Enhancing the capacity of Africa’s conservation leaders is at the heart of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s conservation approach. Over the past decade, our program support to various local and international conservation organizations has resulted in an increasingly capable Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) conservation effort in Cameroon. With the population declining by more than 80% in the past 35 years, the Kordofan giraffe was listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2018.
Recently, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation has supported an array of conservation activities in northern Cameroon through our local conservation partner Biodiversity-Environment-Sustainable-Development (BEDD). These activities include camera trapping and human dimension surveys. These surveys have highlighted that local people value giraffe, and increasing education, awareness and monitoring by BEDD are all contributing to bringing more attention to this much loved animal.
Until recently, the numbers and distribution of Kordofan giraffe in northern Cameroon was unknown and largely based on outdated data. With the support of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Society undertook an aerial survey of the Waza National Park, which revealed a population of at least 350 Kordofan giraffe. Although lower than previous estimates, these results set the scene for future work.
Together with the Cameroonian government, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation is drafting the first-ever National Giraffe Conservation Strategy and Action Plan, which will help to guide future giraffe conservation efforts in the country.
