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Korup National Park
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Korup National Park
Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa's oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is the most accessible rainforest national park in Cameroon with basic lodging infrastructure and a large network of trails open to visitors. The park is a popular birdwatching destination and famous for primate viewing (including species such as the drill, Preuss's red colobus, red-eared guenon and Nigeria chimpanzee). Researchers from various disciplines have been conducting biological studies in Korup for over three decades, generating a wealth of information on rainforest ecosystems.
The Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and lies between 4°54' and 5°28' N latitude and 8°42’ to 9°16’ E longitude. It is 50 km north of the Bight of Biafra and 20 km from the edge of the mangrove swamps of the Rio Del Rey estuary. It shares about 15 km of its western boundary with the Cross River National Park's Oban Division in Nigeria. The area surrounding the park also contains Ejagham, Nta Ali and Rumpi Hills forest reserve.
In October 1937, the Korup forest was established as a ‘native administration forest reserve’ by Order No. 25. In October 1986, the Korup forest was made a national park by Presidential Decree No. 86/1283; at the same time the boundaries of the forest reserve were extended eastwards to include the villages of Ekundu Kundu, Ikenge and Bareka Batanga to cover the current surface area of 1260 km2.
The idea of creating KNP was conceived in the early 1970s by Steve Gartlan and Thomas Struhsaker who were both studying forest primates in southwest Cameroon at the time. In 1971 Struhsaker and Gartlan made a proposal to the government of Cameroon, that Korup be declared a national park along with the Douala-Edéa reserve. The Cameroon government made no immediate reaction to their proposal. In 1977, Gartlan met Phil Agland, who wanted to make a documentary about the country's forests for conservation purposes. Agland spent the next five years making a film about the Korup forest.
Phil Agland's award-winning film Korup: An African Rainforest, broadcast on British Television in November 1982 and subsequently around the world, brought the ecology of Korup to an international audience and spearheaded the campaign that was to secure the first British Government contribution of £440,000 through the ODA to rainforest conservation in 1986. In 1987, the Korup Project, an internationally funded integrated conservation and development project, provided support to the newly established park. The Korup Project area included a support zone and the forest reserves of Ejagham, Nta Ali and Rumpi Hills. In 2003, the Korup Project ended, leaving the Korup National Park management with little to no financial and logistical support. This affected the park management's ability to efficiently protect the wildlife from illegal hunting. As of 2006 however, Korup National Park is one of the three focus areas of the "Program of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – South-West Province" (PSMNR-SWP), a bilateral cooperation between the Governments of Cameroon and Germany. With the renewed attention and support granted to Korup National Park, anti-poaching patrols have been becoming regular once again. As a partner in PSMNR-SWP, WWF-Cameroon has an advisory role on conservation and environmental education in Korup region, while the German Development Service (DED) oversees rural sustainable development activities.
Administratively, the majority of Korup National Park is under the jurisdiction of the Ndian Division of Southwest Province, Cameroon. The park is managed by the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. The park's management currently consists of a Conservator and approximately 27 game guards. The headquarters are in the town of Mundemba, which is located 8 km east from the park's only official entrance at Mana bridge. A game guard post is located at the bridge. A tourist information center is in the center of Mundemba town.
A five-year management plan was developed for Korup in 2002, stating that the overall goal of the park is the conservation of the biodiversity and integrity of all physical and ecological processes of Korup forest. This is to be achieved through law enforcement, promotion of sustainable land use practices and rural development within local communities, and support for low environmental impact tourism which would generate economic and social benefits to local people.
Korup has a pseudo-equatorial climate with two seasons instead of four: a pronounced dry season from December to February with average monthly rainfall less than 100 mm and an extended and intense rainy season approximately from May to October. Annual rainfall between 1973 and 1994 measured near southeastern region of the park averaged 5,272 mm (range 4,027–6,368 mm). The heaviest rainfalls are typically in August (some years exceeding 10,000 mm). Temperature varies little throughout the year with mean monthly maximum temperature in the dry season being 31.8 °C and in the wet season 30.2 °C. The northern sections of the park receive considerably less rainfall (~2500–3000 mm).
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Korup National Park
Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa's oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is the most accessible rainforest national park in Cameroon with basic lodging infrastructure and a large network of trails open to visitors. The park is a popular birdwatching destination and famous for primate viewing (including species such as the drill, Preuss's red colobus, red-eared guenon and Nigeria chimpanzee). Researchers from various disciplines have been conducting biological studies in Korup for over three decades, generating a wealth of information on rainforest ecosystems.
The Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and lies between 4°54' and 5°28' N latitude and 8°42’ to 9°16’ E longitude. It is 50 km north of the Bight of Biafra and 20 km from the edge of the mangrove swamps of the Rio Del Rey estuary. It shares about 15 km of its western boundary with the Cross River National Park's Oban Division in Nigeria. The area surrounding the park also contains Ejagham, Nta Ali and Rumpi Hills forest reserve.
In October 1937, the Korup forest was established as a ‘native administration forest reserve’ by Order No. 25. In October 1986, the Korup forest was made a national park by Presidential Decree No. 86/1283; at the same time the boundaries of the forest reserve were extended eastwards to include the villages of Ekundu Kundu, Ikenge and Bareka Batanga to cover the current surface area of 1260 km2.
The idea of creating KNP was conceived in the early 1970s by Steve Gartlan and Thomas Struhsaker who were both studying forest primates in southwest Cameroon at the time. In 1971 Struhsaker and Gartlan made a proposal to the government of Cameroon, that Korup be declared a national park along with the Douala-Edéa reserve. The Cameroon government made no immediate reaction to their proposal. In 1977, Gartlan met Phil Agland, who wanted to make a documentary about the country's forests for conservation purposes. Agland spent the next five years making a film about the Korup forest.
Phil Agland's award-winning film Korup: An African Rainforest, broadcast on British Television in November 1982 and subsequently around the world, brought the ecology of Korup to an international audience and spearheaded the campaign that was to secure the first British Government contribution of £440,000 through the ODA to rainforest conservation in 1986. In 1987, the Korup Project, an internationally funded integrated conservation and development project, provided support to the newly established park. The Korup Project area included a support zone and the forest reserves of Ejagham, Nta Ali and Rumpi Hills. In 2003, the Korup Project ended, leaving the Korup National Park management with little to no financial and logistical support. This affected the park management's ability to efficiently protect the wildlife from illegal hunting. As of 2006 however, Korup National Park is one of the three focus areas of the "Program of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – South-West Province" (PSMNR-SWP), a bilateral cooperation between the Governments of Cameroon and Germany. With the renewed attention and support granted to Korup National Park, anti-poaching patrols have been becoming regular once again. As a partner in PSMNR-SWP, WWF-Cameroon has an advisory role on conservation and environmental education in Korup region, while the German Development Service (DED) oversees rural sustainable development activities.
Administratively, the majority of Korup National Park is under the jurisdiction of the Ndian Division of Southwest Province, Cameroon. The park is managed by the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. The park's management currently consists of a Conservator and approximately 27 game guards. The headquarters are in the town of Mundemba, which is located 8 km east from the park's only official entrance at Mana bridge. A game guard post is located at the bridge. A tourist information center is in the center of Mundemba town.
A five-year management plan was developed for Korup in 2002, stating that the overall goal of the park is the conservation of the biodiversity and integrity of all physical and ecological processes of Korup forest. This is to be achieved through law enforcement, promotion of sustainable land use practices and rural development within local communities, and support for low environmental impact tourism which would generate economic and social benefits to local people.
Korup has a pseudo-equatorial climate with two seasons instead of four: a pronounced dry season from December to February with average monthly rainfall less than 100 mm and an extended and intense rainy season approximately from May to October. Annual rainfall between 1973 and 1994 measured near southeastern region of the park averaged 5,272 mm (range 4,027–6,368 mm). The heaviest rainfalls are typically in August (some years exceeding 10,000 mm). Temperature varies little throughout the year with mean monthly maximum temperature in the dry season being 31.8 °C and in the wet season 30.2 °C. The northern sections of the park receive considerably less rainfall (~2500–3000 mm).
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