One year report: Community-based Green project
-1 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
Limbe Wildlife Centre: Community-based Green project 2017-2018 by Guillaume LE FLOHIC, Manager (Limbe Wildlife Centre) & Country Director (Pandrillus Cameroon)
Published in September 2018 Limbe Wildlife Centre, P.O. Box 878, Limbe, Republic of Cameroon
Limbe Wildlife Centre is a collaborative effort between Pandrillus Foundation and the Republic of Cameroon, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, MINFOF Pandrillus Foundation is a non-profit making NGO specialized in the protection, rehabilitation and reintroduction of primates, as well as management and sustainable financing of conservation projects in Africa. Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife is in charge of implementing the national forest policy for ensuring sustainable management and conservation of wildlife and biodiversity over the national territory as enacted by forestry law No. 01/94 of 20 January which regulates all forestry, wildlife and fisheries activities
guillaume@limbewildlife.org limbewildlifecentre
+237 681 991 590 limbewildlife
-2 -
limbewildlife.org limbewildlife
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
Content
SUMMARY
6
INDICATORS OF SUCCESS OF THE GREEN PROJECT
11
OUR WILDLIFE POPULATION BENEFITING FROM THE PROJECT
15
FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN
17
FUTURE GOALS & OBJECTIVES
19 -3 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
-4 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
-5 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
2017-18
Summary
Concept. The Green Project is a long-term community-based project that generates new alternative incomes for a hunting community, while providing high-value foods that enhance the diet, health and well-being of the Primates rehabilitated at the Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC). In this project, members of the community of the Batoke village are organized in Association working together in partnership with the LWC. The activity of the Association consists in providing specific amount and diversity of plants to the LWC, which organizes the transport, control and payment. The prices have been fixed by consensus between both Parties and therefore are fair, high and regular enough to alleviate local poverty. Ultimately, these incomes encourage the villagers to reduce the pressure on the surrounding wildlife and allow them to enhance both education and health care to their children. Results. For the past year, 9,408,495 XAF (17,106 USD) have been invested into the community (+24% compared to last year), and divided between a total of 123
members against 107 last year (+15%), of which 101 permanent members instead of 97 last year (+4%). Year on year, we engage more women in the harvesting of crop by-products; the number of participants raised from 61 to 71 (+16%). Unfortunately, due to the current sociopolitical crisis and security issues in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon*, the number of men harvesting wild plants has dropped from 36 to 30 (-17%). * Due to violence occurring around Mount Cameroon National Park, men are less able to go into the forests to harvest wild plants.
The increase of interest and participation of community members in the project, either as permanent or one-off suppliers, has contributed to increase the amount of browse we provided to improve the health and well-being of our animals. A total of 58.02 tons of fresh crop-by product leaves (56% potato, 26% papaya, 18% cassava) and 19.20 tons of wild herbaceous plants of the wild ginger family Zingiberacea (50% of Costus sp. and 50% of Aframomum sp.) were delivered to the centre over the last year. They are delivered every
-6 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
Monday, Wednesday and Friday every month, without interruption, contributing to the health of animals, the time spent foraging and stimulating social interactions and well-being. In addition, 9.16 tons of Trumpet wood were provided as enrichment equating to 1,500-2,000 plants manually removed to reduce the spread of this invasive plant. A strong community partnership. Over the past year we organized two community workshops. The first consisted of a visit and reception at the LWC of 80 women and ex-hunter members of the Batoke Association (80% participation). The second community workshop was organized in Batoke, in presence of the representative of the Chief of Batoke in May 2018 and 55 members (55%).
2017-18
Future development. Next year, we will begin a Family Nature Club project aimed at enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes of the community towards the nature around them. Through the community and this project, we aim to increase our positive impact on wider conservation and on the wildlife around Batoke, in the Mount Cameroon National Park. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they will learn about and actively participate in various activities relating to conservation. This project is the next logical step towards achieving our long-term goal of creating a conservation community and also to identify key individuals within the community who can undertake real conservation action in future years. Limbe, 21 September 2018
Guillaume LE FLOHIC Manager: Limbe Wildlife Centre
-7 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
-8 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
-9 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
- 10 -
2017-18
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
INDICATORS OF SUCCESS OF THE GREEN PROJECT 2015-16 Products Crop by-products Cassava leaves Papaya leaves Potato leaves Subtotal Crop by-products Wild herbaceous plants Aframomum sp. Costus sp. Subtotal Wild herbaceous
Weight (kg)
2016-17 Costs (XAF)
Weight (kg)
2017-18
Members
Cost per kg (XAF)
Costs (XAF)
Weight (kg)
Costs (XAF)
Women Women Women
80 80 60
8,601 1,680 18,973 29,254
688,080 134,400 1,138,380 1,960,860
9,721 2,484 29,869 42,074
777,680 198,720 1,792,140 2,768,540
10,293 15,342 32,382 58,017
823,440 1,227,360 1,942,920 3,993,720
Ex-hunters Women/Men
≈ 472 50
8,672 3,742 12,414
4,089,000 187,100 4,276,100
9,779 3,274 13,053
4,611,000 163,700 4,774,700
9,594 9,603 19,197
4,524,000 480,150 5,004,150
Women/Men
45
0 0
0 0
692 692
31,140 31,140
9,125 9,125
410,625 410,625
41,668
6,236,960 92 119,368 67,793 104 8.7 1.1
55,819
7,574,380 97 144,964 78,086 126 10.5 1.3
86,339
9,408,495 101 180,067 93,153 157 13.1 1.6
Invasive plants Trumpet wood Subtotal Invasive plants Total NB permanent members Average weekly incomes Average incomes per permanent member Equivalent monthly salaries (60,000 XAF/mth) Equivalent monthly employment Equivalent monthly salaries per member
Table 1. Weight and costs per food item and par period. Comments: For the past three years, the amount of food and number of participants from the community has continuously increased. In three years, the equivalent of monthly salaries created through the project has increased by 42%, and now, the project employs the equivalent of 13 permanent staff from the community. Overall, the project guaranteed 1.6 monthly salaries to each of the 101 members (+32% in three years)
- 11 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1
11
21
Cassava leaves
31
41
51
61
Papaya leaves
71
81
91
Potato leaves
101
111
121
Aframomum sp.
131
141
151
Costus sp.
161
171
181
Trumpet wood
Figure 1. Increase of amount (kg) of food enrichment provided by the community of Batoke since January 2015 (week 1) until the end of August 2018 (week 187).
Costus sp. 5%
Trumpet wood 4%
Cassava leaves 9% Papaya leaves 13%
Potato leaves 21%
Aframomum sp. 48%
Figure 2. Contribution of each food items to the revenues generated this year.
- 12 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
- 13 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
- 14 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
OUR WILDLIFE POPULATION BENEFITING FROM THE PROJECT Classification PRIMATES Great ape
Species
Scientific names
[UICN]1 | Class2
Central African Chimpanzee Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee Western Lowland Gorilla
Pan troglodytes troglodytes Pan troglodytes ellioti Gorilla gorilla gorilla
[EN] | A [EN] | A [CR] | A
Drill Mandrill Oliv e baboon
Mandrillus leucophaeus Mandrillus sphinx Papio anubis
[EN] | A [VU] | A [LC] | C
Agile mangabey Red-capped Mangabey
Cercocebus agilis Cercocebus torquatus
[LC] | A [VU] | A
Crowned monkey Mona monkey Moustached monkey Patas monkey Preuss's monkey Putty-nosed monkey Red-eared monkey Red-rumped Putty-nosed monkey Tantalus monkey
Cercopithecus pogonias Cercopithecus mona Cercopithecus cephus cephus Erythrocebus patas Cercopithecus preussi Cercopithecus nictitans nictitans Cercopithecus erythrotis Cercopithecus nictitans ludio Chlorocebus tantalus
[LC] | C [LC] | C [LC] | C [LC] | C [EN] | A [LC] | C [VU] | A [LC] | C [LC] | C
Bay Duiker Blue Duiker Bush Buck
Cephalophus dorsalis Philantomba monticola Tragelaphus scriptus
[NT] | B [LC] | C [LC] | B
African civet
Civettictis civetta
[LC] | B
African grey parrot
Psittacus erithacus
[EN] | A
Black-hinged terrapin Dwarf crocodile Home's hinged tortoise Nile crocodile Radiated tortoise
Pelusios niger Osteolaemus tetraspis Kinixys homeana Crocodylus niloticus Astrochelys radiata
[LC] | C [VU] | A [VU] | A [LC] | A [CR] | A
Papionid
Mangabey
Guenon
UNGULATES
OTHER MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES
Total 1 2
check conservation status at iucnredlist.org: CR = critically endangered; EN = endangered; V U = vulnerable classes of protection as defined by Cameroonian wildlife laws: A, B and C. Class A species benefit from the highest degree of protection
- 15 -
Total 229 67 17 35 15 108 86 13 9 11 4 7 43 1 14 1 3 1 2 3 8 10 4 1 1 2 1 1 11 11 17 8 2 5 1 1 262
One year report: Community-based Green project
- 16 -
2018
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN 2017-2018 Expenditures Categories XAF USD Labour costs 826,200 1,502 Community suppliers 9,408,495 17,106 Gasoil 935,900 1,702 Sensitization & Meeting 365,700 487 Vehicle maintenance & Logistics 810,100 1,473 Fixed costs 929,299 1,690 TOTAL XAF 13,275,694 $23,960 NB: conversion rates : 1 USD = 550 XAF ; 1 EUR = 655 XAF
Vehicle maintenance 6% Sensitization & Meetings Gasoil 2% 7%
Fixed costs 7%
EUR 1,261 14,364 1,429 446 1,237 1,419 â‚Ź20,156
Labour costs 6%
Community suppliers 17,106 USD 72%
Figure 3. Breakdown of expenditures.
Comments: Last year, 62% of the budget was used to remunerate community members. This year, as the cost of vehicle maintenance was lower than expected, and because the amount of browse purchased to the community increased, almost 75% of the total budget directly benefited the community.
- 17 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
- 18 -
2018
One year report: Community-based Green project
2018
FUTURE GOALS & OBJECTIVES In the next year we plan to engage the community even further in conservation by hosting a monthly Family Nature Club, to change behaviors and enhance their relationship with the nature around them. This will include getting the families involved in conservation actions relating to plastic reduction, water pollution, and ecosystem protection. We will also start working towards bigger conservation actions by assessing which community members could be appropriate for the management and implementation of a semi-free enclosure in the Mount Cameroon National Park. Such a project will also offer additional employment opportunities through recruiting more farmers to provide food for the animals in such an enclosure. If we are to convert this ex-hunting community to a conservation community, we must continue this important alternative livelihoods project. We are always trying to engage new community members in the project and evolve and adapt the project to fit community, conservation and LWC needs. Through our recent introduction of Trumpet wood to the project for example, we are making bigger conservation impact. This species originates from Central America, and is invasive in Cameroon, where it displaces native pioneer species and reduces species richness. The project therefore contributes to manage this invasive species following the recommendations from the Invasive Species Specialist Group of The UICN Species Survival Commission.
Projected budget 2018-2019 Next year, as part of our community outreach program, besides the Family Nature
Club, we plan a slight increase of budget, but predict that the number of new members will not increase as much as in the past year. Next year, we want to invest more on the quality of our relationships, rather than on the number, in order to have a higher conservation impact.
Categories Labour costs Community suppliers Familiy Nature Club Gasoil Sensitization & Meetings Vehicle maintenance Fixed costs TOTAL
2018-2019 planned EUR USD 924 1,100 16,458 19,600 8,397 10,000 1,427 1,700 420 500 1,260 1,500 1,427 1,700 â‚Ź30,313 $36,100
- 19 -
One year report: Community-based Green project
- 20 -
2018