Takamanda-Mone Landscape Project (TMLP).
The Takamanda-Mone Landscape forms the Cameroon portion of the larger Cross River Landscape, a rugged and remote highland area stretching into Cross River State in Nigeria. This landscape holds the surviving population of the Critically Endangered Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), with around 100 individuals remaining in Nigeria and 250 in Cameroon. It is a biologically diverse region, holding a population of chimpanzees, several monkey species, small antelopes, pigs and many species of bird. The terrain is mountainous and spectacular.
The transboundary nature of the landscape, spanning two countries, and the ethnically diverse human population living within it, necessitates an innovative, participatory conservation approach to natural resource management and conservation.
The TMLP takes its name from two important protected areas contained within the landscape, the Takamanda National Park (TNP) and the Mone Forest Reserve (MFR). In addition, the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary (KGS) is the site of a permanent WCS Research Camp, where monitoring of the gorillas is done through innovative technologies like camera traps and daily foot patrols.
WCS works as a conservation partner with the Programme for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, South West Region (PSMNR-SWR), with the main objective of preserving high-value ecosystems in the South-West Region of Cameroon and in this way contributing to improving the livelihoods of local communities in a sustainably viable way. Affected stakeholders are supported and empowered to manage forest and wildlife resources in sustainable way for their own benefit. WCS TMLP acts as a Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) through the Regional Delegation in the South West Region. This partnership is co-financed by the German Development Bank KfW and includes the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the consulting firm GFA/DFS. The first phase of the programme ran from 2006 to 2011, and the second phase will run until 2017. Within PSMNR, WCS is actively involved in supporting the day-to-day functioning of the Takamanda National Park (TNP), and serves as a technical advisor to the MINFOF TNP Park Team in the following areas:
- Management of Protected Area
- Mediating land-use conflicts
- Sustainable forest management
Conservation Challenges
The ten year conservation strategy for TMLP includes the following objectives:
- The number of Cross River gorillas increases by 15% to approximately 290 individuals.
- At least 80% of the Cross River gorilla habitat is effectively protected.
- At least half of all known gorilla populations can move safely between refuges within the landscape.
- Populations of chimpanzees and drills are stable or increasing.