Save Africa's most endangered gorillas

Tucked into the highlands of southwest Cameroon, a forest holds one of the world's most extraordinary secrets: a remnant population of Cross River gorillas — the rarest great apes on Earth — sharing their habitat with endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees, forest elephants, pangolins, and dozens of other threatened species. This is the Lebialem Highlands, a biodiversity hotspot that remains largely unknown to the outside world. Your support is helping to change that — and to keep this landscape alive.

What We Found: A Landscape Full of Life

Surveys were conducted across three key sites: the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, a proposed new wildlife sanctuary in the Njoagwi Fotabong III Essoh Attah forest, and the Tofala-Mone Genetic Corridor linking them. Using camera traps, GPS devices, and systematic foot surveys, teams documented great apes and a wide range of other species across more than 57,000 hectares of forest.

The critically endangered Cross River gorilla — with fewer than 300 individuals believed to remain in the world — continues to persist in the Lebialem Highlands. Feeding signs, footprints, and camera trap images confirmed their presence across two of the three survey sites. In the corridor, no gorilla signs were recorded this period, likely reflecting increased human disturbance in that area — a concern the project is actively working to address.

On chimpanzees, the news is more encouraging. Across all three sites, teams recorded hundreds of nests, movement tracks, vocalisations, and feeding sites. Camera traps captured mothers with infants — a hopeful sign of reproduction and gradual population recovery. The number of nests recorded was higher than in the previous survey period, suggesting the population may be slowly stabilising under the protection these areas provide.

African forest elephants were detected across two sites through dung, tracks, and feeding signs — their presence confirming the landscape's vital importance as a migration corridor between larger protected areas. Other threatened species documented include pangolins (with three direct sightings, including one individual rescued after a chimpanzee attack), the endangered Bannerman's Turaco, hornbill birds, pottos, galagos, drills, and Preuss's guenons. In total, 14 species of conservation concern were recorded in the sanctuary alone.

The Threats: Real and Growing

Alongside every wildlife sighting, teams also recorded the human pressures bearing down on this landscape. Hundreds of wire snares, gun shells, hunters' bush camps, and newly cleared farms were logged inside protected areas across all three sites. Wire snares were the most frequently encountered threat indicator, followed by agricultural encroachment — both signs of communities under severe economic stress.

The root cause is poverty, compounded by a prolonged regional crisis that has displaced thousands of people into communities bordering these forests. Schools have closed, livelihoods have collapsed, and families have turned to hunting and farming inside protected areas simply to survive. Without addressing these underlying pressures, no conservation effort can fully succeed.

Our activities

Rangers, government staff, and community members were trained in field data collection, camera trap operation, GPS use, and great ape sign identification — building the local capacity needed for long-term, community-rooted monitoring.

Significant progress was made toward the formal protection of the Njoagwi Fotabong III Essoh Attah forest, an area of 4,200 hectares that is home to gorillas, chimpanzees, and forest elephants but currently lacks official protected status. Boundary surveys were completed, community consultations were held, and a provisional management team was established. The scientific data gathered will be submitted to government policymakers to support the area's official gazettement as a wildlife sanctuary.

On livelihoods, cooperatives working in beekeeping, livestock, poultry, palm oil, and non-timber forest products received training and practical support. A palm oil processing unit was revamped, producing over 100 containers of oil for local sale. Women's groups received snail farming starter kits, and dozens of internally displaced women were trained in soap production. These are small steps, but they build toward a future where communities have real alternatives to depending on the forest for survival.

Why It Matters

The gorillas and chimpanzees of the Lebialem Highlands are still here. The forests are still standing. But they are under pressure, and that pressure is growing. What makes this landscape different from so many other conservation stories is that the people living alongside these animals are not the enemy — they are potential stewards, given the right support.

Sustained investment in monitoring, alternative livelihoods, and formal protection is what will tip the balance. Thank you for being part of that effort.

Links:

• Project update

In February 2026, conservation organisations from across Cameroon came together in Douala to strengthen collaboration for the protection of the critically endangered Cross River gorilla. With fewer than 300 individuals remaining in the wild, this subspecies is the rarest gorilla in the world. It survives in small, fragmented forest habitats along the border of Cameroon and Nigeria, making coordinated conservation efforts more important than ever.

The three-day knowledge exchange workshop brought together nine local conservation organisations working directly in gorilla landscapes. Facilitated by the African Conservation Foundation, Environment and Rural Development Foundation and CEPOW Cameroon, the meeting created an important platform for organisations to share experiences, discuss challenges, and develop practical solutions for protecting gorillas and their habitats.

The forests where Cross River gorillas live are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in West Africa. Important landscapes such as Takamanda National Park, Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary and the Mone Wildlife Reserve provide critical habitat not only for gorillas but also for forest elephants, chimpanzees, and many other rare species. However, these forests are increasingly under pressure from logging, agricultural expansion, and other human activities. Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to the survival of the Cross River gorilla, as isolated populations risk losing genetic diversity and becoming more vulnerable to extinction.

Community-led conservation

A key focus of the workshop was the role of community forests in protecting these vital habitats. Cameroon’s forestry law allows communities to legally manage forests for long-term sustainable use. When communities are supported with the right training and governance structures, community forests can become powerful tools for conservation. They allow local people to protect wildlife habitat while also generating sustainable benefits from the forest.

Participants shared their experiences establishing community forests and discussed how these areas can help maintain ecological corridors between gorilla populations. Maintaining these corridors is essential because it allows gorillas to move between forest areas, improving genetic diversity and strengthening the resilience of their populations.

The workshop also explored new approaches to monitoring wildlife and protecting forests. Participants learned about technologies, which helps conservation teams collect and analyse data on wildlife sightings, patrol activities, and threats such as poaching or illegal logging. Better monitoring helps conservation organisations respond more effectively to threats and track the impact of their work.

Another important discussion focused on supporting local livelihoods. Many communities living near gorilla habitats depend on forest resources for their survival. To ensure long-term conservation success, participants explored ways to create additional income opportunities that reduce pressure on forests. Examples discussed included agroforestry, beekeeping, aquaculture, mushroom production, and small livestock farming. These livelihood initiatives can provide income while keeping forests intact, creating benefits for both people and wildlife.

One of the most exciting outcomes of the workshop was the decision to create a new Cross River Gorilla Community-Led Conservation Alliance. This alliance will strengthen cooperation between organisations working across the gorilla’s range, allowing them to share knowledge, coordinate conservation actions, and mobilise resources more effectively.

Cross River Gorilla Conservation Alliance

Over the next year, alliance members plan to improve biodiversity monitoring systems, strengthen community forest governance, expand collaboration with Nigerian partners, and develop new conservation financing mechanisms such as carbon credit initiatives. By working together, these organisations can significantly increase the impact of their conservation efforts.

This collaboration represents an important step toward protecting the future of the Cross River gorilla and the forests it depends on. The dedication of local conservation organisations and communities provides hope that this rare species can still survive and recover.

Support from donors through GlobalGiving is helping make this work possible. Your contributions support collaboration between frontline conservation organisations, strengthen community forest protection, and help safeguard one of the world’s most endangered great apes.

With continued support, we can expand these efforts, protect more forest habitat, and ensure that future generations will still have the chance to live alongside the remarkable Cross River gorilla.

Links:

• Conservation Groups Unite to Save the World's Rarest Gorilla