The revised version of the management and business plan of the Lobeke National Park and its peripheries has been validated.

The plan was validated in Yaounde recently at a workshop that brought together stakeholders from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, MINFOF, and other administrations; the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF; the Sangha Tri-National Foundation; NGOs, funding and Conservation agencies; diplomatic missions; as well as representatives of the local population from the East Region.

Speaking at the start of the workshop, the Secretary General in MINFOF, Denis Koulagna Koutou, remarked that the presence of the stakeholders was testimony of the keen interest they have in issues of conservation. He disclosed that the revised plan submitted for appreciation and validation, was initiated by MINFOF in 2011.

“This plan takes into consideration the interest of the local population and the conservation objectives of the rich biodiversity of Lobeke. The [revision] process followed a participative approach with the involvement of all the actors in the management of natural resources in this protected area,” he stated.

Koulagna said after the participative evaluation of the former management and business plan in 2010 that brought out pitfalls, the different Local, Divisional and Regional committees held and consolidated the recommendations that were formulated. He said the national validation workshop was therefore the last step of the process that was conducted in conformity with the regulations enforced.

He used the opportunity to express the gratitude of the Cameroon Government to the funding and technical partners who accompanied them in the revision of the management and business plan of the Lobeke National Park and its peripheries.

According to the terms of reference submitted to the media, the revision process that took into account the directives of July 21, 2009 on the elaboration and putting in place of management plans included the participative evaluation of the Lobeke plan from the period 2006 to 2010.

Meetings of local and management consultative committees who debated on the former plan and brought out recommendations that were added to the revised version of the plan also took place.

Compiling of information on different biological and socio-economic dynamics to produce the first revised draft; its eventual enrichment by the technical committee and dissemination to local actors in view of consultative talks ; meetings with the Baka and Bantou communities; organisation of Divisional and Regional workshops in Yokadouma and Bertoua with the stakeholders; the consolidation of the revised draft just to name but these, are some of the processes that took place to the build up of the validation workshop of the management and business plan of the Lobeke National Park and its environs.

Meanwhile, during the workshop, a number of papers followed by question and answer sessions were presented. The Sub Director of Protected Areas in MINFOF talked on the “context and the process of revision of the management plan;” while the Conservator of the Park, Hilaire Ndinga presented “the Lobeke National Park and its peripheries.”

Ndinga highlighted a number of difficulties they are grappling with in the park which include the massive circulation of war arms in the face of unarmed forest guards; the fight against poachers; poor application of the law; bad roads; lack of bridges amongst others.

Other speakers included Dr. Germain Ngandjui of WWF who talked on “measures and management programmes,” while Dr. Zacharie Nzooh, still from WWF, presented “the business plan of the Lobeke National Park”.