great
deal of relationship between the occupation that one holds and bushmeat consumption.
The reasons for bushmeat consumption later in this paper will of course put some light
on this assumption.
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Fig. 8. Correlation between occupation and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa
1.9. Household monthly income Bertoua Ebolowa Combined data
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
No. of respondent
% of respondent
Up to 50,000 52 18% 117 43% 169 11%
50,001-100,000 71 24% 104 39% 102 17%
100,001-150,000 82 28% 34 13% 284 47%
150,001-300,000 73 25% 13 5% 60 10%
300,001-500,000 11 4% 2 1% 72 12%
Over 500,000 1 0.3% 0 0% 21 3%
Total 290 100% 270 100% 604 100%
Tab. 8. Household monthly income of respondents (Currency: FCFA)
In Bertoua, there seemed to be some correlation between high income and bushmeat
consumption. The more respondents had high income the more they ate bushmeat.
Figure 9 shows that 23% of respondents confirmed that they eat bushmeat in Ebolowa
and had an income between 100,001-150,000 FCFA. 21% of respondents had an income
between 150,001-300,000 FCFA and affirmed eating bushmeat as well.
111
Fig. 9. Correlation between household monthly income and bushmeat consumption at Bertoua
In Ebolowa, the situation was very much different. People there might not just eat
bushmeat because they have high income but other reasons. Figure 10 demonstrates
this assumption. 41% of interviewees confirmed eating bushmeat but only had less than
50,000 FCFA as revenue. 37% of respondents had income between 50,001-100,000 FCFA
and were among the biggest bushmeat consumers in Ebolowa. This figure illustrates that
there is no relation between income and bushmeat consumption in Ebolowa. People
rather eat bushmeat because they like it.
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Fig. 10. Correlation between household monthly income and bushmeat consumption at Ebolowa
1.10. Preferred bushmeat species
One of the most important aspect of this study was also to find out the three most liked
or preferred species at each site. During the study, information about the preferred
species was readily made available in some restaurants, but some others were reticent
such as those in Mokolo II in Bertoua. Figure 11 shows the species said to be preferred.
From the figure, it can be seen that porcupine occupies the first place with 80% as the
preferred bushmeat consumed by the people around Ebolowa, followed by pangolin
(79%) and snake (47%). The same was observed when in Bertoua, porcupine still
occupies the first place with 61%, followed by pangolin 50% and snake/antelope 39%.
Gorilla, elephant and chimpanzee were the less preferred bushmeat species amongst
the 10 given species (Antelope, chimpanzee, civet, crocodile, elephant, gorilla, monitor
lizard, pangolin, porcupine and snakes). It might be explained that so far, there have
been a lot of awareness-raising campaigns focusing on these three species that made
them highly known and made people aware of the laws protect them. From that, people
choose not to consume them because it is clearly illegal. This result could be an evidence
for the conservation sector in Cameroon to put more efforts on the awareness-raising as
well as demand reduction campaigns for pangolins within the country so that the
species would fall into the same category of gorilla, elephant and chimpanzee.
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Fig. 11. Preferred bushmeat species of respondents
Photo 3. Live tortoise purchased by a priest in Mokolo II, Bertoua, Cameroon
© Affana Nkoa Camille / MENTOR-POP
1.11. Reasons to consume bushmeat rather than other domesticated meat available
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Antelope
Chimp
Elephant
Gorilla
Pangolin
Porcupine
Snake
Percentage of respondent
Ebolowa Bertoua
114
According to respondents, they chose bushmeat to consume mainly because of its taste
(43% of respondents). Bushmeat is more delicious with distinct taste which is far better
than any other domesticated meat confirmed by the majority of respondents. Another
reason that highly motivated respondents to choose bushmeat is the health benefits
(31% of respondents) that it provides people with. They believed that since wildlife does
not eat artificial food, their meat will pose no health problems, unlike domestic animals
which are often fed with poisonous and chemical products. Some reported that
bushmeat not only provides more energy and vitamins but also contains low fat that
gives them a healthy diet, especially when they get older.
15% of respondents claimed they have a habit to consume bushmeat because they grew
up eating it in their family so it became a part of their life as traditional and cultural
dishes. Moreover, since many of the respondents were born and living near the forest,
bushmeat was the only source of protein that they could easily get access to. Even when
they relocated from the rural area to urban areas with more domesticated meat
available, they still have this habit as it reminds them of their childhood and their village.
Photo 4. Cooked bushmeat for sale in Bertoua, Cameroon
© Affana Nkoa Camille / MENTOR-POP
Other reported reasons to consume bushmeat are its availability (10%) and affordability
115
(5%) because according to repondents, it is easy to find different types of wildlife at both
Bertoua and Ebolowa with affordable price. Few chose bushmeat because of the
prestige that it can bring to the consumers (4%), especially the meat from large-sized,
well-known and protected species like gorilla, elephant and chimpanzee.
The majority of the people interviewed in both cities has eaten bushmeat for many
years and do not have the intention to stop eating it because they grew up eating this
meat which was always available.
Fig. 12. Reasons to consume bushmeat rather than other domesticated meat
1.12. Pangolin
The majority of respondents claimed that they have consumed pangolins (84% of
respondent in Bertoua and 91% of respondent in Ebolowa). 53% of them often eat
pangolins once per week, 29% and 13% of respondents often eat pangolins once a
month and once every 6 months, respectively.
Customers often pay 1000-2500 FCFA for a meal of pangolin at restaurant (75% of
respondents). Others pay for less than 1000 FCFA (26% of respondents). Some of them
eat pangolins at home or hunt the species themselves.
From the results, it is clear that pangolins are highly desired and consumed frequently by
people.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
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Fig. 13. Responses to pangolin consumption Fig. 14. Responses to the frequency of
pangolin consumption
There were 6 main reasons to consume pangolins reported by respondents who
considered pangolins as their favorite meat, including: Affordable, availability,
culture/habit, health benefits, taste and prestige. Figure 15 demonstrates clearly that
pangolins are favored due to their tastiness with (89%, n = 335). 8% of respondents (n =
32) thought that pangolins can bring them health benefits since it is natural, clean and
fresh meat. Few people believed that pangolins, along with other wildlife, also give
medicinal benefits. Although pangolins are rather available and affordable at the study
sites, these are not the main reasons that motivated respondents to consume the
species. It is also an explanation for the fact that there was only 1% of respondents (n =
3) that considered pangolins as a “high-class” species that can bring them prestige. It is
clear that the motivations that drive people to pangolin consumption in Cameroon are
different from Asia since pangolins are considered as a luxury cuisine by Asian.
Fig. 15. Reasons to consume pangolins
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Bertoua Ebolowa
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
resp
on
de
nt
Eat pangolin
Yes No
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Once aweek
Once amonth
Onceevery 6months
Other
Per
cen
tage
of
resp
on
den
t
1% 1% 3%8%
89%
1% 2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Per
cen
tage
of
resp
on
den
ts
117
When being asked whether they are willing to pay more for a meal of pangolin at
restaurant, less than a half of people stated that they are happy to pay more since it is
their favorite meat (48% of respondents) while others refused to pay more (52% of
respondents). Most of the respondents agreed to pay from 1000-2500 FCFA for the
maximum price that they are able to offer to get their pangolin dish (79%). Few are
willing to pay from 3000-4000 FCFA (16% of respondents). Only 4% of respondents
offered more than 4000 FCFA for the meal.
Fig. 16. Price of a pangolin dish at restaurant Fig. 17. Maximum price that respondents are
willing to pay more for a pangolin dish
1.13. Places to eat bushmeat
Restaurants are the most common place to eat bushmeat, confirmed by 84% of
respondents. Other places like home (51%), home of friends (37%), home of family
(32%) were also recorded with fair percentages.
Fig. 18. Places to eat bushmeat
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
<1000FCFA
1000-2500 >2500 Other
Per
cen
tage
of
resp
on
den
t
Currency: FCFA
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1000-2500 3000-4000 >4000
Per
cnet
age
of
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on
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t
Currency: FCFA
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
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80%
90%
100%
Home Home offriends
Home offamily
Restaurant Place ofwork
Other
Per
cen
tage
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on
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t
118
1.14. Occasions to eat bushmeat
The majority of respondents claimed that they have no special occasion to consume
bushmeat (89%). Other occasions like wedding and Christmas (8%), birth child and
Easter (5%), however, were also recorded during the survey but few.
Fig. 19. Occasions to eat bushmeat
1.15. Barrier to consume bushmeat
There was a great deal of respondents claimed that bushmeat is either expensive (33%)
or illegal (20%) that can prevent them from consuming. Other reasons such as bushmeat
is not easily available to buy (14%), it is not the norm for their social group (4%), it is
pressure from their family/children (5%) were reported with low percentages.
However, there was up to 29% (n = 161) of respondents stated that they can consume
bushmeat without any difficulty. It means that they either are not aware of the laws
protecting pangolins or the laws does not have much impact on them to make them
hesitant to consume the species.
Fig. 20. Barriers to consume bushmeat
1.16. Conservation messages
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No occasion Wedding Birth child Christmas Easter Other
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
No barrier Unavailable Expensive Not socialnorm
Familypressure
Illegal Other
119
Interviewees were asked to rate five conservation messages would help to dissuade
people from buying, selling and consuming endangered species like pangolins following
5-point scale. Data shows that there is no message was highly dominant as respondents
had quite the same reaction to those messages (see Figure 21). Respondents strongly
agreed (range from 42-43%) and agreed (range from 20-28%) with the five given
messages. There was 11-25% of respondents had neutral answers. Not many
respondents disagreed (range from 8-17%) and strongly disagreed (range from 5-12%)
with the messages.
From the result, it can be arrived at that all five messages are worth testing in different
potential demand reduction campaigns to see how they will work in reality.
Fig. 21. Responses to effective conservation messages
Discussion
Our study and results represent one of the first conservation surveys done in two big
cities of Cameroon at the same time and during the same period: Bertoua and Ebolowa
to provide reliable information on bushmeat consumption in general but also to permit
extensive data to be collected on past and present pangolin consumption, prices and
local beliefs about pangolins, which are all essential to consider for effective
conservation management (Challender et al., 2014a; 2014b; Pietersen et al. 2014; Turvey
et al., 2015a).
Our survey demonstrates or confirms one of the well-known fact that most people love
eating bushmeat in Ebolowa and Bertoua. Respondents’ ability to firmly acknowledge
that busmeat is easily available and eaten was high across our survey areas, which
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
They areprecious
and uniqueanimals
They areimportant
for thehealth offorests
Theirpopulations
aredeclining
They face avery high
risk ofextinction
globally
Hunting,selling andconsumingthem areillegal in
Cameroon
Per
cen
tage
of
resp
on
den
t
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
120
provides a good indication that conservation efforts need to be intensify in these cities
with well-designed and targeted messages. Affirmation of bushmeat eating and
pangolins consumption was significantly higher in Ebolowa than in Bertoua, possibly due
to the fact that the South of Cameroon has a very well-known reputation in terms of
bushmeat consumption and trading and also the presence of forests in this region makes
wildlife prevalence abundant.
Our results show that despite the availability of different sources of domestic meat in
Bertoua and Ebolowa, most respondents are more likely to eat bushmeat because it is
simply more tasteful and healthier than domestic meat, plus its always available and
also affordable for the majority to consume bushmeat regularly and on a daily basis. In
Bertoua a high percentage of people aged 26-35 years old confirmed consuming meat
from the wild on a regular basis. This gives us a great indication on who the target
audience could be in case an awareness raising campaigns project is to take place in the
area and at the restaurants visited. While it was found out that in Ebolowa 41% (36-45
years old) interviewed were not only heavy bushmeat consumers but did not show any
sign or intention of changing that habit. Significant work is still needed to prevent
poaching, hunting and maximize education about wildlife across Cameroon and
especially in Bertoua and Ebolowa.
Most importantly, our survey demonstrates that there is no correlation between the
education level and bushmeat consumption the same applies with income level. In
Ebolowa, it was observed that the people or respondents who had low income were
actually consuming more bushmeat than the ones with high income. This is a very
important aspect of this survey as it is commonly assumed that high income earners will
be more involved in bushmeat consumption but the study rather show that income or
money is not a motivator or a trigger to bushmeat consumption in these cities. That said,
the incentives for bushmeat consumption are complex and do not only depend on
availability and prices, especially for the high income who consume fresh bushmeat
without concern for the price.
One of the most important findings of this study was to realize that preference for
bushmeat compared to alternatives has an influence on bushmeat consumption.
Porcupine (Atherurus africanus), was rated as the most preferred bushmeat species,
followed by pangolins (Pholidota) and snakes in both cities. The availability of bushmeat
in Bertoua and Ebolowa also influences consumption choices beyond preferences. In
addition, some authors have also shown that a cultural preference for bushmeat
encourages consumers to pay high prices for bushmeat (Bahuchet & Loveva, 1999;
Trefon & de Maret, 1999). This was clearly observed and tested during and after our
study because consumption in both cities seems predominantly dictated by preference
or taste rather than a lack of alternatives. Chicken, beef, pork and fish are available and
seen in streets corners, “tourne dos” and from other small traditional boutiques at
cheaper prices than bushmeat but yet people prefer to go for bushmeat instead of
121
alternatives. The short conclusion which could be drawn from these results is that
bushmeat consumption and preferences can only be explained by the taste, habit,
tradition, prestige and ritual in Bertoua and Ebolowa. Furthermore, it was also found out
that most people perceive bushmeat as, natural, abundant, nutritious and healthy food
compared to livestock, which is mostly industrial and imported. The semi structures
questions allowed specific questions to be asked interviewees on the reasons they buy
bushmeat. A very high percentage stated it was because it was fresh, healthy and
natural. This is pretty much the same result obtained from a survey done in Gabon
where bushmeat is also perceived as a “healthy food, natural, fresh and without artificial
additives” (Starkey, 2004). In conclusion, consumers in Bertoua and Ebolowa considered
bushmeat as a healthy source of protein, recommended by health activists, regardless of
the zoonotic diseases observed and confirmed in many cases by research labs and health
facilities.
Lesson learnt
The bushmeat trade continues to be a major concern for the conservation
community and is of increased interest to researchers and practitioners coming from
diverse disciplines (e.g. ecology, health and nutrition, economy, social sciences).
Pangolins are still very much threatened as they came as the second most preferred
bushmeat in both studied cities with many people willing to pay more for it. The
species is highly favored due to its tastiness compared with other wildlife. Some
people also claimed that pangolin meat can bring health benefits and few stated that
they consumed pangolins as traditional medicine.
Reasons behind bushmeat consumption are complex and integrate economic,
cultural, and social reasons that should not be disregarded in efforts to promote the
sustainable trade of bushmeat.
Understanding of consumer preferences (stated and actual) for both wildlife and
alternatives is needed.
Surveys of this dimension deserve more time for data collection and data analysis.
Time constraint was a big factor of the research.
Potential suitable messages were collected during this research which could be use
in developing key campaign messages for targeted audience.
Feasible demand reduction strategies can be drawn from the result of this survey.
Behavior change approaches can be explored as the behavior or habit that needs to
be changed has been identified.
122
Increasing the availability of cheaper sources of alternatives (such as poultry or
livestock) does not always lead to a reduction in bushmeat consumption, because
these are not always seen as acceptable substitutes by consumers. The capacity of
certain types of protein to become a substitute for bushmeat should be carefully
studied in a case-by-case basis.
Innovative sensitization campaigns (based on social marketing and behavior change
approaches) could be used to influence demand, with messages (identified and
collected messages during this survey) adapted to the cultural and social
backgrounds of different audiences.
Recommendations
Results from this project can provide the MINFOF with reliable data and information
about the current situation of pangolin consumption in Cameroon and how
vulnerable the species is under the threats of over-exploitation. From that,
encouraging the government to be more active in law enforcement and conservation
actions as well as more supportive of demand reduction and changing consumption
patterns which are highly crucial for the survival of the species, especially in the
circumstance where pangolins are fully protected by the Cameroonian laws.
It is recommended that larger scale bushmeat consumer surveys should be
continuously carried out at other key sites where bushmeat markets and
consumption are well-known to to have an overall picture of bushmeat consumption
in restaurants in general and pangolins in particular which are essential for
development stage of a behavior change action.
It is recommended that a study targeting bushmeat restaurant owners be conducted
to figure on the supply chain.
It is recommended that this survey be conducted also in remote forest areas to
better understand consumption behaviors of local people who have access to the
pangolin.
It is recommended that similar surveys be conducted in other Central African Range
States, especially in DRC and Gabon where MENTOR-POP Fellows are from.
123
It is recommended that a database be created such that information from surveys
conducted in different Central African countries can be centralized as this will permit
for an informed demand reduction strategy in these countries.
It is recommended that the study should last for a longer period to permit
consumers in both local and urban areas to gain sufficient trust in the surveyors so
as to give results free of any form of bias.
Work with MINFOF, NGOs and other partners to develop a national pangolin
conservation program.
Start lobbying with Asian diplomatic representations in Cameroon (China for
example) to join the WPD celebration in Cameroon and send strong message to
Chinese (Asians) traffickers that come to Cameroon for scales and meat.
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126
GENERAL CONCLUSION
Pangolins are now fully protected by law in Cameroon and will soon be protected in
the other Central African countries that are Parties to CITES. Eight Central Africans (6
Cameroonians, 1 Gabonese and 1 Congolese) and an Asian (from Vietnam) have
been well trained and now constitute a voice for Central African pangolins. They are
expected to train others through a multiplier effect as they fundraise to design and
execute conservation actions to address threats to these unique species of mammals
found only in Africa and Asia.
Protocols have been developed and tested to monitor pangolin populations. These will
be further tested and improved adding new techniques and methods including
telemetry to determine home ranges and other parameters that would improve
estimations of pangolin abundance and densities.
Baseline information exists on Cameroon’s effort to combat illegal trade in pangolins
and pangolin products on the national territory. Gaps were identified and if corrected
will certainly improve the situation of pangolins in the wild through improved law
enforcement initiatives.
Sensitization has begun with some media houses but needs to be intensified. Social
media has proven to be a very effective sensitization tool and should be used.
Repressive measures need to follow these awareness campaigns to indicate that
national laws can be enforced and that persons will get prosecuted when they disobey
them.
These activities require all Stakeholders to be on board led by Government and
involving NGOs, Diplomatic Missions, Media Houses, Research and Training
Institutions, Technical and Financial Partners, Regional Groupings, among others.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
For Cameroon:
Pangolins are now protected by international law and the national wildlife law of
Cameroon. Effective enforcement of these laws is now critical. Pangolin trafficking
should be recognized as a serious international crime (with strong links to money
laundering and terrorism), and so should receive the most severe sentencing and
financial penalties allowed by law.
Combatting corruption is key
The issue of “Negotiation” in the forestry and wildlife laws gives room for corruption
and needs to be modified for transparency in the management of trafficking and
poaching cases.
127
MINFOF, NGOs, donors, and other partners should work together to develop a
national pangolin conservation strategic program and establish full-time positions to
address pangolin conservation.
Pangolin strongholds should be identified for more effective population monitoring and
conservation, including the replication of assessment protocols developed by the
MENTOR-POP Program in other sites in the country.
Bushmeat surveys should be replicated around the country to determine feasible and
results-oriented behavior change strategies to reduce demand.
Cameroon should continue to provide leadership and inspire other countries in the
sub-region and Africa for improved pangolin conservation measures.
For NGOs:
Traffickers are changing techniques. There is an urgent need to provide technical
training accompanied by strategic and financial support to government agencies to
improve wildlife law enforcement.
For the Central African Sub-Region:
Other countries should follow Cameroon’s leadership and update national laws to
reflect the ban of international trade of all pangolins under CITES.
Pangolin crime is organized crime, and cannot be solved in isolation. Governments
and NGOs working in the sub-region should strengthen collaboration and information-
sharing to combat trafficking and corruption.
For the Pangolin Savers of MENTOR-POP:
MENTOR-POP’s legacy of being a voice for Central Africa’s pangolins will continue
under a newly formed Pangolin Conservation Network (PCN) that was developed by
the Fellows. It is the Fellows' responsibility to keep this flame alive for the interest of
Central African pangolin species as they build their conservation careers.
128
FINANCIAL REPORT
USFWS AWARD #F15AC00564: Progress on Pangolins (POP): Developing a trans-disciplinary MENTOR team to address threats to Central Africa's pangolins and apply conservation actions
FINAL FINANCIAL REPORT DECEMBER 2017
COST CALCULATION
Original Budget USFWS, ZSL and
Partners
ZSL
Comprehensive Total July 2016
Final expenditures December 2017
BUDGET ITEM C1
Salaries
Program Coordinator, Francis Tarla $3,000/month x 18 months $ 54,000.00 $ 67,500.00 $ 81,138.43
Fellows $500/month x 15 months x 9
Fellows $ 67,500.00 $ 83,250.00 $ 73,447.35
Pangolin Mentors (2) $12,000 flat rate including
expenses $ 10,000.00 $ 12,000.00 $ 14,610.13
Legal Mentor $6,000 flat rate including
expenses $ 10,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 3,699.39
Demand Reduction Mentor $6,000 flat rate including
expenses $ 10,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 1,880.51
Adaptive Management Consultant $2.000 flat rate including
expenses $ 2,000.00 $ -
Team Building Consultant $3,000 flat rate including
expenses $ 3,000.00 $ -
129
Central African University Faculty and Field Practitioners
$2,000/faculty x 3 faculty members $ 6,000.00 $ 4,000.00 $ 840.51
Chris Ransom (ZSL Responsible Programme manager and member
Pangolin SG) 10% time ($70,000 per year) $ 14,000.00 $ 14,000.00 $ -
Paul De Ornellas (Assistant PM, ZSL IWT lead and member IUCN Pangolin
SG) 10% time ($60,000 per year) $ 12,000.00 $ 12,000.00 $ -
Vince Smith (ZSL Cameroon Country Director) 15% Time ($70,000 per year) $ 5,400.00 $ 5,400.00 $ -
Vicky Laure Fomete(ZSL Finance and Administration manager) 15% Time ($,18,000 per year) $ 5,400.00 $ 5,400.00 $ -
Oliver Fankem (ZSL Research, monitoring and srveillance co-
ordinator) 15% time ($24,000 per year) $ 7,200.00 $ 7,200.00 $ -
Humphrey Ekane Anoah (ZSL Law enforcement co-ordinator) 15% time ($24,000 per year) $ 7,200.00 $ 7,200.00 $ -
Travel
Regional flights and associated costs $500 x 4 Central African
Fellows-Round Trip $ 2,000.00 $ 2,000.00 $ 2,178.50
International flights and associated costs
$3,000 from China or Vietnam to Cameroon x 2 Asian
Fellows-Round Trip $ 6,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 7,401.07
130
Program Vehicule Toyota Landcruiser $ 35,000.00 $ 35,000.00 $ 36,851.04
Insurance, Fuel & Maintenance for Vehicle
$5475 per year (insurance $1475 pa, fuel $2250pa, maintenance $1750pa) $ 10,950.00 $ 14,812.00 $ 15,934.15
Drivers DSA and Taxi $ 2,700.00 $ 2,469.68
African Pangolin Working Group (12-15 October 2015, Mabula Reserve,
South Africa)
9 Fellows + 1 Program Coordinator x $1000/flight x
$643 food & lodging & lodging & $100 local travel & misc. $ 17,430.00 $ 17,430.00 $ 16,377.51
Classroons: $100/month x months $ 400.00 $ 900.00 $ 511.08
Accomodation and subsistence
Fellows
$100/month x 9 Fellows x 15 months (10 months, 5
months) $ 13,500.00 $ 16,650.00 $ 17,133.64
Per Diems $100/months x 9 Fellows x 15
months $ 13,500.00 $ 16,650.00 $ 17,663.86
Equipment
Field Equipment $1,000 $ 4,000.00 $ 4,000.00 $ 5,379.70
Laptops $650 x 9 Fellows + 1 Program
Coordinator $ 6,500.00 $ 7,200.00 $ 7,208.97
Cameras & Video $1,000 flat rate $ 1,000.00 $ - $ -
131
Website Development, hosting and Internet+ communication $500 flat rate $ 500.00 $ - $ -
Awareness Events and unplanned opportunities $ 1,000.00 $ 1,562.16
Pilot Project Implementation
Field Assessment Action Group $20.000/project $ 20,000.00 $ 13,500.00 $ 10,275.44
Legal Systems Action Group $20,000/projet $ 20,000.00 $ 13,500.00 $ 12,326.10
Demand Reduction Action Group $20,000/project $ 20,000.00 $ 13,500.00 $ 15,105.13
Internship $ 5,000.00 $ 2,592.76
International Bushmeat Conference $ 7,459.00 $ 9,573.02
Communications
Subtotal $ 384,480.00 $ 356,051.00 $ 356,160.13
Indirect Costs @10% 10% of Total Expenses $ 33,214.00 $ 51,200.00 $ 42,269.00 $ 42,269.00
GRAND TOTAL $ 417,694.00 $ 51,200.00 $ 398,320.00 $ 398,429.13
Total USFWS Request $ 309,994.00 $ -109.13
132
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT