To ensure the long-term survival of wildlife and enhance community livelihoods, WWF-Cameroon, CAD and FORUDEF jointly developed a Community-Based Hunters’ Engagement Strategy (CHES) for the Bakossi-Banyang Mbo landscape. In 2022, CAD began piloting the implementation of the strategy with financial support from WWF Cameroon. Following a hunters’ identification and needs assessment, 79 hunters and 2 women dealing in bush meat pepper soup were identified, 11 of whom (14%) are being empowered and engaged in more productive green business initiatives (sustainable beekeeping and small-scale livestock production) with the aim of diverting their attention away from hunting. Some positive actions being taken by the reformed poachers include: raising community awareness against poaching, engaging in forest restoration via api-forestry and forest farming, actively participating in conservation meetings, development and implementation of Cluster Conservation and Development Agreements (CCDAs) and Poacher’s Engagement Strategy, as well as participating in park boundary demarcation and trap removals within and around protected areas.
