Cameroon-Nigeria Conservation Cooperation: Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Awaits UNESCO’s Approval

All eyes are now turned to Paris; headquarter of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the approval of the Takamanda Cross River Gorilla Biosphere Reserve. The over 300-page document was endorsed and signed on September 22, 2025 in Limbe, by stakeholders of the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary and Takamanda National Park communities. Meeting in a Regional restitution and endorsement session, administrative authorities, traditional rulers, elected officials, community elite, and sectoral ministries concerned, validated the proposed Takamanda Cross River Gorilla Biosphere Reserve which covers Akwaya subdivision, Njikwa and Widikum subdivisions in the South West and North West Regions respectively. The various stakeholders endorsed the nomination process and signed the form for onward transmission to the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife who will also channel it to UNESCO’s headquarters on behalf of Cameroon’s government.

With the restitution and validation of the Takamanda-Mone-Mbulu-Kagwene landscape which covers 309,122 hectares (with 97 villages), of Cameroonian territory, stakeholders urged the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife to proceed with the creation of the Takamanda Cross River Gorilla Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon so it merges the planned creation of the transboundary biosphere reserve with the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park of Nigeria.

On the Nigerian side, experts said the biosphere already exist and since fauna needs no passport to cross borders, it was argued that sam...