The University of Wisconsin-Madison adheres to the Congo basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), approves its cooperation framework and supports the implementation of COMIFAC Convergence Plan.

Madison, (USA), 5 June 2012 – The University of Wisconsin-Madison confirmed her adherence to the Congo basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). The University of Wisconsin-Madison agrees to comply with the principles of sustainable management of the forest ecosystems in Central Africa, to work in accordance with the cooperation framework of the CBFP partners and to support the implementation of the COMIFAC Convergence Plan.

As a CBFP member, UWM expects to improve its effectiveness and increase its impact within the Congo Basin, in close collaboration with its local and international partners.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is located in the city of Madison, capital of the state of Wisconsin. It hosts more that 42.000 students and is a member of the  consortium made  of about ten large universities of the Midwest of the United States of America. UW-Madison ranks first as a  university with a global research scope, granting degrees in many academic and professional fields, from the BA/BS to the PhD. In the latest rankings of world universities by Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University, The University of Wisconsin-Madison was ranked 19th. It ranks second in annual research expenditures among American universities. Additional facts may be found here: http://www.wisc.edu/

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has become engaged recently in collaborative research and teaching endeavors in Central Africa. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Dschang in Cameroon to explore the feasibility of establishing a framework for educational and scientific cooperation. They have established a partnership with the African Model Forest Network in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where one of their students will spend several weeks of internship during summer 2012. They propose to establish a formal partnership with the École de Faune de Garoua (EFG) in northern Cameroon. They plan to send two of their professors to Garoua duringi summer 2012 to explore how best to build a sustainable program of capacity building and research infrastructure for the purpose of transforming EFG into a center of excellence for training conservationists throughout Central Africa.

Broadly, they seek to enhance the infrastructure for training and research in the areas of wildlife conservation, the monitoring of wildlife populations and habitat conditions, and the socio-eocnomic and cultural factors crucial for sustaining wildlife while alleviating poverty in Central Africa. To accomplish this, they specifically propose to: 1) initiatel exchanges of students and faculty between their university and Central African institutions of higher education; 2) engage faculties from these institutions in training students jointly with faculties from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; 3) enhance and extend the training of instructors from the African institutions to meet the needs and challenges of conserving Central African biodiversity in the 21st century.

Although their efforts will be situated in Cameroon initially, they expect these activities to lead to collaborations in other countries of Central Africa. Already the École de Faune de Garoua (EFG) and the African Model Forest Network operate across the sub-region. They will seek out of their ability to develop active and effective programs that will prove beneficial to the pressing conservation needs of the sub-region and that will be in consonance with COMIFAC’s long term ability to protect wildlife while enhancing human welfare in Central Africa.

Welcome to our new partner:  “The University of Wisconsin-Madison”

For more information, please consult the official Website of The University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://www.wisc.edu/