wildlife highway: the corridor

When we think of a forest, at first glance we see trees and greenery as far as the eye can see. We imagine (and see) animals that colonize and populate this space in its great ensemble. One would be tempted to believe that these animals are dispersed in the forest in order to extend their range, thus traversing the massif from one end to the other, even in the most remote corners. Even if this view is not totally false, it is not totally true either. Animals occupy the forest according to their specific needs and traverse it through an impressive network of wildlife routes that are completely hidden under the trees (and often above the trees). Through these routes, animals can reach specific sites to meet a given need at a given time. These routes that allow animals to move through the forest (and other types of ecosystems) are called Corridors.

Indeed, animals move regularly in search of water and food. Whether in the forest or the savannah, there are areas of high density of food, water and minerals available to the animals for each season. These wildlife "malls" are very well known, as are the safe and reliable access routes to these sites. This explains the long journeys made by elephants in some areas, which often span several countries. It is the existence of migration corridors that has justified the creation of conservation landscapes within a state, or between several different states.

In Cameroon, TRIDOM is a perfect illustration of a transboundary landscape that is the object of international synergy in the field of biodiversity conservation. This landscape includes several protected areas, the main ones being the Dja Wildlife and Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Cameroon, the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Congo and the Minkébé National Park in Gabon. This landscape is of immense interest for the conservation of large mammals in the Congo Basin because studies have shown that this area is dotted with elephant corridors that travel between these three protected areas located in three different countries. This means, in simple terms, that elephants in Cameroon one season travel to Gabon and/or Congo the next and so on.

Today, wildlife migration corridors are under severe pressure to fragment. The dilemma lies in the difficult synergy between biodiversity conservation (including wildlife habitat) and development. Although some states are committed to ambitious conservation goals, the desire to improve the livelihoods of their populations generally conflicts with these ideals and often tends to override conservation efforts. This is especially true in countries of the South where development is still in its early stages and based almost exclusively on natural resource extraction. Returning to the corridors, development as an impediment to the free movement of animals is reflected in urbanization, mining, agribusiness and road infrastructure. In the case of TRIDOM and the Cameroon segment, the elephant corridor linking the Dja Biosphere Reserve to the Minkébé National Park via the Mengame Gorilla Sanctuary is almost completely severed due to the asphalting of the Ntam-Sangmélima road and other human activities. The second and almost final corridor linking the Dja Biosphere Reserve to the Odzala-Kokoua National Park through the Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve is about to suffer the same fate (and worse). A project to asphalt the Mballam-Ngoyla road has been announced for the coming years, and the exploitation of the Mballam-Nabeba mining site will exacerbate the negative impacts on the corridor and on the reserve.

Now the big question is how to preserve the elephant migration corridor of TRIDOM Cameroon while ensuring the development of the country and local communities. Answering this question is imperative because with the disruption of migration corridors, it is the entire wildlife that is threatened. To this end, I invite you to share your views so that we can act together in the field.

link to pictures which are related to this article  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qFo0h_jl6znk7QFhCvrpQw7k72qariMz?usp=share_link