Leading From Within - Integral Leadership for Sustainable Development

Save the Primates

The Cross River Gorilla inhabits the forest around the headwaters of the Cross River in the Cameroon-Nigeria border region with less than 300 individuals surviving in the wild. It is one of the most endangered primates in Africa. Illegal hunting for bush meat and deforestation are major threats for the Cross River Gorillas. Increased hunting imposes more pressure on a population that is already critically endangered.

Conservation efforts include creation of protected areas in government and community owned forests, enforcement of existing wildlife laws, raising awareness of issues affecting continued survival of the Gorillas and research have been carried out by various local, national and international organizations. However, there have been few efforts directed at addressing the livelihoods of those directly involved in hunting wildlife. This is a significant shortfall as 70 percent of the rural dwellers around the rainforest zones are dependent on the forest for their livelihood and directly on the wildlife for bush meat. Enforcing forest laws without empowering the forest dependent people with an alternative means of livelihood or alternative domestic meat supply in this case is a one-sided and unsustainable solution to the problem.

This project aims to

1. Reduce poaching and killing of gorillas by 50 percent by training hunters in cattle husbandry, thereby providing an alternative source of livelihood for the hunters.
2. Provide an alternative meat supply for community members through the provision of one matured cow for slaughtering and sales to community members at a subsidized rate.
3. Provide a healthy environment for meat processing through the provision of a slaughterhouse and meat stalls.
4. Create more awareness on the environmental impacts of hunting gorillas and chimps through community sensitizations.