Kordofan Giraffe conservation

Western Bénoué Ecosystem, Northern Cameroon
Summary
Create Conservation Project/Cause - Western Bénoué Ecosystem, Northern Cameroon | Kane Colston
Purpose/Mission: 
Bristol Zoological Society's Kordofan giraffe project in Cameroon aims to address the gaps in knowledge about the critically endangered Kordofan giraffe in the Western Bénoué Ecosystem, Northern Cameroon. Little is known about this enigmatic subspecies, and so conservationists are conducting surveys to establish population size, distribution and demographics in order to better understand the health of the population and the extent of the extinction threat they face. The project is also addressing the combined threats of illegal poaching activity within Bénoué National Park, as well as unregulated, illegal pastoralist practices that are leading to habitat destruction and loss of vital food resources for the large herbivores in the park. This is being conducted through a number of channels: - Community engagement and outreach - Local employment and education of 'eco-patrol guards' to protect the park from illegal trespassers - Close cooperation with the Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry & Wildlife and Sekakoh, a Cameroonian NGO.
Start/End Date: 
Monday, 2 May, 2022 to Monday, 12 September, 2022
Related Links: 
Bristol Zoo Garden's Kordofan Giraffe project page

My work with BZS's Kordofan giraffe project forms the basis of my Master's thesis with the University of Bristol, UK. I aim to use a population modelling software called VORTEX to determine the probability of extinction of the Kordofan giraffe in Bénoué National Park. By inputting demographic parameters, the software models the population over the next 100 years many times and produces data on the most likely outcome for that population over the next century, as well as which conservation interventions are likely to be most effective at restoring the population. The information my project produces will help conservationists on the ground to make better-informed conservation decisions and to take action most effective at protecting this critically endangered subspecies from extinction.