19
Jan 2009 - WWF Cameroon celebrated the start
of 2009 with the radio-collaring of a huge
female elephant on the slopes of Mount Cameroon
in the South West Region of the Republic
of Cameroon. The purpose of this exercise
is to provide a better understanding of
the migration patterns of elephants, and
help in land use planning as well as regulating
human - elephant conflicts. Working within
the framework of the Coastal Forests (SAWA)
Programme, WWF is working with partners
and funds from WWF Sweden towards the establishment
of a National Park in parts of the biodiversity
rich Mount Cameroon.
One-tusk ninja
This makes the third elephant to be radio-collared
by WWF on Mount Cameroon. The first two
were tagged in March 2007 and January 2008
respectively. The latest one - the female
elephant named Uppsala, estimated at 45
years of age, weighs about 3 1/2 tons, and
has just one tusk. From all indications,
the mammal was the eldest in the herd of
six from which it was tagged.
The Programme Coordinator for WWF Coastal
Forests Programme Dr. Atanga Ekobowho led
the team up the mountains together with
veteran Veterinarian from North Carolina
Zoo Society (USA), Dr. Mike Loomis said
Uppsala’a collar is built to transmit for
20 months prior to battery failure.
Better understanding of elephants
Elephant tagging or collaring is a technology
that provides a better understanding of
the migration patterns of elephants, and
therefore helps in land use planning and
finding ways of reducing human - elephant
conflict. The elephants’ locations are plotted
as layers on maps created using the ArcView
software to provide information on movement
and distribution patterns in the area in
relationship to other bio-geographic features.
“Because the ranging and migration patterns
of forest elephants in Central Africa in
general and in Cameroon in particular are
poorly understood, an understanding of ranging
behaviour and seasonal movement patterns
is important for effective conservation
and management of elephants around Mt. Cameroon
where land is scarce”, said Dr Martin Tchamba,
National Director of WWF Cameroon.
Radio and satellite telemetry have been
an integral part of many research and management
projects of African elephants for several
decades. “WWF Cameroon Country Programme
Office in collaboration with the Ministry
of Forests and Wildlife in Cameroon has
carried out similar operation in the northern
and South east regions of the country with
technical assistance from the North Carolina
Zoological Park” according to the National
director.
Dr. Michael Loomis, a Chief veterinarian
from the North Carolina Zoological Park
has been working in Cameroon for some eleven
years now, carrying out research aimed at
protecting and monitoring the forest and
savannah elephants in Cameroon. These species
have over the years been seriously threatened.
The need for elephant collaring in the proposed
Mount Cameroon National Park, is to ensure
that priority sites for elephants are identified
and definite park boundaries determined
hence, appropriate levels of protection
could be afforded. Data so far collected
on elephant movement and distribution patterns
will help park authorities plan anti-poaching
operations. These data will also reinforce
the need for stakeholders to collaborate
in wildlife management activities in and
around the proposed Mount Cameroon National
Park area.
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Climate Witness: Maya
Radeva, Bulgaria
19 Jan 2009 - My name
is Maya Radeva and I am the director of
Balgarka Nature Park, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
- Imagine the wood in July – instead of
being green and fresh, it was like a frostbitten
wood in November. The leaves were brown,
dry and falling from the trees. The grass,
which has always been green at this time,
was dry and brittle under our feet. The
forest was simply crying.
For the last 15 years
there has been an episodic increase of temperatures,
but the summer of 2007 was simply unique.
The leaves were dry and started falling
as early as the end of June and beginning
of July. In the beech forests there were
lots of empty acorns. Apparently the high
temperatures did not help the trees to fill
the seeds.
Water level in river
extremely low
The source of Yantra
River, which we had never seen with so low
water level, now completely dried out. There
was no water coming from the source itself,
it flowed out further down and had very
weak discharge.
Mediterranean plants
at high altitudes in Bulgaria
Last year our colleague
- a biodiversity expert – discovered a species
of wild onion at a height of 1,300 m in
the Uzana area. A study showed that the
habitats of the plant are in Greece and
Southern Italy. If Mediterranean plants
that love a warm climate come to 1,300 m
above sea level that is an indicator of
climate warming and of changes expected
to take place in nature.
