Authorities in Cameroon halted a plan to allow logging in the country’s Ebo Forest, temporarily sparing endangered gorillas and chimpanzees from losing their homes.
The office of Prime Minister Joseph Ngute announced on Tuesday, without explanation, that President Paul Biya has ordered the reversal of an earlier decree allowing long-term logging in the region.
The decision comes three weeks after the government approved logging activities for a portion of the forest, which would span half the size of London — a move that would have proven disastrous for the region’s many endangered and critically endangered species.
Around 700 vulnerable primates living in the Ebo Forest, including the highly-endangered Nigeria-Cameroon subspecies, faced imminent destruction amid Cameroon’s failure to formalize a 2006 decree designating the area as a proposed national park. Instead, the government deemed the region a Forest Management Unit, giving authorities the freedom to allow logging and other detrimental human activities on the land.
Conservationists and activists fought against the move to allow logging in Ebo Forest, disputing the government’s claims that the decision would bring jobs and wealth to local communities by pointing out the industry’s past failures to benefit residents.
The decision to halt the timber extraction permit buys time, and hopefully a proposal that includes sustainable land-use options for Ebo Forest will be considered, which would benefit both the region’s wildlife and local communities alike. For now, however, the forest’s future remains unclear, and the safety of its residents is not guaranteed.
It is imperative that we continue fighting against the destruction of this biodiverse habitat and its threatened inhabitants. If you haven’t yet, sign Lady Freethinker’s petition urging Forestry and Wildlife Minister Jules Doret Ndongo to push for the official designation of the Ebo Forest as a national park, saving countless animals’ lives.
These morons are never humans no brains no sence as we can not fix stupid but we can kill them all
I HATE ANIMAL ABUSED!!! NO ANIMALS IN THE WORLD SHOULD SUFFER ANY KIND OF ABUSED!! ANIMALS ARE A GIFT FROM GOD! LET’S RESPECT OUR ANIMALS AROND THE WORLD!!
keep wild animals wild and free!
ABOUT TIME!!!
We NEED Ebo Forest — We NEED Ebo Forest to remain intact and beautiful for all, the Human communities and the Forest’s Animal Inhabitants — we all depend on Ebo Forest — do NOT TOUCH Ebo Forest.
Ruthless people on the earth will do anything to get themselves known. Good people can make a difference.
Therefore, I choose the good.
This is good news indeed 🐵🐒💛💛
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Not only are you protecting valuable habitat – you’re protecting a vital source of oxygen and rain.
We ALL win when we decide to act responsibly
Great news. This halt coming from politicians, it is extraordinary.
Great news. This halt coming from politicians, it is extraordinary.
THIS IS GOOD NEWS!!!!
Motherfucker son of bitch leave alone the animal in peace.
thanks for doing the right thing …. unusual for politicians but much apprectaed
Thank you for halting your plan to log the Ebo forest. It is essential to a number of endangered animals living there. The forest also creates rain. This means that the disappearance of the forest would also entice the development of the desert. Nobody wants that of course.
I HATE ANIMAL ABUSED!!! NO ANIMALS IN THE WORLD SHOULD SUFFER ANY KIND OF ABUSED!! ANIMALS ARE A GIFT FROM GOD! LET’S RESPECT OUR ANIMALS AROND THE WORLD!!
Please take all steps possible to protect the habitat of these creatures.
This is good to hear and I hope they do not start up again. We need to stop destroying animal homes. They were here before us and they need their homes just like we do. Animals just want peace in their lives.