Cameroon’s rich species abundance has made it one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots; it ranks fifth in Africa for fauna and fourth for flora diversity. Bush meat and ivory poaching significantly threaten the biodiversity of this
ecoregion. The project will focus on the portion of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkebe transboundary area found in Cameroon, an area that is richly endowed with around 191 species of large mammals including elephants, gorillas, and chimpanzees. The landscape is one of Africa’s elephant poaching hotspots. Local ivory prices have increased tenfold since 2005 and provide huge incentives for well-established criminal networks and local poachers. The objective of this project is to strengthen the conservation of globally threatened species in Cameroon by improving biodiversity enforcement, resilience, and management with a key focus on the portion of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkebe transboundary area. The objective will be achieved through implementation of four interconnected components: (1) strengthening capacity for Protected Area (PA) governance and IWT control, (2) improving management of globally significant PAs by national and local institutions, (3) reducing poaching and illegal trafficking of threatened species at the project site, and (4) knowledge management.
 

The complainants claim they are being illegally evicted from their forest lands, both inside and outside formally “protected areas", that they did not go through a proper consultation/FPIC process, and that the UNDP project would violate their human rights.

"Nki National Park was created in 2005 and ever since we have lost the forest that
our ancestors left us. We cannot go hunting safely, or climb trees to gather honey,
or dig for wild yams or collect our medicinal plants.

The wildlife guards have abused us, beaten us and tortured us for more than 10
years. We are told that international law and the OECD guidelines say that our free,
prior and informed consent is required for these projects. We have not accepted
these projects that are ruining our lives.

We ask all those who are funding these projects to come and hear our suffering
and seek our consent."