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[/one_third]Some two eco-guards, Mr. Elebe Bessala Aldalbert Christian and Mr. Goue Mengamenya Placide, integrated into the bio-monitoring programme of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), August 25 to September 3, 2016, in Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, say they can now carry out their surveillance duties with relative ease thanks to the experience and exposure gained during the exercise.
They made this profession last October 20, to ERuDeF’s Director of Conservation after a patrol to the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
The eco-guards said the bio-monitoring programme opened their eyes to the reality of the sanctuary.
“Before, our surveillance activities were limited to communities around the sanctuary mostly by monitoring bush meat sales in markets; no monitoring was carried out within the Sanctuary itself. This activity has enabled my colleague and I to have a better idea about the Sanctuary” Mr. Elebe said.
He disclosed they have not been able to carry out their routine patrol to track down illegal activities and bring defaulters to justice due to lack of material and financial resources.
“As eco-guards, we are supposed to be carrying out patrols and forest surveillance as well as bio-monitoring in the Sanctuary but we do not have the materials and financial means to do them. We are therefore appealing to the government, ERuDeF and other partners to help us with materials and financial support that will enable us to render our services for the effective conservation of wildlife species in the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary’’ the Eco-guard appealed.
Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the key biodiversity hotspots in Southwest Cameroon created in 2014. It is host to the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte ellioti) and many other mammals, endemic birds, plants and butterfly species.
By Enokenwa Allen Tabi