A whistle blows and young men in brightly coloured jerseys race towards a soccer ball on a grassy field in Erat, a community that lies within the boundaries of Korup National Park in southwest Cameroon.
A whistle blows and young men in brightly coloured jerseys race towards a soccer ball on a grassy field in Erat, a community that lies within the boundaries of Korup National Park in southwest Cameroon.
It might be hard to believe, but this is an excellent example of community-based wildlife conservation in action.
Increasingly, conservation organizations around the world are using sporting events to help promote conservation awareness, encourage wildlife and environmental stewardship practices, and foster positive relationships among community, government and non-profit organizations.
One such example is Korup Rainforest Conservation Society (KRCS) in southwest Cameroon’s Korup National Park, an area rich in biodiversity and human culture. It is home to Preuss’s red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus preussi), drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), pangolin species and forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis).
But there is also conflict, including direct human-wildlife conflict from crop-raiding wildlife, human safety risks and human-human conflict between those who harvest bushmeat for sustenance or illegal trade.
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Image via Korup Rainforest Protection Society.
