*Production of sensitization materials for social media:

The communities of Nkoelon, Afan Essoke, Akak, Ndombe and Lendie situated around the Campo Ma?an National Park were visited by the Madakson Cattle Breeders Group to introduce the project. The meeting was held on February 2nd, 2023 with the community members to share ideas on the content of visibility materials to be produced. The meeting started at 1 :00pm, in Nkoelon community with five (5) men, seven (7) women and eleven (11) youths present. During the meeting, issues concerning biodiversity loss were raised by the community members who said that it is very important to preserve our biodiversty for the betterment of all. Some of the elders added that while they were kids, they saw some species of animals and plants in the forest but today, due to hunting activities and wood exploitation those species have greatly reduced in number. The villagers therefore took the initiative to list some of the threatened species of flora and fauna of the campo ma ?an natioanal Park and suggested that they should be put on the visisbility materials to make the project go viral. During the meeting, the content on the banners, t-shirts, roll-up, posters and flyers was conceived, designed, adopted and printed for a successful project implementation.
According to the villagers promoting the preservation of endangered species and eco-tourism will bring financial benefits and employment to them as some of the youths in the community will be employed as eco-guards. It will also be an opportunity for them to meet people from diverse backgrounds and learn about their culture.
It was an exciting moment of knowledge sharing with the villagers who said that maintaining the existence of our wildlife and plants species is beneficial for all of us. They expressed their gratitude to the Global Environment Facility for funding such a great initiative in their community and congratulated Madakson Cattle Breeders Group for braving the odds to get to their commnunity.


Impact
Thirty-three (33) people participated in the conceiving, designing and printing of visibility materials for a successful implementation of the project. The inhabitants were fully aware of the need to conserve the National Park?s ecosystems, flora and fauna as well as promote local and international tourism via social media.

Challenges faced
Reaching Nkoelon community was challenging especially passing through the forest on motor bikes. We covered a distance of 30 kilometers on a very rough road.

Remarks and lessons learned
The community leaders and community members have been consulted on content development and designing of visibility materials and can now boost of being creative and change makers. They have learnt that team work makes a community stronger and they feel happy and honored to be part of decision making processes.

*Courtesy visits of community leaders in twenty communities and posts made on Facebook profile, Twitter, Instagram, blog, WhatsApp Group for promotion and awareness raising

On February 14th, 2023 Madakson Cattle Breeders Group visited the communities of Nkoelon, Efan-essoke and Akak with the objective to mobilize and sensitize communities around the Campo Ma?an National Park on the preservation of endangered species, ecosystems and promotion of ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National park of Cameroon.
Our first stop was at Akak palace where we were received by His Majesty Mvondo Felix and his kinsmen who thanked the Madakson team for bringing such a great initiative in their community. During the visit, three (3) woman, eight men (8) and five (9) youth were present.
The community members were sensitized on the benefits of preserving the flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park. The people were made to understand that ecotourism can provide job opportunity for the local population and improve living standards. They were encouraged to take good photos of the endangered animals and plants whenever they come across them and post on their WhatsApp status, Facebook and other social media platforms to attract tourists to visit the National Park. It was an opportunity for some of the villagers who had never used some social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube to learn and master the steps involved in creating and using the platforms. Social media links created by the Madakson team were shared with the local population for them to like and share with their families and friends.

On February 17th 2023, Madakson Cattle Breeders Group visited Afan Essoke village to continue the sensitization campaign. During the visit, five men (5), three (3) women and seven (7) youth were present. It was great having people who gave listening ears to the Madakson team. We were welcomed by the community leader who translated the purpose of our visit in the local language for people who neither understood French nor English. The project coordinator of Madakson gave a brief summary of the project and added that the project relates and contributes to the SGP Cameroon program strategy which is the promotion and maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity that provide us with food, shelter and medicine. She gave the title of the project ?Using social media as a means to promote the preservation of ecosystems, endangered species and mobilization of tourists for Campo Ma?an National Park of Cameroon?. According to her, attention should be paid to the key words which are; social media, ecosystems, endangered species and tourists. By identifying the key words most of the community members easily grasped the message and focus of the project


A WhatsApp group named ?love for Campo Ma?an? was created where all the participants were added to share information and activities concerning the project implemented by Madakson Cattle Breeders Group. Posters bearing sensitization message were pasted within the communities and flyers distributed to the population to raise awareness on the need to protect endangered species and promote ecotourism. Photos of visit to the various communities were posted on Madakson Cattle Breeders Group?s social media platforms to reach out to many people in and out of Cameroon. The people were encouraged to continue to protect the rich biodiversity of the Campo Ma?an National Park.
Impact

Twenty (20) persons were in Nkoelon and fifteen (15) persons in Afan Essoke were impacted with knowledge on the preservation of endangered species. The people learned new and better ways of survival using available touristic forest resources instead of depending on hunting of endangered species for food and livelihood.

Challenges faced
Due to lack of electricity and lack of mobile network in some parts the community, very few people have smartphones making it difficult for them to connect and share information with their friends and relatives living in different parts of the country. The few that have access to smartphones mostly go to Campo town to charge their phones in order to communicate. They promised to share photos of the activities implemented by Madakson in order to attain the objective of the project.

Remarks and lessons learned

Despite the challenges, the project was successfully implemented in the community. The Madakson team also learned about the cultural ritual that is performed yearly by the people of the South Region using an elephant. We were told that in order for a man to earn the name ?a real man?, he has to be initiated into the sacred society. Before this ritual is performed, the villagers have to seek authorization from the ministry of forestry and wildlife to kill an elephant which most of the times they are not granted permission to do so. There is another cultural ritual that is performed using the fingers of a gorilla to tie around a new born baby?s waist to make him or her energetic.
The chief told the Madakson team that due to sensitization campaigns carried out by the forestry and wildlife personnel and the penalty that awaits those who hunt endangered species of animals, they are gradually switching to alternative ways of initiations.

*Mobilization and sensitization of Indigenous Mbororo people and other communities through social gatherings, schools and special groups on the importance of using social media to attract tourists to the national park

Introduction

History of the Campo Ma?an National Park of Cameroon

The Campo Ma?an National Park was created in 2001 as a compensatory mechanism of the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project?s Environmental Compensation Plan.
Campo Ma?an National Park is a 2,680 square kilometer National Park in Cameroon, located in the South Region in the Ocean division. It borders with Equatorial Guinea on the south, the Atlantic Ocean to its west, the Vallee-du-Ntem and Mvila to the east. Total area of the park and buffer zone measure approximately 700, 000 hectares. The climate has two dry seasons, November to March and July to August, and two rainy seasons, April to June and October. Average temperature is 250c.
Campo Ma?an National Park is biodiversity hotspot, with a wide range of plant and animal species, including several taxonomic endemic. Mammal species include forest elephants, duikers, hippos, bush pigs, giant pangolins, black colobus, mandrills and leopards. A small population of forest buffalo resides in the southern area of the park. Campo Ma?an National Park harbors populations of critically endangered western lowland gorilla and endangered central chimpanzee. The area is considered a priority landscape for conservation of western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees by IUCN and the park is the site of an ongoing gorilla habitation project. Reptile species reported are 122, and fish species are 165. A survey of millipedes, conducted in 2015, reports species in Campo Ma?an National Park, the most abundant being Aporodesmus gabonicus. It is also one of the 33 bird identified areas in the southern corner of Cameroon, and has more than 300 bird species. The forest type is mainly closed evergreen canopy, and is described as Atlantic Biafran forest with many plant species in the Caesalpiniaceous family. There are 29 species of plant occurring uniquely within park boundaries. A rare and critically endangered orchid from the genus Distylodon was discovered in the nearby village of Bifa, assessment are ongoing to detect further occurrences of this species are reported at 256, with 22 listed as endangered by the IUCN. The forest region containing the campo Ma?an National Park is believed to have persisted as a tropical rainforest throughout the Pleistocene era, based on the distribution of slowly dispersing plants species and high degrees of endemism. Selective logging took place in 1994-1995, leaving logging roads through the reserve area. The park is subject to many threats to its ecosystems, mainly due to logging, poaching, agricultural activities and coastal development. Construction of the Memve?ele hydroelectric dam and the kribi deep-sea port represent additional threats to the biodiversity of the region. Due to the high biodiversity and need for continued and sustainable conservation, Campo Ma?an has been proposed as a pilot ecotourism site.


On the March 1st 2023, the Madakson Cattle Breeders team headed by Fadimatou Buba visited Campo for the implementation of a project funded by the GEF Small Grants Program.
The team visited the WWF office and the forestry and wildlife office to introduce the project. From the WWF and Forestry offices, we covered a distance of 30 kilometers to reach Nkoelon village where we met thirteen (13) men, nine (9) women and twelve (12) youth. The team was led by Commander Nzitouo Talongong Urbain. After introducing the project the head of forestry and wildlife Commander Nzitouo Talongong Urbain and his men gave us a brief history of the Campo Ma?an National Park and some of the animals found in the park, modalities to be fulfilled before visiting the park which include; payment of 5.000frs for international tourists, 3000frs for national tourists, 1500frs for locals within Campo, renting of vehicle 2000frs, camera 2000frs, hiring of an eco-guard to and fro 10.000frs, renting of a camping tent 5000frs and a sleeping bag 2000frs.Commander Nzitouo Talongong Urbain, who has worked as head of the national park for four years now, told the Madakson team that they have been trying their very best over past few years to promote the biodiversity of the park by word of lips and flyers printed and distributed within the community. The greatest challenge he said they are facing is lack of an active website to promote activities of the national park that can attract more tourists within and beyond Cameroon.
He said that he will be very grate if the Madakson Cattle Breeders Group can collaborate with him and his team to build a website for the National Park. They expressed their gratitude to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for funding such a beneficial project in their community.
According to one of the eco guards by name Diko Andre, they had been longing for such a project.
The project implementation also coincided with the clearing of the road leading to the National Park by some forty (40) energetic volunteers from four communities around the National Park. This was an opportunity for the Madakson team to be accompanied to the four communities by the forestry and wildlife officers. An appointment was booked for the team to meet at 8:30 am the next day and travel to the four communities to carry out the sensitization.
On the 14th of February 2023, the Madakson team visited Nkeolon village situated around the Campo Ma?an national park in the South region of Cameroon, to sensitize the population on the importance of preserving endangered species of flora and fauna and also to attract more tourists into the National Park. The team comprised of three Madakson members, the commander of forestry and wildlife Commander Nzitouo Talongong Urbain, Captain Oun Serge Achille and two eco-guards Mr Nkel Gael and Mr Diko Andre. The sensitization started at 10:21am with a word of welcome by the chief of Nkeolon his majesty Abatealonos Paul, who said that he was happy to receive the Madakson team in his Palace. He called on the population to collaborate with the team for a successful project implementation. This was followed by self-introduction, filling of attendance list and distribution of T-shirts to participants.
The chief of Nkoelon added that it is very important to preserve our biodiversity. He expressed his dissatisfaction with HEVECAM and CAMVERT (wood exploitation companies) that have been responsible for felling of trees and destruction of the animals? habitats, causing the animals to move into some of the villages around the national park.
He called on the Madakson team and the forestry and wildlife officers to find a lasting solution to the problem they are facing. Captain Oun Serge Achille told the chief that the minister of environment had organized a meeting the previous week to find a lasting solution. He thanked the chief for showing interest in protecting his environment.
The chief added that the animals come around their homes almost on daily basis making it possible for visitors who come to their community to see the animals. The floor was given to the coordinator of Madakson Cattle Breeders Group Fadimatou Buba, who thanked the population for their massive collaboration to make the project implementation a huge success. She gave a brief history of Madakson Cattle Breeders Group and went ahead to elaborate on the project
She asked questions such as what is social media? What are some of the social media platforms mostly used by people today? What are they used for? What are endangered species? What is biodiversity? What is tourism? She went ahead to define biodiversity as all the different kinds of life you?ll find in one area- the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. She added that each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. She also defined endangered species as species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular area due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching invasive species.
In the course of her presentation, she told the people of Nkoelon that it takes collective effort to preserve endangered flora and fauna of our national park. She added that it will be sad for our younger generation to live and die without getting to see elephants, gorillas, buffalos, antelopes found at the Campo Ma?an National Park. According to Fadimatou Buba, if these species are well preserved, the Campo Ma?an National Park will continue to serve as an attractive touristic site not just for the local population of Campo, but also for people living in different parts of the national territory as well as international tourists.
She told the people of Nkoelon that it is very important to do publicity of the beautiful animals and plants found at the Campo Ma?an National Park. Fadimatou Buba, added that with the financial support of the Global Environment Facility through the GEF Small Grants Program, Madakson Cattle Breeders Group, has created social media platforms such as YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp groups, to promote the preservation of endangered species as well as attract tourists from around the world to visit the Campo Ma?an National Park. She encouraged those with smart phones to join the Madakson team in promoting the activities of the national park on their WhatsApp status.
One of the eco-guards Mr Nkel Gael told the population that it is very important to preserve the biodiversity of the Campo Ma?an Nat ional Park. He listed some of the endangered species of animals found in the park such as elephants, gorillas, buffalos, giraffe, antelopes and pangolins and called on the Madakson team not to relent its effort in sensitizing more youths on the importance of biodiversity conservation. Mr Nkel Gael told the Madakson team that thirty (30) youths from four villages around the National Park have been trained as eco-guards by the forestry and wildlife office in Campo.
He added that the main income generating activities of national parks as a whole is through touristic attractions they possess such as wild animals, rare birds, rare flora (plants). In the course of the touristic adventures, the tourists extend part of their incomes on accommodation, catering services, hiring of assets, park entries and others. He encouraged the inhabitants of Nkoelon village to engage in more income generating activities that can draw the attention of tourists on their way to the National Park.
He told the population that there?s a document signed by the state prohibiting the killing of endangered species of animals. He added that several people in Campo have been sent to jail in kribi for killing animals such as elephants and gorillas. According to the eco-guard, some of the victims have been sentenced to life imprisonment. He also shared some defensive mechanisms against wild animals. He said that when people are confronted with animals like elephants, buffalos and gorillas instead of turning their backs and running away, they should rather move backward. Moving backward according the eco-guard will scare the animals away. He made us to understand that it takes courage to apply such defensive mechanism .Mr Nkel Gael also shared his experience of how he spent three nights in the forest with four tourists from the United States.
He concluded by saying that the forestry and wildlife officers are not only concerned with protecting animals but also human lives. The forestry and wildlife officers visit communities around the National Park at least twice a month to observe the animals making sure that animals do not get into communities and cause havoc.

One of the community members shared his experience of cohabiting with gorillas. He said that he understands the language of the gorillas very well and is able to communicate with them. There are moments he goes to the gorillas? habitat just to see the animals and have fun. According to him, the gorillas are part of his day to day life. He took us to one of the roads that lead to the gorillas? habitat. He has a good mastery of the National Park and knows where all the animals live. He also informed the Madakson team that he has been doing his best as an individual to preserve the ecosystem. He has sensitized many people within his community on the dangers of burning down bushes as it does not only degrade the soil, but also cause the animals to flee the forest and seek refuge in nearby villages.
During our visit in Nkoelon community, we came across these blue nets. One of the eco-guards by name Mr Diko Andre told the Madakson team that the nets were placed within the Campo Ma?an National Park, to research on the existence of tsetse flies. It was a great opportunity for the Madakson team to learn something new.
Another attractive touristic site is the Campo beach, situated in the ocean division in the south region of Cameroon. The beach shares boundary with Equatorial Guinea. It serves both as a touristic site and a business center. Business men and women from Cameroon sail by boat to Rio Campo in Equatorial Guinea to buy goods in bulk and retail in Cameroon and vice versa. Transportation from Campo beach in Cameroon to Rio campo in Equatorial Guinea by boat is a thousand francs. Some of the boatmen testified that they make at least two hundred thousand francs daily. There?s a big military base of the Cameroonian armed forces around the beach and a custom check point making sure that no illegal goods are imported or exported. The strategic location of the beach has given rise to many businesses such as bars, restaurants, cosmetic shops and provision stores.
Campo has many hotels where business men, women and tourists from both Guinea and Cameroon lodge. This has led to increase in standard of living as hotel owners use the money gotten from their businesses to take care of their families as well as invest in other businesses.


Challenges faced

The Madakson team faced some obstacles on the way to Campo. A truck transporting timber had an accident on one of the bridges along the Campo road blocking the way for other vehicles and motor bikes to pass. We spent four hours waiting for the truck to be removed, causing us to arrive in Campo at 6:00pm
Conclusion

Despite the challenges encountered the project was a success. The population of Nkoelon is now aware of the benefits of preserving the flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park. Thanks to this project funded by the global environment Facility, income will be increased as community members now do small businesses around the National Park.

*Identification of farmers/ Communities and cattle breeders groups around the national park and create social media group for educations:

On April 5th, 2023 some farmers? communities and cattle breeders groups living around the Campo Ma?an National Park were visited by Madakson Cattle Breeders group to sensitize them on the importance of biodiversity protection and promotion of ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park.

The sensitization started at 11:00am with thirteen (13) women, ten (10) men and seven (7) youth present. We had a word of welcome from the community leader who thanked the Madakson team for such a wonderful initiative in their community. This was followed by filling and signing of attendance sheet.
The floor was given to the project coordinator who outlined activities that would be carried out under the project funded by the Global Environment facility. She added that Cameroon has nine national parks spread across the country namely; the Waza National Park which is situated in North region of Cameroon harbors lion, giraffe, elephant, waterbuck, ostrich, Topi, leopard and is the most famous park in the country, the Bouba Njidah Park located in the northeast harbors rhinoceros; the Benue Park situated in the central north harbors hippo, hyena and leopard, the Faro Park with buffalo, rhino and bushbuck, the Kalamaloue Park which harbors elephant, bird, giraffe, the national park KORUP is located in the south west region with rich flora and fauna that makes it an attractive touristic site, the lobeke, the MOZOGO and Campo Ma?an National Park.
Fadimatou Buba went further to precise that Madakson?s focus is on the Campo Ma?an National Park and aims to use social media platforms like Facebook, twitter, whatsapp, instagram and Youtube to promote the preservation of endangered species, ecosystems as well as promote ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park situated in the South Region of Cameroon.
Fadimatou Buba, told the population that Campo Ma?anNational Park is a 2,680 Square kilometer situated on the Atlantic Ocean Coast of Southern Cameroon, where it is the main border town for travel to Equatorial Guinea. The park was created in 2001 as a compensation mechanism of the Chad- Cameroon pipeline Project?s Environmental Compensation plan. The park features the evergreen Guineo-congolese rain forest, which is green all year and harbors plant species, invertebrate species, fish species and bird species. Among the mammals?species of the park, some of the species are of great importance and are sometimes considered as threatened such as giant pangolin, the lowland gorilla, the chimpanzee, the buffalo and the mandrill.
One of the youth in the community shared his experience of seeing an elephant for the first in Yokaduma. He said that he was wandering in the wild around the National Park when he saw a very huge elephant, he screamed in fear and went to call his father who alerted the forestry and wildlife officers. The elephant was chased into the National park and the young man given the sum of 10.000 FRS for his quick intervention. The sum motivated him since then to join forestry and wildlife personnel in the protection of endangered species.
The farmers and cattle breeders were cautioned not to kill such animals when they come across them in the course of grazing and farming around the park. According to Fadimatou Buba, using social media platforms like YouTube, instagram, WhatsApp and twitter to promote the flora and fauna of the Campo Park will attract tourists from different parts of the country and beyond to come and see the beauty of the Campo Ma?an National. She added that tourism is a source of income generation for the state given that tourists have to pay a certain sum before visiting the Part to see the animals.
A drawing exercise was carried out whereby each participant was asked to draw some of the animals found at the Campo Ma?an National Park. It was an exciting moment as everyone was determined to have the best drawing. Animals such as tortoise, porcupine, snake and gorilla were beautifully drawn.
It was interesting to know that several kids living in Lendie community in Kribi have come across some of the animals found at the National Park. Those with smartphones were encouraged to snap and put the animals on their WhatsApp status to attract tourists in their community.
Usmanu Tata Musa added that some of the possible economic benefits of ecotourism are that it can provide job opportunities to the local community such eco-guards which will provide them with a source of income and improved lifestyle for the locals. It can bring foreign currency into the country when the foreigner pays for entrance fee, souvenir, local food etc. The government can earn tax revenue from entrance fees and charges on the visa application for tourists. He also said that tourism develops the infrastructure of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.
The farmers and grazers were also encouraged to network with both national and international tourists and create connections to sell their farm produce and dairy products.
Flyers were distributed to farmers and grazers living around the campo ma?an national park. Facebook and YouTube links were also shared for them to like and share.
The chief of Lendie community expressed his gratitude to the Global Environment Facility for funding such a great initiative. He promised to extend the sensitization message to his family and friends living out of lendie community.
The lady in the last photo is called Chantal; she is a teacher in the community school in Lendie community. The school was built by a white woman from France to promote education in the Indigenous community of Lendie. Madam Chantal promised to continue sensitizing pupils on the importance of protecting the endangered species of the Campo Ma?an National Park and promoting ecotourism.
A member of the community by name Jean Paul, told the madakson team that in July 2021, he accompanied a tourist from Switzerland to the Campo Ma?an National park to see animals and other attractive touristic sites and when they returned, the tourist gave him a solar panel which he has been using till date to charge his phone and light his house at night. The visited to Lendie ended at 1:00pm with refreshment.

The Madakson team invited a newly wedded Mbororo couple to experience tourism at the Kribi beach. Hajara and Mohammed tied the knot on March 27th 2023 in Edea. The couple expressed their gratitude to the Madakson team for the wonderful gesture and promised to always visit the beach whenever they have the opportunity. The roll-up at the beach drew the attention of some youth who became curious to know more about the project. It was explained to them that the project aims to use social media to promote the preservation of endangered species, ecosystems and mobilize tourists for Campo Ma?an National Park situated in the South Region of Cameroon. They were excited to hear that and promised to visit the park to see the animals. One of the youth by name Cedrick said that he aspires to go to a forestry and wildlife school. Their contacts were collected and added to our WhatsApp group named ?love for Campo Ma?an?. Our social media links were shared with the youth for them to like and share.
One the 6th of April, 2023, eight (8) cattle breeders grazing around kribi were sensitized on the importance of using social media to promote the preservation of endangered species of the Campo National Park. They were given a brief history of the Campo Ma?an National park and the endangered species found in the Park. They were also told that touristic attractions can generate income for the state and improve infrastructural development of the park and were cautioned not to kill animals like gorillas, elephants, pangolins when they come across them in the course of grazing or transhumance. The reason for sensitizing cattle breeders is because during the dry season, they move with their cattle to other parts of the country in search for pasture. It was a great moment of two hours sensitization. Posters and flyers bearing the project title and endangered species were distributed to the cattle breeders. Those with smartphones were encouraged to take photos of the beautiful flora and fauna of the park and advertise on their WhatsApp status to attract more tourists to visit the park. They expressed their gratitude to Madakson and partners for thinking about them.

Impact

Men, women and youth in lendie community and cattle breeders now know where the Campo Ma?an Park is situated and the kind of flora fauna that need to be protected and the benefits of ecotourism to the community.

*Educate Indigenous Mbororo people and other communities on the importance of preserving endangered species of flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park:

On May 3th, 2023, Madakson Cattle Breeders Group visited the community of Afan Essoke around the Campo Ma?an National Park to sensitize the population on the importance of biodiversity conservation and promotion of ecotourism. There were eighteen (18) men, six (6) men and five (5) youth present
During the visit, the commander of forestry and wildlife in Campo introduced the team and outlined some the activities that will be carried out under this project sponsored by the Global Environment Facility.
He gave a brief history of the campo Ma?an National Park, the kinds of animals found in the park, reasons why the animals should be protected and the socio economic impact of the park.
He said that the National Park was created by the government to protect some animals from being extinct as well as promote ecotourism. He added that instead of selling a gorilla for five hundred thousand, it is preferable to preserve it for tourists who come from different parts of the country to see it. This according to him is a source of revenue.
The villagers were advised that instead of hunting wild animals, they should rear domestic animals like fowls, goats, pigs and rabbits for consumption and reserve the wild animals like elephants, buffalos and gorillas for touristic attraction.
One of the youths in Afan Essoke village told us that his friends who reside in different parts of the country sometimes visit him just to see some of the animals.
The chief said that elephants come around his compound to eat plantain suckers almost on daily basis. He compared the size of an elephant to the size of a house. According to him, putting images of these animals on various social media platforms will attract more tourists to the Campo Ma?an National Park.
We also met Mr. Enow Paul who is an internally displaced person (IDP) from the South West Region of Cameroon. He has lived in Afan Esokye village for four years and is married to a woman from the community. Mr Enow told the madakson team that he owns a store which is situated by the road side where tourists who visit the National Park stop by to buy mineral water and other items.He uses the income generated from his store to pay his children?s fees and sustain his family.As the saying goes, ?Charity begins at home?. The Madakson team also used this opportunity to experience ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park. It was an exciting moment to visit some of the attractive touristic sites.

The team visited the Campo beach that borders Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The beach has shops, bars, restaurants, military base and canoes that sail to Equatorial Guinea and vice versa. During our visit to the beach, we bought items such a shower jells, fruit juice and perfume to support business men and women around the beach.
We were told by some custom officers working at the Campo beach that the government is planning to construct a bridge linking Campo and Equatorial Guinea. According to them, Africa is one and should have no barriers restricting movement of people into neighboring countries.

Flyers of some hotels in Campo were distributed to us by some hotel owners whom we met along the beach. They were very excited to hear about our project in Campo. Some of them said that the project is going to boost their business as many tourists coming to the National Park will lodge in their hotels and this will help them generate income that they can use to expand their business.

A group of fifteen (15) of Indigenous Mbororo women in Yaounde in the center region of Cameroon were sensitized on the importance of using social media to promote the preservation of ecosystems, endangered species and mobilize tourist for the Campo park. This was done on 7th March 2023 at Etoudi in preparation for women?s day celebration. It was a coincidence that the project was implemented at a time when women were encouraged to be part of innovation and technology. The theme for the international women?s Day ?Digit ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality? urged the women to actively participate in the project implementation process.
Women shared their experiences on how they have been using social media to advertise their businesses. One of the women who is a tailor told the Madakson team that whenever she sews dresses, she snaps them and put on her WhatsApp status to attract customers. Some of the women testified that creating of teachers/parents WhatsApp groups has helped them a lot both teachers and parents are able to follow up school children. When a teacher gives homework to the children, her or she posts it in the group so that by the time is reaching home, the parents are aware and can remind their children to do their homework. The project coordinator expressed her gratitude to the women for sharing their experiences. She went ahead to give a brief history of the campo Ma?an National park and talked about the beautiful rich biodiversity of the park. Images of endangered species were shown to the women who became more curious. Images of animals found in the park were shared with the women via WhatsApp to put on social media in order to attract tourists to visit the park. They were also encouraged to visit the national park with their families especially during the holiday.
The sensitization ended at 11:00am with refreshment and family photo


Impact

By the end of the sensitization, eighteen (18) men, six (6) women and five (5) youths in Afan Essoke and fifteen (15) women in Etoudi in Yaounde gained knowledge on preservation of endangered species and promotion of ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park of Cameroon. Everyone is anxious to become part of ecotourism promotion. This will lead to drop unemployment within Campo and increase state revenue.


Challenges faced

Getting to Campo especially during the rainy season was a bit challenging. We travelled on muddy roads which sometimes caused us to arrive in Campo very late. Some of the bridges collapsed leaving travellers stranded for hours on the way.
We also came across four (4) hunters who said that they depend on hunting to take care of their families. They asked for compensation from the Madakson team before they could stop hunting endangered species of animals like pangolins, gorillas and elephants.
The Madakson team made the hunters to understand that instead of killing the animals for consumption, they could be reared in a small botanic garden where tourists could visit and pay a certain sum to see the animals. They were told that the money gotten from tourism could be used to resolve financial issues at home.


Conclusion

Despite the challenges faced during the sensitization, Madakson Cattle Breeders team registered success as many people gained knowledge on using social media to promote the preservation endangered species and ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park. The people should interest in the sensitization and promised to share the knowledge gained with their friends and relatives within and beyond Campo. They thanked the Madakson team and the global environment facility for such a life changing project in their area.


*Placement of banners at international airports and advertisement of flyers via social media and digitalization to attract more tourists into the national park


On May 8th 2023, four Madakson Cattle Breeders Group led by Fadimatou Buba, visited the Yaounde Nsimalen International airport in Yaounde at 10:00am to distribute flyers and place banners to attract tourists into the Campo Ma?an Natioanal Park situated in the ocean Divison of the South region of Cameroon.
Before the banners were placed, the team contacted the airport authorities to give highlights of the project and obtain authorization to carry out such a project at the airport. We were granted permission to sensitize passengers travelling in and out of the country, distribute flyers to passengers and also place banners at strategic positions within the airport premises to capture the attention of tourists. A total of thirty men(30), twenty(20) women and thirty (30) youth were sensitized verbally, one hundred and fifty (150) flyers were distributed, four(4) banners placed at the entrance and exit points of the airport making it very difficult for passengers coming in an going out not to notice the banners placed. Photos taken at the airport were put on our social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and instagram to make the project go viral.


Some of the travellers asked questions such as; where is Campo Park situated? When was the park created? How many kilometers from Yaounde? What kinds of animals are found there? Who is the head of the park? What are the most interesting touristic activities in Campo? What safety measures are taken to protect tourists? Are there hotels in Campo?

The Madakson team also visited the Douala international airport to place banners and distribute flyers to passengers travelling through the airport. Two banners bearing the project title, images of animals and touristic sites at Campo Ma?an National Park were placed at the airport premises. The airport authorities expressed their gratitude to the Madakson team and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for working so hard to make Cameroon a better country. One of the workers at the Douala airport by name Francis Nyah, told the Madakson team that protecting the flora and fauna of the Park is a way of generating income for the state as tourists visiting the park will have to pay a certain which can be used to maintain the park and employ more eco-guards leading to a reduction in unemployment within Campo.
A total number of twenty (men), ten (10) women and twelve youth (12) youth were sensitized and forty-two (42) flyers distributed at the Douala international airport. Our social media links were shared with the travellers and airport authorities for them to like and share so as to attract more tourists to visit the Park.

Photos of this activity were put on our social media platforms to promote the preservation of endangered species, ecosystems and mobilize tourists to visit the Campo Ma?an National Park situated in the ocean division of the South Region of Cameroon.


Impact

A total number of fifty (50) men, thirty (30) women and forty-two (42) youth were sensitized at the Yaounde and Douala airports. Ninety two flyers were distributed to travellers with two hundred flyers handed to the airport authorities to distribute to more passengers.

Challenges
Locating the right airport authorities to seek permission for the placement of the banners was challenging. Some workers at the airport asked us to pay a certain sum of money before the banners could be placed. We explained to them workers that were are non-profit organization working to protect the biodiversity of the Campo Ma?an National Park. We were asked to present our national identity cards which we did and went ahead to carry out the activity.

Conclusion
Despite the challenges encountered we registered success as many people got to know about the project and interest in visiting the Campo Ma?an National Park with their families especially during the upcoming holiday.

Activity 3.2: Promotion of important species of flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park via social media and digitalization for conservation and tourism


The promotion of flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an national park of Cameroon was done via social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, instagram, twitter and LinkedIn. The aim of the promotion was to encourage conservation and tourism. The Campo Ma?an National Park is a 2,680 Square kilometer situated on the Atlantic Ocean Coast of Southern Cameroon, where it is the main border town for travel to Equatorial Guinea. The park was created in 2001 as a compensation mechanism of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline Project?s Environmental Compensation plan. The park features the evergreen Guineo-congolese rain forest, which is green all year and harbors plant species, invertebrate species, fish species and bird species. Among the mammals? species of the park, some of the species are of great importance and are sometimes considered as threatened such as giant pangolin, the lowland gorilla, the chimpanzee, the buffalo and the mandrill.
The Campo Ma?an National Park is a beautiful touristic site where tourists come from different parts of the country to discover the rich and diverse flora and fauna of the Park.

Due to the high biodiversity and need for continued and sustainable conservation, Campo Ma?an has been proposed as a pilot ecotourism site. The beautiful waterfall, beach, beautiful forest, gorillas and elephants were posted on social media platforms by Madakson Cattle Breeders group to attract more tourists to the Park. Another attractive touristic site is the Campo beach, situated in the ocean division in the south region of Cameroon. The beach shares boundary with Equatorial Guinea. It serves both as a touristic site and a business center. Business men and women from Cameroon sail by boat to Rio Campo in Equatorial Guinea to buy goods in bulk and retail in Cameroon and vice versa. Transportation from Campo beach in Cameroon to Rio campo in Equatorial Guinea by boat is a thousand francs. Some of the boatmen testified that they make at least two hundred thousand francs daily. There?s a big military base of the Cameroonian armed forces around the beach and a custom check point making sure that no illegal goods are imported or exported. The strategic location of the beach has given rise to many businesses such as bars, restaurants, cosmetic shops and provision stores.
Campo has many hotels where business men, women and tourists from both Guinea and Cameroon lodge. This has led to increase in standard of living as hotel owners use the money gotten from their businesses to take care of their families as well as invest in other businesses.

*Radio programs on community and national radio stations to sensitize the public on the need to protect endangered species and promote ecotourism

On March 17th 2023, three Madakson members visited kribi in the South Region of Cameroon to do a radio sensitization at the Nkueli Makeli community radio station.
Before the radio sensitization, the Madakson members visited Ndombe quarter situated at Carrefour Alfa in Kribi to sensitize a group of people whose main activity is hunting. The sensitization was done in French and the local language.
The people were sensitized on the importance of protecting endangered species of flora and fauna not just at the Campo Ma?an National Park but also within their communities. They were told that if they continue to hunt and eat these animals, our younger generation will not have the opportunity to see the animals when they grow. According to Mr Onambani Jules, it would be sad for a child to grow up without knowing what an elephant looks like. He made the people to understand that the Madakson team and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are not totally prohibiting them from hunting but rather calling on them to preserve the flora and fauna that make up our rich biodiversity. He explained in the local language that animals, plants, rivers, lakes, mountains, and rocks are natural supermarkets where we shop and leave the items there. He added that having one pangolin is equivalent to having thousands as one pangolin can fetch millions for the owner when used for touristic purpose.

He told the people that ecotourism is about more than simply visiting the Campo Ma?an National Park. According to him, tourism refers to responsible travel that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of the local people by providing them with economic growth. He therefore encouraged the people to also engage in arts and craft activities through which they can promote their culture so that tourists, who come to see these animals, will buy traditional artifacts that will enable them generate income for themselves. He added that ecotourism increases employment opportunities and empower local communities, helping them in the fight against global social issues like poverty and achieving sustainable development.

From Ndombe quarter at Carrefour Alfa, we visited the Divisional Delegation of forestry and wildlife in Kribi to do a radio interview on the importance preserving the flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National and promote ecotourism.
We were received by the Divisional Delegate of forestry and wildlife who was happy with such a great initiative. He told the Madakson team that they have been doing their best to sensitize the local population once every month on the protection of endangered species. According to the delegate, it takes collective effort to protect our endangered species and promote ecotourism in our country. He thanked the Global Environment Facility for sponsoring the project.
During a radio interview with Nkueli Makeli community radio station, Madam Bilounga Sandrine Esther, who is head of communication at the Divisional Delegation of forestry and wildlife in Kribi gave a brief history of the Campo Ma?an National Park situated in the South Region of Cameroon. She said that the park was created to conserve and protect some species of animals that are being extinct due to hunting activities carried out by the local population. She mentioned animals like gorillas, elephants, buffalos and antelopes that are found at the park.
She added that tourism and research activities contribute to the economic benefits of the park as a certain sum is required from tourists and researchers to get into the Park. This sum goes into state coffers. Madam Bilounga Sandrine said that when the word tourism is mentioned, people already have in their mind?s eyes a picture of whites coming from Europe and America to visit a particular place. According her, tourists from different parts of Cameroon visit the Campo Ma?an National Park on weekly basis to see the animals. She said that tourism generates income for the park as well as enable tourists to discover the beauty of the park.
The objective of ecotourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park is to valorize and protect forest resources. The Divisional delegation of forestry and wildlife in Kribi considers the forest people as the number one protectors of forest resources. That is why they have been working in collaboration with the local population to protect endangered species at the Campo Park. She also told the Madakson team that more sensitization campaigns should be carried out to educate the local population on the dangers of consuming wild animals. According to Madam Bilounga Sandrine Esther, the people should replace the consumption of wild animals with domestic animals like goats, pigs, fowls and rabbits. The rearing of domestic animals is a source of income which the villagers can use to solve other family issues like payment of children?s fees. She said that our lives depend on plants and animals and we are nothing without these. She called on all Cameroonians to take it as a sweet responsibility to protect our biodiversity.
Madam Bilounga Sandrine Esther made it clear that the highly protected animals like the pangolins and gorillas are hunted by the local population. The ministry of forestry and wildlife records a decline each year in the number of endangered species of animals due to hunting activities.
According to her, the flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park attract hundreds of tourists from neigbouring Equatorial Guinea. This has led to infratructural development as the inhabitants of Campo now own hotels which serve as logging for tourists coming from afar.
During our visit to the Division Delegation of Forestry and wildlife, we found horns and skins of animals that were seized from hunters who indulged in illegal hunting. The victims were arrested and jailed for killing the animals. According to Madam Bilounga Esther, they have continued to sensitize the local population on the importance of protecting endangered species as well as promote ecotourism. She was happy to share her experience with some youths in one of the communities called Kolodov. The youths told madam Bilounga that they would like the Regional Delegation of forestry and wildlife to create a botanic garden in their community that tourists can visit. She was glad to see that youths are very much interested in the protection of our biodiversity.
She added that each time they go to the field to sensitize the population, the first question they usually ask children is if they have ever seen an elephant, a gorilla or a porcupine. Most often, the response is a no. Out of ten (10) children, only one (1) may affirm. She very much appreciated the youths for thinking of creating a botanic garden to protect endangered species as this will enable our younger generation to get to know more about these animals as well as encourage tourism at the Campo Ma?an National Park. She concluded the interview by explaining the contribution of elephants in biodiversity conservation. There are some plants that grow only in the excreta of elephants. Most of these plants have medicinal values which can be transferred to our younger generation (Intergenerational knowledge transfer).She thanked the Global environment for funding this project.

We had the opportunity to meet some tourists who came all the way from France to visit the Campo Ma?an National Park. The modalities for visiting were outlined to the tourists. They told the Madakson team that they would like to visit other beautiful touristic sites found in the different parts of Cameroon as well as learn the culture of the Cameroonian people. According to the tourists, Africa has beautiful resources.
Fadimatou Buba, who is the project coordinator of Madakson Cattle Breeders Group and a grantee of the GEF Small Grants Program, had a radio interview with the Nkueli Makeli community radio station situated in Kribi. During the interview, she introduced herself and gave a brief history of her organization and its mission. She called on the population to join her in her mission to protect endangered flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park. According to her, it takes collective effort to protect our biodiversity and promote ecotourism. She cited some beautiful touristic sites in Campo, the park where we have animals like elephants, gorillas, buffalos, pangolins and the Campo beach that shares boundary with Equatorial Guinea. Tourists can also visit German remains in the island of Dipikar and the museum of the tree, artistic intervention in a tree in the heart of the forest. She encouraged fellow Cameroonians to visit the Campo Ma?an National to discover the beautiful natural resources found in the Park. The park is also a home to numerous of plant and flower species and well known for its rich biodiversity.



Impact

Hundreds of people have been reached out through a radio sensitization done at the Nkuli Makeli local community radio station. They are aware of the kind of animals found at the national park and the rich and attractive touristic sites that make up the Campo Ma?an Natioanal Park.


Monitoring and Evaluation in Akak community

On June 1st 2023, a monitoring and evaluation was carried out in Nkoelon community in the ocean division of the South Region of Cameroon. The aim of the monitoring was to make sure that endangered species receive continued protection.
The Madakson team arrived in the community at 11:00am. We were welcomed by the chief of Nkoelon community who thanked the team for keeping their promise of returning to the community to monitor the project. During the monitoring, we had five(men) three (3) and four(4) youth. It was a great moment spent with the community members as we had enough time to discuss with them to know how impactful the project has been in the community.
We were told that since the implementation of the project in the community a lot has changed. People have limited the hunting of endangered species of animals. They have been working closely with the forestry and wildlife officers in Campo to help protect the animals and promote ecotourism. According to the people of Nkoelon, some of the youth within the community have been able to gain employment as eco-guards and this has improved living standards in their community. The money earned by the youth is used to support their younger ones to go to school.
One of the men in the community who is familiar with the gorillas told the Madakson team that three gorillas have given birth of recent. He further explained that he visits their habitat regularly to make sure that they are doing fine. This shows that the community members are actively involved in the preservation of endangered species for biodiversity conservation.
One of the eco-guards told the Madakson team that working as an eco-guard has exposed him to many life opportunities he never experienced before. He now accompanies tourists coming from different parts of Cameroon and abroad to the beautiful touristic sites found in Campo. This has given him the opportunity to learn different cultures and languages. He named some of the places they visited such as the Campo beach and the gorilla habit.
We also visited the forestry and wildlife office to find out if there is an increase in the number of tourists visiting the National Park of recent. We were told by commandant Urbain that they had twenty (20) tourists in the month of May. Four (4) from Campo, Seven (7) from Douala, three (3) from Yaounde, two (2) from France and four (4) from Canada. According to commandant Urbain, ecotourism generates revenue for the state and brings development. The forestry and wildlife officers also said that they will not stop sensitizing the population of Campo on the importance of biodiversity conservation.
Some hotel owners testified that they make a lot each time tourists lodge in their hotels. We have businessmen and women from Equatorial Guinea who take advantage of their strong business ties with Cameroon to visit the Campo Ma?an National Park.
Those with smartphones have been putting photos of activities carried out by Madakson on their social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp groups to help reach out to many people. They were encouraged to google and read more about the beautiful flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an Park and some interesting touristic activities the Park has to offer.
Mama Chantal who owns a store by the road side explained that having a store very close to the road has changed her life. Tourists going to the Park stop by to buy water, biscuits, bread and other needs. Money gotten from sales of items is used to pay her children?s fees and to buy other basic needs for her family.

Impact
The population of Nkoelon community is aware of the importance of preserving endangered flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park and the benefits of eco-tourism in their community.


Monitoring and Evaluation in Afan Essoke community

On June 5th 2023, monitoring and evaluation was carried out in Afan Essoke community by Madakson Cattle Breeders Group. The aim of the monitoring was to confirm that the villagers are putting the knowledge gained into practice. During the visit, we were told by some of the villagers that instead of hunting endangered species of animals, they have switched to consuming domestic animals like fowls, rabbits, goats and pigs. According the villagers, they will continue to protect the flora and fauna of the Campo Ma?an National Park in order to attract more tourists to visit the Park. One of the community members by name Lamama told the Madakson team that he posted images of some animals found at the Campo Ma?an National Park and received messages from a lot of people asking him where the park is situated. This was an indication that many people would visit the park once they know where it is situated. The people were encouraged to continue in that spirit.
Posters and flyers distributed were jealously kept by community member who said that the posters serve as a reminder to them that it is their responsibility to protect our biodiversity.
We were told by one of the business men by name Atangana Bertrand that whenever he goes to the Campo beach to buy goods, he takes the opportunity to visit the Campo park and other attractive touristic sites. According to him that is the only moment he has to distract himself from his busy schedule when he is in Afan Essoke

The visit ended at 2:00pm with a closing remark by the chief of Afan Essoke community who thanked the Madakson team and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme for bringing such a great initiative in his community and wished the team a safe trip back home.