THE MANAGEMENT OF MOUNT CAMEROON

Mount Cameroon, located in the South West Region of Cameroon. The Mountain is the highest peak in West Africa with a total surface area of about 50 by 30 km² thus given an estimated surface area of about 58178 hectares. The mountain is rich in resources; a rich biodiversity, range of attractive topography, savanna, lava rocks, craters, crater lakes and a lot more.

The range of natural endowment within the mount Cameroon region is shared within two divsions; Fako and Meme Division and some five (5) Sub-Divisions that the Mountain cuts across; the Buea, Mbonge, Muyuka, Limbe I, and Idenau Sub-Division. Amongst this Sub Division, we can count up to forty-one (41) villages within the Mount Cameroon region. Before the coming of the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) in 2009, Mount Cameroon was been managed by the communities through the Mount Cameroon Inter communal Board (MtCEO) through a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure.  

In the year 2009 the MCNP came in place through a Prime Ministerial Order N^o 2009/2272/PM of 18^th December 2009. In order to continue the process of conservation in Mount Cameroon; now a National Park the objectives of the MCNP were conceived to meet up with community needs, development and sustainability and best practice. Their three main objectives are;

1.      Biodiversity Conservation

2.      Support community development through the Conservation Development Agreement and

3.      Promotion of Eco Tourism

From the third objective, recent statistic from the offices of the MCNP shows an increase in the number of tourist visiting the park since 2010. For example, in 2013, the service of the Park registered over 1300 visitors and in 2014 they had on their register over 1500 visitors entering the MCNP.

From the first and second objectives of the Park, it has been confirmed that research activities on the biodiversity has increased which has also in turn lead to the discovery of new species of  butterfly and birds which are going to be named after the Mount Cameroon. On the other hand, following the Community Development Agreement, the 41 villages have been involved in the planning, policy/decision making and in the execution of some services of the park like boundary opening, monitoring of illegal activities within the park which has also earn them some Conservation Development Bonuses  to be used for community projects like the support to farming projects (Yam, Cassava and Bee farming) construction of community halls, chairs, water projects in villages like Lower Bwando, Kuke Kumbu, Woteva, Bonakanda, Mondongo, Bokosso, Buea Town and the lots of other villages from the four cluster making the 41 villages.

Blessed with a friendly environment and the diverse natural endowment, the park service also face some challenges like bush fire which at times is as a result of negligence and hunting. Fortunately, with the emergence of the Management Plan to approve in due time, bush fire (organized and controlled) is to be considered as a management plan for the park.  In that regards, the park service in their Management Plan has develop a fire management plan; to sensitize the communities, to carry out fire tracing and the implementation of a pilot fire management strategy to avoid unwanted bush fires in the park.

Here is a list of villages and in the four clusters

CLUSTER	S/N	VILLAGE
BUEA CLUSTER	1	Upper Boando
	2	Ekonjo
	3	Mapanja
	4	Bwassa
	5	Likombe
	6	Bokwaongo
	7	Likoko Membea
	8	Buea Village
	9	Ewonda
	10	Bova I
	11	Bova II
	12	Bonakanda
	13	Woteva
MUYUKA CLUSTER	14	Ekona Lelu
	15	Mundame
	16	Liola Buea
	17	Masuma
	18	Bavenga
	19	Bafia
	20	Lykoko
	21	Lilale
	22	Munyenge
BOMBOKO CLUSTER	23	Bova Bomboko
	24	Boviongo
	25	Ebie
	26	Bokosso
	27	Mondongo
	28	Munyenge
	29	Mweli
	30	Efolofo
	31	Kuke Kumbu
	32	Kotto I
	33	Kotto II
	34	Bomana
WEST COAST CLUSTER	35	Sanje
	36	Bibunde
	37	Njonji
	38	Bakingili
	39	Batoke
	40	Etone
	41	Lower Boando

Source: MCNP

(mtcameroonecotour@gmail.com / globalhand7@gmail.com)

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