CAD is currently piloting a hunters’ engagement strategy in the Bakossi National Park area. Following poachers’ identification and need assessment, CAD engaged 11 of the 79 poachers identified in green business ventures, such as, Garcinia kola (Bitter cola) domestication, small scale poultry and piggery. So far, 64 piglets and 5000 bitter cola seedlings worth XAF 1,920,000 (USD 3,125) and XAF 5,000,000 (USD 8,139), respectively, have been generated. Some of the supported reformed poachers are helping others to decline from illegal hunting through sensitization and sharing of project proceeds. In August 2023, one of the supported ex-poachers, Mr. Enang Paul of Elum village donated two piglets to two poachers in the South East cluster of the park. However, there is need to support more poachers with this Passing-Over-the-Gift Model so that local communities can derive more benefits from natural resource management and ensure sustainability of efforts.
