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Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI)

Tri-national de la Sangha © Ralf Fisher

Vision

“A transborder network of exceptional protected areas and World Heritage Sites whose integrity is maintained, and where the control on poaching and the regulation of bush-meat business are exemplary and a model for the management of the forest ecosystem in Central Africa and elsewhere”.

Mission

To improve the management of forest sites in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon, likely to be recognized for their Outstanding Universal Value and to improve their integration within the ecological landscapes they belong to.

Transboundary landscapes, target sites of CAWHFI

Components

UNF

Project Co-financed by
the United Nations Foundation
2004-2010

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FFEM

Project Financed by
the Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial
2007-2012

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European Commission

Project Financed by
the European Commission
2009-2013

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Activities implemented by UNESCO and its partners

Strengthening the World Heritage List’s Credibility

Identification of new potential World Heritage Sites: harmonization of the Central African countries Tentative Lists, with special attention given to transborder sites.

Technical support for preparing nominations, so as to support a better representation of the Outstanding Universal Values of the region’s natural World Heritage.

Conclusion of the agreement between the governments of Congo and Gabon for the creation of the Transborder Park Mayumba-Conkouati. This agreement strengthens the State Parties’ involvement to promote Mayumba-Conkouati complex as a World Heritage site and represents the first step of the nomination process.

Insuring the efficient Conservation of the three landscapes

Definition and implementation of management plans for each target site, in consultation with all the stakeholders involved in natural conservation.

Conclusion of agreements on sustainable management of the wildlife between the authorities; forest and mining companies and local communities; and monitoring their implementation.

Technical and logistical support for the surveillance and anti-poaching patrols of the three sites, in particular that of the transborder and marine patrols.

Development of sustainable financing mechanisms for long-term support to the sites, such as the Sangha Trinational Foundation, created in 2007.

Capacity building for all the conservation partners

Organization of thematic training sessions throughout the projects: thematic workshops on the tools and concepts of the World Heritage Convention, nominations’ preparation and management of natural World Heritage.

Training sessions for the staff in charge of conservation for the three sites, for instance, training in the use of GPS for eco-guards in the TRIDOM Gabon, in 2010.

Improvement of law enforcement monitoring in the three target sites: support for implementation and use of the bio-monitoring system MIST.

Institutional support to the local police forces and judicial authorities from the States Parties involved.

Developing Communication Activities

Publications

Natural World Heritage in Central Africa. Brazzaville workshop’s report, 12-14 March 2008 World Heritage Centre, UNESCO, 2008.

Business Plan for World Heritage Natural Sites and Protected Areas, Methodology Guide, published in collaboration with Shell Foundation and UNESCO.

World Heritage in the Congo Basin. World Heritage Centre, UNESCO, 2010

World Heritage Review n°61, “Congo Basin forests. Common Heritage of Humanity”.

World Heritage Resource Manual, Managing Natural World Heritage, World Heritage Centre, UNESCO, 2012.

Event organized in March 2013 in Douala, Cameroon, to present the technical results and regional benefits of CAWHFI’s first phase. résultats techniques et les bénéfices régionaux de la première phase de CAWHFI (2004-2013).

Raising local Communities’ awareness on sustainable management of wildlife resources

Implementation of environmental education-related activities in collaboration with local NGOs. For instance, an awareness tour has been organized in ten villages located around Moukalaba-Doudou National Park by the Gabonese NGO Ibonga with presentations, a puppet theatre and film projections.

Organization of meetings on participatory and community management of wildlife resources.

Logistical and technical support to promote sustainable income-generating activities, such as the development of fishing in Dja Reserve.

Eléphants de forêt, Réserve de Dzanga-Sangha, Tri-national de la Sangha © Andrea Turkalo

A major success for the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative: TNS’s inscription on the World Heritage List in 2012.

Cameroon, Central African Republic and Congo, in collaboration with UNESCO and its partners (FTNS, WCS and WWF) and with financial support from the European Commission, were involved in gaining recognition for the TNS complex of its outstanding universal values which have been recognized at an international scale and resulted in the inscription of the site on the World Heritage List.

This nomination is the result of a lengthy process of concentrated awareness raising and specific training to the different actors involved in this inscription, particularly the TNS conservators. UNESCO had an advisory role and the partners brought their technical expertise to support the three State Parties in preparing the TNS nomination file. The TNS inscription on the World Heritage List enhances the involvement of the three State Parties and sub-regional structures for conservation in the sustainable management of the forest heritage in Central Africa.

Actions implemented
on the three transborder complexes
(2004-2013)

Sangha Trinational

Implementation of a strong framework for the management of the Sangha Trinational
  • Involvement of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Congo for the joint planning of management and conservation activities on the whole site.
  • Support to the Sangha Trinational Foundation to manage and administrate funds for sustainable conservation.
  • Contribute to strengthening field staff and local stakeholders’ skills to reach agreements, allowing the implementation of coordinated conservation actions on the transborder complex.
Preparatory assistance for the nomination of the Sangha Trinational to the World Heritage List
  • Coordination and awareness raising activities and specific training sessions implemented by UNESCO and its partners, in partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, to the different actors in the nomination’s process, and in particular the TNS wardens.
  • As a result of this lengthy process for preparation and submission of the nomination: the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012.

Conkouati-Mayumba-Gamba Landscape

Development of joint management mechanisms on the landscape
  • Establishment of a unique and functional management framework for the whole site.
  • Creation of the Mayumba-Conkouati Transborder Park, with the signature of the agreement between the Congolese and Gabonese governments in November 2010.
  • Implementation of a law-enforcement monitoring system coordinated in the four National parks, through the MIST tracking tool.
Involvement of the private sector in the sustainable management of natural resources
  • Contribution of strengthening mechanisms aimed at involving the private sector, essentially in mining and forestry industries, for the sustainable management of forestry and wildlife resources in the Gamba complex of protected areas.
Valorization of local communities role in biodiversity conservation
  • Implementation of a programme to increase awareness about conservation, in collaboration with the Gabonese NGO Ibonga.
  • Development of sustainable tourism activities, particularly in Mayumba.
  • Logistic support and capacity building for the staff of the NGO Nyangatour and the Association of Mayumba Fishermen and Sellers of Oysters.
Marine turtles ecological monitoring and protection on Gamba beaches.

Dja-Odzala-Minkebe Trinational Landscape (TRIDOM)

Wildlife’s sustainable management promotion in the landscape
  • Collaborative definition and adoption of wildlife management plans within and around protected areas.
  • Training sessions for government actors, members of the private sector and local communities on the importance of sustainable management of wildlife and on the role they can play in anti-poaching activities.
  • Development of a planning process between the mining and forest companies, the government and the conservation sector; negotiation and signature of a memoranda of understanding on the management of the seal hunt.
  • Identification and promotion of income-generating activities so as to decrease the rural population’s dependence on bush meat.
Contributions to strengthening management and surveillance capacities of the field staff
  • Implementation of management plans and strengthening of the surveillance in several Parks in the landscape.
  • Provision of equipment to support the surveillance activities and improve the complex’s management.
  • Rehabilitation of the infrastructures for the management of protected areas.
  • Support to the field staff for the surveillance of protected areas.
Valorization of local communities role in conservation
  • Development of a programme to increase awareness on conservation and sustainable management of natural resources; one of them was implemented in a partnership with WWF and the Gabonese NGO Conservation Justice.

 

Related Activities
Other activities (3)
See Also (1)
States parties (4)
World Heritage Sites (3)
Strategic objectives
  • Communities
  • Credibility
  • Conservation
  • Capacity Building
  • Communication