Davinder Josephson Blog 2 - Deforestation Vigilantes

Davinder Josephson

Dr. Feldblum

Primate Conservation

7 March 2025

Deforestation Vigilantes

Image by Nynai Quarmyne

A recent article published by Mongabay News revealed increased logging encroachment into the remote Mengame Gorilla Sanctuary of Cameroon. The low human population density of the region makes it an ideal habitat for countless endangered species, including gorillas and chimpanzees. However, the Global Forest Watch platform, a network that monitors forest cover via satellites, recently noticed several deforestation alerts popping up around the edges of Mengame. 


Action for Sustainable Development (ASD), a Cameroonian environmental organization, collaborated with villages around the region to identify the triggers for these alerts. The group found that forest clear-cutting for cacao and other crops was driving these spikes in deforestation. Community members pointed out that signs and distinct boundaries for Mengame had faded and been forgotten over time, and as a result, local logging businesses capitalized and moved in. The ASD team also found evidence of gorilla and chimpanzee communities in close proximity to these areas of forest encroachment, suggesting a human-wildlife conflict on the verge of erupting. To prevent this from developing, ASD has trained several government and local “eco-guards” to monitor and identify sites of emerging deforestation, utilizing a WhatsApp notification system. 


Image by Global Forest Watch

This development has important implications for primate conservation from a human-wildlife conflict standpoint as it represents the real threat posed by logging encroachment on primate hotspots. As years go by, these primate sanctuaries age as well, and their borders and protections become more vague. This provides ideal opportunities for deforestation agents to profit from open land, which destroys valuable primate habitats. Therefore, it is essential that proper law enforcement is implemented in such regions, such as the ASD eco-guard team, which can effectively monitor and reprimand these logging entities. This is a recurring message: community accountability and strong enforcement are crucial for preserving remote and endangered primate populations worldwide.


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