From June 11 to 12, 2014, the first session of the Binational Committee for the Planning and Execution of the Sena Oura - Bouba Ndjidda (BSB Yamoussa) Binational Complex was held in the town of Garoua, Cameroon. The meeting was organized by the conservation services of both protected areas with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as part of implementation of the project "Capacity Building / Raising Awareness of Actors of Northern Savanna Ecosystems in Central Africa on the fight against poaching " Project, funded by ECCAS / EU.

The key meeting aimed to review the implementation status of the BSB Yamoussa agreement in order to highlight operational perspectives. It brought together close to thirty participants from the Conservation services of the Sena Oura and Bouba Ndjidda National Park, Regional Delegations of Environment and Water Resources of Chad and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF).  Equally in attendance were the Divisional Officers of Lamé and Gagal in Chad, representatives of local governments in the areas concerned, representatives of development partners, the consultation platforms of the Agreement, local organizations as well as private operators active around the Transboundary Complex.

Over two days, participants followed presentations on the following themes:

• The Bi-national agreement between Cameroon and Chad: implementation status;
• Activities of supporting partners (PNBN, PNSO, CELDIE, CADPEN, Securing Project (Sena Oura), IUCN Savannah Projects (Sena-Oura/RAPAC and ECCAS) ;
• The advantages of wildlife exploitation in Wildlife Areas (ZIC) : the case of the riparian communities of the Bouba Ndjidda National Park;
• CBPE Missions and Terms of Reference;
• Experience of the Trinational Committee for Planning and Execution of the Sangha Trinational;
• Operational Action Plan of the CBPE.

The ensuing discussions led to:

• Adoption of the CBPE Operational Action Plan  for the next 6 months as well as the list of members;
• Endorsement of the agreement, particularly the provisions related to the CBPE;
• Commitments from the authorities and local elected officials to support the CBPE’s missions;
• Capitalization of the TNS experiences towards BSB Yamoussa.

At the close of the enriching lesson-packed meeting, the participants formulated recommendations intended for the Conservation services, high-ranking authorities of both countries, technical, financial partners and sub regional organizations.

For more information, please contact: CamilleFlore.SANDJONG@iucn.org, JosephCelestin.DZOKOU@iucn.org

For further information, kindly consult the final communiqué below: