Dja Faunal Reserve

a) Lack of implementation and full approval of management plan;

b) Industrial mining activities proposed adjacent to the property;

c) Industrial farming proposed in the buffer zone;

d) Threats from commercial hunting; deforestation around the property.

Total amount provided to the property: USD 60,000 from the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust to UNESCO. The Dja Faunal Reserve also benefits from part of the USD 193,275 allocated to the South-eastern Cameroon region by the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI).

In February 2007, the State Party submitted a report documenting the following progress towards the implementation of the recommendations of the 2006 monitoring mission:

a) Management Plan

The Management Plan has been completed but still awaits a Ministerial Decree for approval. The State Party implemented some management initiatives outside the property such as the creation of hunting zones, some of which are managed by the community. A number of management suggestions have also been made to guide the work of the Forestry Development Units bordering the property. In its 2007 budget, the State Party has also included funding for park equipment, for anti-poaching activities and for an elephant inventory.

b) Financial Autonomy

To assist in achieving financial autonomy for the property the State Party has included in its budget for 2007 the cost of a study on funding mechanisms which could be used to support the management of the Reserve.

c) Establishment of a Conservation Coordination Unit and of village committees for the Reserve

The State Party has created a Conservation Coordination Unit, which incorporates the Conservation Service and personnel from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife; this includes four surveillance posts which operate under the head of the unit. The State Party has also set up village committees which are incorporated into the coordination unit. Financial support for the functioning of these committees is part of the 2007 budget and includes rewards for ivory and trophy animal seizures.

d) Provisional Operation Permits of the Forest Development Units

The State Party plans to phase out, progressively, the Provisional Operation Permits of the Forest Development Units adjacent to the Reserve and replace them by annual logging permits. The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife has signed a partnership agreement with Global Forest Watch, a project of the World Resources Institute, which allows independent monitoring of forest exploitation using satellite imagery.

e) GEOVIC mining concession

The State Party sollicitated public comments on the provisional Environmental Impact Assessment report for the GEOVIC mining concession located in the Lomie sector near the property. As a result of this consultation GEOVIC was requested to conduct a new wildlife risk assessment as the original assessment underestimated the impacts of its activities. The Department of Wildlife and Protected Areas will be involved in the production of the “Conservation and biodiversity development plan” before GEOVIC begins work. The State Party has requested GEOVIC to evaluate resources available for the implementation of the conservation plan and to compensate the reserve. The funds will be secured before work begins. In order to carry out these activities GEOVIC and WWF have signed a partnership agreement.

The World Heritage Centre and IUCN note that the Ministerial decree for the enforcement of the Management Plan has not been issued since its interdepartmental validation (2004) and updating (2006), and recognise the necessity of its issuance as soon as possible in order to make further progress on the implementation of the management plan. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN note the importance of ensuring adequate funding for the implementation of the management plan.

The State Party is also encouraged to report on the impact of commercial hunting in the designated hunting zones leased near the park. It is also important to assess the impact of the bush meat trade, including levels, distribution and apprehension of poachers.

The World Heritage Centre and IUCN welcome the partnership with Global Forest Watch, which will be very useful in monitoring long-term and large-scale changes in land-use and forest cover. However, the response time from this method of monitoring for on ground intervention is too slow to prevent and stop illegal activities. Therefore, the village committees and voluntary networks of observers should be used where possible to report on illegal activities to facilitate prompt action.