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Dja Faunal Reserve

Cameroon
Factors affecting the property in 2000*
  • Commercial hunting
  • Financial resources
  • Forestry /wood production
  • Ground transport infrastructure
  • Illegal activities
  • Mining
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Commercial logging in adjoining natural forests
  • Poaching
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2000
Requests approved: 4 (from 1987-1997)
Total amount approved : 84,700 USD
Missions to the property until 2000**
Information presented to the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in 2000

Previous deliberations 
Twenty-third session of the Committee – paragraph X.28 and Annex VIII

New information: IUCN has expressed its concern over the fact that a report on the implementation of the Sangmelima (1998) workshop recommendations is yet to be received from the State Party. The IUCN Regional Office for Central Africa has been involved in assisting the efforts of the State Party to conserve this site since 1995, with financial support from the Government of the Netherlands. IUCN has informed the Centre that support from the Government of the Netherlands has been concluded in December 1999. Since then there has been no new projects to support site management. Additional resources from international donors and partners are urgently required. Illegal opening of roads for forestry activities and poaching, particularly that linked to the supply of the bush-meat trade are significant threats to this site.

The Centre has not received a response to the letter informing the State Party of the decisions of the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau. On 25 April 2000, a member of the Centre staff met and discussed with the Second Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of Cameroon to UNESCO.  It was agreed that the Delegation would do its best to ensure that the State Party communicates with the Centre as soon as possible on Dja.

Action Required

The Bureau reiterates its request, made at its sessions in 1998 and 1999, that the State Party submit a detailed report on the progress made to implement the recommendations of the Sangmelima Workshop held in March 1998. The Bureau requests the Centre and IUCN to co-operate with the State Party to identify alternative donors to support the development of institutional and local capacity for the management of the site.

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2000

The State Party in a letter dated 22 September 2000 provided the Centre with a report outlining measures being undertaken to implement the recommendations of the Sangmelima meeting as requested by the twenty-third and twenty-fourth sessions of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee. The report mentions that the local stakeholders have adopted a « management plan », that the State Party wishes to enhance the technical and logistical capacities for the management of the Reserve, and that to this effect, a new organisational chart is under implementation to increase the above capacity.  The Centre has not received a copy of the management plan mentioned in the report.  The Centre and IUCN are in the process of studying the report. It is noted however that the report does not adequately address important issues raised by the Sangmelima meeting such as the poaching problems and the easing for licensing timber harvesting around the site. It has been reported to IUCN that despite the new Forest Law and the pressure of international donors for a better implementation of Cameroon’s forest policy, there are only slight improvements. Illegal opening of roads for forestry activities and poaching by surrounding villages and hunters continues to be a major threat. IUCN also noted that a mine exploration phase for nickel and cobalt in the hinterland of the Dja Faunal Reserve has been carried out. Mining activities in the area may have significant impacts on the World Heritage site. The IUCN Regional Office for Central Africa has been working to support conservation efforts at this site since 1995 but the funding for these efforts concluded in December 1999. Since then, there have been no new projects to support site conservation efforts and additional resources are required to address the above threats.

 

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2000
24 BUR IV.B.27
Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon)

The Bureau noted the concerns expressed that a report on the implementation of the Sangmelima (1998) Workshop recommendations is yet to be received from the State Party. The IUCN Regional Office for Central Africa has been involved in assisting the efforts of the State Party to conserve this site since 1995, with financial support from the Government of the Netherlands. IUCN has informed the Centre that this support was concluded in December 1999. Since then there have been no new projects to support site management and additional resources from international donors and partners are urgently required. Illegal opening of roads for forestry activities and poaching, particularly linked to the supply of the bush-meat trade are significant threats to this site.

IUCN informed the Bureau of the urgent need to address the key conservation challenges, particularly those associated with logging; poaching and the need for alternative resource use options for local communities. IUCN’s Central African Office and the State Party submitted a funding proposal for consideration by the United Nations Foundation, but this was unsuccessful, although IUCN has been advised that a broader regional proposal, focused on the bush-meat trade may be more successful.

The Bureau noted that the Secretariat has not received a response to the letter informing the State Party of the decisions of the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau. On 25 April 2000, a member of the Centre staff met and discussed the situation with the Second Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of Cameroon to UNESCO.  It was agreed that the Delegation would do its best to ensure that the State Party communicates with the Centre as soon as possible on Dja.

Having considered the information provided, the Bureau reiterated its request, made at its sessions in 1998 and 1999, that the State Party submit a detailed report on the progress made to implement the recommendations of the Sangmelima Workshop. The Bureau further requested the Centre and IUCN to co-operate with the State Party to identify alternative donors to support the development of institutional and local capacities for the management of the site.

24 COM VIII.iii
State of conservation reports of natural properties noted by the Committee

 State of conservation reports of natural properties noted by the Committee

Belovezhskaya Pushcha/Bialowieza Forest (Belarus/Poland)

Pirin National Park (Bulgaria)

Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon)

Gros Morne National Park (Canada)

Canadian Rocky Mountains Parks (Canada)

Comoe National Park (Côte d'Ivoire)

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

Komodo National Park (Indonesia)

Lorenz National Park (Indonesia)

Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest (Kenya)

Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand (New Zealand)

Arabian Oryx Sanctuary (Oman)

Huascarán National Park (Peru)

Danube Delta (Romania)

Lake Baikal (Russian Federation)

Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal)

Doñana National Park (Spain)

Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka)

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda)

Gough Island (United Kingdom)

Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park (United Republic of Tanzania)

Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)

Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe)

The Bureau may wish to adopt the following decision and transmit it to the Committee for noting:

“The Bureau requests the Centre and IUCN to review the report and to co-operate with the State Party in view of working out methods for the implementation of the recommendations of the Sangmelima workshop, and to report on these measures, and on the state of conservation of this site with special reference to illegal roading, poaching, and the status of mineral exploration and any proposed mining activities in time for the twenty-fifth session of the Bureau. The Bureau also encourages international donors and partners to support conservation efforts at this site.”

Report year: 2000
Cameroon
Date of Inscription: 1987
Category: Natural
Criteria: (ix)(x)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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