At the centre of conservation, operations in all parks are the indispensable ecoguards. Anti-poaching patrols and park protection rest entirely on the shoulders of these brave ‘green gladiators’, often at great risk to their lives. Despite the honourable nature of their profession, these trained and equipped people most often leave their families and social settings to dwell in remote areas, usually characterised by inadequate housing. This is the case for the fifty or so ecoguards in the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon!
Despite the park’s efforts to guarantee better living conditions for its ecoguards, the means available have proven insufficient. A visit to the current camp highlights the need for assistance. Temporary buildings made of planks, rooms with limited space, difficult access routes (especially in the rainy season) and a severe lack of running water are some of the challenges faced by the ecoguards of TNS’ Cameroon segment and their families!
With this in mind, the Lobéké National Park and FTNS, with the financial support of the German Cooperation, have set up a project to build a new ecoguard camp. Following the preliminary studies, the drafting of the architectural plans and a call to tender carried out by FTNS, a service provider has recently been selected and contracted for the construction.
“We are very happy with this initiative! We think that this will be a great boost for the accomplishment of our functions”, said the park’s staff representative, Mr. ONANA Théophile.
More that 1 Billion FCFA
To the great relief of the eco-guards, the construction work planned for a period of 24 months will result in the construction of 32 one bedroom apartments for the eco-guards, 32 toilets, 03 houses for the senior eco-guards, 01 conservator’s house and 01 guest house with 06 rooms 6,000 m². 01 laundry shelter, a 14 m3 water tank and the development of roads over are also included in the plan.
The buildings will be constructed in an ecologically sustainable manner using clay bricks produced by young local people trained under a project initiated with the support of FTNS in 2020. The construction cost of this camp is estimated at about CFAF 1.1 billion.