Pegue Manga
24 August 2008
interview
In her first whirlwind trip to the Southeast of Cameroon, US Ambassador, Janet Garvey, garnered enough knowledge to conclude that "this is a wonderful landscape and a groundbreaking program." It stands to reason, for the Southeast of Cameroon stands out in ecological importance. It is a natural haven for iconic wildlife species like elephants, gorillas and chimpanzees. After a three-day sojourn in the WWF Jengi program area, the Ambassador went away with the impression that conservation efforts have been successful in all facets, but poaching and poverty remain the major challenges.
The Post: You have been to the Southeast of Cameroon for three days already, what has struck you most?
Garvey: I was struck by the incredible beauty. It is not something that I see everyday. It is a wonderful landscape. I also have been struck by the work that people are doing here. This is a big job with a lot of challenges. There are people here day in day out doing that under difficult circumstances. It is really inspiring.
You have been to other protected areas in Cameroon, what difference do you observe from what you have seen here?
The difference I see here is in the effort to integrate the local community into the solution and also to enable sustainable economic activities to be carried out. I think that is really the future for a lot of protected areas. We cannot ask people whose livelihoods depend on the forest to give that up even though we are paying for conservation.
So, the effort to include the local communities, to encourage them have their own means of sustained economic activities here is very special. The gorillas are pretty special too. I have not seen gorillas in the wild before so that was very exciting. We have also been told this is a tri-country effort.
In a part of the world where there have been many political challenges, this is really a model for cooperation amongst countries and a chance to build up some confidence and experience in working together as a team to help protect this area.
From what you have seen and heard, do you have the conviction that this can work?
I certainly have the great hope that this can work. It is a daily battle. The forces that will misuse these resources are certainly great, be they commercial, poachers or whatever. Because people are here working everyday, trying to raise awareness, maintain the park and working with partners that is the only way it is going to be saved. I am hopeful. The chances are great. When you have people who are committed to a goal, it is hard to stop them.
How far is the US government ready to go to ensure this effort continues?
We are happy to be a partner and you know the USAID, which is the United States government, was very instrumental in starting the Central African Regional Program for the Environment, CARPE, which is the project we are looking at.
It has been a rare effort on the part of the US government to do something for the long term. And it has encouraged a lot of other partners to join us. This is the first time we have two Peace Corps volunteers based in WWF in a national park. I think it is wonderful and I would like to see that continue.
They are certainly having a great time and I think they have added value to the project. CARPE continues for another couple of years. We will have to see what happens after that. One of the things we can do right is to work with some commercial interests and mining companies that are moving into the area, to make sure that they work to ensure that the environmental damage that comes from an activity like mining is rectified and that they contribute to some of the programmes here.
I think everyone recognises that this programme has been remarkably successful in all aspects: on developing skills within the community, on promoting cooperation amongst countries, on protecting the environment and raising awareness. We recognise the importance of it and I certainly hope that we are able to continue to support it.
What are some of the pitfalls you noticed in the project?
Poaching is a serious problem. I think it is worrying as it appears to be getting worse. Not only are the poachers more but they are better armed and more willing to engage in violent activities. It is something that really needs to be looked into, to give the game rangers and others the capabilities to fight against the poachers.
Poverty is also a real challenge. You cannot expect people to change their behaviour if they are not able to feed and send their children to school or have a better life. I am very gratified to see how integrated community leaders are in this project, but I think one has to be careful. As the US government, WWF and other partners try to conserve this environment, they also have to remember that there were people here before they arrived and that their needs, culture and desires have to be part of the project.
There are allegations that some influential people ('white-collared' poachers) secretly supply guns and bullets to local people to poach elephants and other wild animals, and it has been difficult to arrest them because of their influence and power. Can the US government help out?
In our conversation with government officials here, at the provincial and national levels, we shall stress how this is important for Cameroon. It is part of the larger effort we and other donor countries are trying to make in the fight against corruption which is really a disease eating up the spine of Cameroon. It has to stop.
The government has to have a way to identify why corruption and step up efforts to punish those found guilty of it. I also realised that in the case of poaching we are in a race against the clock. It may not be sufficient to say this is going to take a generation to improve because there might not be any elephants if something is not done.
I certainly will go back to Yaounde with a stronger sense of what the problem is and the scale of the problem. I will do my best to continue to raise consciousness both in my government and the Cameroon government. The big problem is, people understand they are concerned but they are very far away.
There are many other things they need to worry about. It is very difficult to be in a remote area. The problems are great but they seem far away. I would like to see us work very much on education. I remember the anti-smoking campaign in the US started when children went back home and ordered their parents to stop smoking. The more we make the message well known, the sooner people will stop buying what the poachers are selling.
Your last word?
This is a groundbreaking program working in the community and on the environment where the needs of the community are so pre-eminent. Keep it up; we are with you and you guys are doing a heroic work. People appreciate what you are doing, how important it is and we need you to keep doing it. You are heroes amongst heroes in Cameroon.
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