Cameroon prepares a tougher response to the trafficking of protected species. At a consultative workshop for the southern corridor in Ebolowa, representatives from customs, security forces, the justice system, forestry authorities, and technical partners opened talks aimed at improving operational coordination against poaching and wildlife crime, according to the document shared.
The stakes go far beyond the protection of conservation areas. The GUARD Wildlife project — Global United Action to Reduce and Dismantle Wildlife Crime — is led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime with funding from the European Union. It aims to reduce international trafficking in wildlife and forest products by targeting the organized criminal networks behind those illegal flows.
The approach aligns with a policy shift already underway in Yaoundé. Cameroon’s 2020-2030 National Strategy to Combat Poaching and Wildlife Crime, approved and made enforceable in 2022, treats the illegal wildlife trade not only as a conservation offense but also as a form of crime linked to corruption, cross-border trafficking, and regional insecurity.
The strategy also notes that earlier responses, including the forest and wildlife control strategy in place since 2005, delivered results that were considered insufficient. In this framework, customs authorities have a strategic role to play. The GUARD Wildlife project draws on the expertise of the international system for fighting wildlife-related crime, including the World Customs Organization.
For Cameroon, the priority is to better track flows, detect concealment methods, and improve intelligence sharing along sensitive trade corridors. The broader diagnosis is well established: wildlife crime relies on transnational logistics chains and methods similar to those used in other forms of trafficking. Cameroon’s strategic document stresses the need for cross-sector approaches and operational structures able to combine surveillance, investigation, prosecution, and regional cooperation.
The ambition set out in Ebolowa is therefore clear: improve coordination among public agencies to reshape the government response. At this stage, however, success will depend less on workshops than on concrete resources, successful court cases, and measurable results along trafficking routes.
Patricia Ngo Ngouem