Achievements

 

After Registration in 2010

  • Under the Sustainable Medicinal Wildlife Initiative as a programme of CIRMAD, we initiated and carried out field surveys on the use and means of acquisition of medicinal wildlife products for natural medicine in Cameroon’s North West Region in 2010. (Vide http://www.rufford.org/files/9895-2DetailedFinalReport.pdf)
  • Produced a historic poster of identified medicinal wildlife species of Northwest Cameroon and organized the historic symposium on the sustainable use of medicinal wildlife in 2010; organised the first ever training of tradi-practitioners on sustainable medicinal wildlife use in 2012. (Vide http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/proiects/emmanuel liyong sama)
  • Initiated and produced the 1st ever anti-poaching action movie: MEDICINAL WILDLIFE

PALAVER, for medicinal wildlife conservation education in 2010; as at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl1Z0SQYKzQ.

Besides the ground breaking surveys, the Initiative educated and trained user communities, and mobilised stakeholders for the protection and sustainable use of vulnerable medicinal wildlife resources in Northwest Cameroon.

  • As partner NGO to BAPESU in the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary Beekeeping and Conservation Pilot Project (2012); CIRMAD trained beneficiaries on small business and marketing Skills. (Vide http://www.cirmad.net/kagwene-gorilla-sanctuary/)
  • Chimpanzee conservation work in Tubah Upland Forest with local community and local MINFOF involvement, with equipment support of IDEA WILD (2012-2013) (Vide http://wordpress.cirmad.net/wp-admin/content/uploads/2014/08/TRIP_TO_CHIMP_HABITAT .pdf)
  • Implantation of REDD+ and Climate Change platforms in municipalities of N.W Region (2013) as a member organization of the REDD+ and CC Regional platform of N. W. Region. (Vide http://www.cirmad.net/cirmad-in-the-redd-and-climate-change/)

Other projects carried/being carried out:

2014 – 2016:

As a steadfast local NGO partner CIRMAD works to ensure the survival of the endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, in line with The Regional Action Plan for the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) (Morgan et al, 2011). in 2014 we produced the 1st ever conservation education poster of the endangered chimp for the ongoing creation, empowerment and working with “Chimp Survival Clubs” in its habitat sites in the Bamenda Highlands. The multi-site project has been successively supported with funding by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s PPG Conservation Fund, Sacramento Zoo, International Primatological Society, and the Chester Zoo for work around the then Fungom Forest Reserve, Tubah Upland Forest, Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, the Sothern Menchum forests, and currently the Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve. (Vide https://cirmad.net/chimpanzee conservation).

2016:

  • The recruitment and training of (eleven) 11 community ecoguards for Kom-Wum Forest Reserve with the support of the WWF-Education for Nature Program, under a Memorandum of Understanding CIRMAD signed with the Fundong Council.
  • The creation and installation of five (05) Village Forest Management Committee (VFMCs) and their Steering Committee for Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, and installation six (6) signboards around it; with the support of the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
  • The promotion/revival of traditional handicrafts and livelihoods in Balikumbat with the support of The Pollination Project (Ongoing)
  • A reforestation project in Balikumbat with the support of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (Special Fund 2016) – pending the disbursement of funds.

2017:

  • CIRMAD is currently carrying out a protected area management project in the Kom-Wum Forest Reserve with the support of the Prince Bernhard Nature Fund, in a project titled: Empowering ecoguards to protect the endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve.
  • Biomonitorirng training of community ecoguards of Kom-Wum Forest Reserve with the support of the Sacramento Zoo Conservation Fund.
  • A conservation education project for Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve in conjunction with the local service of the Ministry of Forestry and wildlife. The exercise entailed village sensitization meetings (VSM) in 5 main adjacent communities of the chimp habitat site, with the distribution of posters.

2018:

Award: Mr Liyong Emmanuel Sama the Founder/CEO of CIRMAD won the Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award of the international primatological(IPS), USA.

Kimbi-Fungom National Park: Production and distribution of educational poster public awareness and conservation education.

 

Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve:  Project titled: Improving chimpanzee conservation in Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve, through stakeholders marshalling, community empowerment and support for law enforcement. It is with the donor partner support of Prince Bernhard Nature Fund and Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, and entails:

  • Production and installation of boundary signboards of the site
  • Training, empowerment and follow-up of bee farmers, a community conservation initiative for chimpanzee conservation in the site.
  • Stakeholder workshop to enhance chimpanzee conservation in the site
  • Radio slots for conservation education on the threatened chimp habitat site.But this project has been seriously constrained by the ongoing socio-political strife which has not spared the Ako Municipality. However, some remarkable success has been recorded in project execution, viz:
  1. The training and equipping of 27 villagers of the adjacent communities on bee farming as planned,
  2. Radio talks/panel discussions done over Ako Community Radio.
  3. The six (6) signboards of Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve produced and some installed.
  • 750 copies of educational poster of Ako-Mbembe Forest Reserve were reproduced and are being distributed.But currently an advocacy ( which wasn’t a planned activity) is being undertaken through lobbying, petition letters and online petitions to cause the Government of Cameroon to reverse a procedure of transforming the chimpanzee habitat site to a Forest management Unit for commercial timber exploitation.Kom-Wum Forest Reserve: continuation of anti-poaching work with community ecoguards with the support of the Global Greengrants, titled: Enhancing law enforcement to protect the endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve.We laud the efforts of the various organizations, researchers and officials for putting in place the Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) of 2011, with a timeframe of 5 years. It is a standard guide for the protection of the endangered great ape species. However, there is need for its mid-term review to assess achievements so far and streamline the way forward to better ensure the survival of the P. t. ellioti in its restricted global range.