1. CERCO‐NEWS
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Iko Esai United for
Conservation
Iko Esai United 1
for Conservation
From the 2 Last year, August 2011, implemented the market day, attended by
Director
CERCOPAN Education Community for Primate several hundred villagers,
Officer Abakum Owai Conservation programme including the village
Computer 2
training Owai attended the Pan African in our host village Iko Esai. Chiefs. They also made a
Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) He has been assisted by poster on Primate
Tusk Trust 2
annual Education Daniel Roper‐Jones, a Conservation. The Chiefs
Workshop in Uganda. volunteer from the United have requested for this
New year, new 3 States. poster to be put in the
beginnings! Here, amongst many
town square on a
other activities, Abakum Together, they have
permanent display.
Growing trees 4 and the other participants succeeded to organise a
were instructed on a Pan‐ conservation group of The final activity, a
African educational over fifty students. The village clean‐up, is
REDD+ in Iko Esai 4 programme, organised conservation group called scheduled for next month.
jointly by PASA and themselves “The United After this, Abakum will
CBO registration 5 Disney’s Animal Programs Group for Conservation”, analyse pre– and post
and Environmental and over the course of education questionnaires,
Initiatives , which was to weeks learned about filled out by all
Welcome 5 be implemented in each primates, the rainforest, participants, to assess the
Laetitia! member sanctuary’s and what they can do to effectiveness of the
respective communities. protect them. The group programme. We will
Want to be a part 6
of it ? furthermore carried out continue organising
Over the past months,
an educational activities for the
Abakum has successfully
performance on Iko Esai’s conservation group. Well
done Abakum
and Daniel, for
educating the
The United Group for
future
Conservation
generation of
Iko Esai on the
importance of
primate
conservation!
2. PAGE 2
From the Director
As you have read in This year will be an for over a decade, has
the C E R C O ‐N E W S exciting year, both for been a remarkable
January 2012 edition, me personally and for experience.
Claire has left the orga nisation. As you will see in this
CERCOPAN after five Obviously, moving to CERCO‐NEWS edition, a
years, and has accepted Nigeria is an exciting lot is happening at
the position as event in itself. While it is CERCOPAN. And we
Chairman of the difficult to prepare have many more plans
Nicolien Schoneveld CERCOPAN Board of yourself for Nigeria, a for the months to
CERCOPAN Trustees. country incomparable come… but let’s not get
Director All the CERCOPAN to any other, the warm ahead of ourselves. The
staff wish Claire all the reception of the milestones in this
best in her new CERCOPAN staff makes month are a cause for
adventures, and we are everything easy! Being a celebration!
very grateful she will part of this group of
still be part of the dedicated people, many
CERCOPAN team! working for CERCOPAN
Computer training Owai
CERC OPAN has word processing and documents. It increases
provided t h e Microsoft Excel. Two their ability to connect
community based representatives from with external groups
organisation (CBO) of the CBO received such as government
Owai with a computer additional, m o r e agencies or NGOs.
and a printer. intensive, training. The group looks
C o m m u n i t y Mastering basic forward to applying for
Conservation Manager computer skills means grants and hopes to
BenJee Cascio gave the CBO can apply for bring projects to help
three computer training funds, and keep digital the community in the
Computer training with classes to teach basic record of their minutes near future!
CERCOPAN’s BenJee computer usage, such as and other supporting
Tusk Trust
We received good patrols of t h e logging trucks from
news this month: Tusk CERCOPAN core area passing, but allow loaded
Trust has decided once and the larger motorbikes through.
again to sponsor our community forest. With the arrival of
activities this year! Also this month, we NTFP coordinator Chris,
We are very grateful installed a road barrier we are well prepared to
for their support, which funded by IUCN France protect the forest and
will enable us to and BBC Wildlife Fund, wildlife from illegal
intensify the forest which will prevent activities!
Road barrier
3. VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 PAGE 3
New year, new beginnings
At Rhoko, there are covering education, in protected areas.
numerous activities and primate research and
Chris will also capacity
projects planned for 2012 reintroduction, non‐
build and train the patrol
– this is going to be a timber forest products
staff on mapping, GPS
good year! Two new (NTFP) collection, and
use, and species
volunteer huts have construction. CERCOPAN
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .
recently been completed is looking forward to
Watch this space
(courtesy of Tusk Trust) 2012 and relishing new
for more news on
and the volunteer projects a n d
Chris’s forest
showers have been opportunities to advance
excursions.
upgraded. The solar and p r o m o t e
power supply at camp conservation. Chris, from the
has been improved and UK, has a BSc in
International and
additional solar panels Geography and an
national researchers are
have been installed at the MSc in International
expected at Rhoko in the
large open‐topped rural development.
coming months to
mangabey enclosure to Previously, Chris
conduct their fieldwork
power the electric fence. worked for several
which encompasses a
community based Chris Hamley, our NTFP
At the mangabey area, range of diverse topics
conservation NGOs in Coordinator
new bridges are being and species.
Belize, focusing on
constructed which will
In February, Rhoko biodiversity monitoring
enhance the mangabey
camp welcomed Chris and protected area
viewing experience, and
Hamley as its NTFP planning.
with roofs, these
Coordinator. This newly
structures will be We are looking
created position focuses
indispensable during the forward to working with
on expanding current
wet season. Chris and integrating him
research on long term
into the Rhoko volunteer
This year there will be use and sustainability of
team – we are sure he
volunteer coordinators forest product collection
will fit right in!
The Rhoko team!
4. PAGE 4
Growing trees
CERCOPAN has made become the weekly the buffer zone around
significant advances in meeting place for their our Core Area.
the development of Conservation Club. Training is ongoing
our tree nursery at the CERCOPAN h a s with the students in
secondary school in Iko reached 3,000 planted preparation for the
Esai, funded by BBC seeds representing six upcoming handover of
Wildlife Fund. different species, and the nursery site into the
Starting to grow! We have renovated many of the seeds are school's management.
our five new shade beds. beginning to germinate.
The outdoor classroom is Seed collection is
finished, complete with ongoing, and the forest
chalkboard and benches. species raised by the
The classroom has already school will eventually be
been used on several purchased back by
occasions by the school's CERCOPAN for our
biology teacher, and has reforestation efforts in
Working in the nursery
REDD+ in Iko Esai
This month, we were community where Mr. with what he saw in Iko
honoured to receive the Arikpo Arikpo and Mr. Esai, and he would relay
Norwegian councilor for Rider facilitated a this information to the
Environmental and meeting with members of ambassador and his
Climate Change, Mr. the Iko Esai community country’s R E D D
Rider, accompanied by to discuss the REDD programme officers. The
Mr. Arikpo Arikpo, Cross carbon credit pilot Chiefs of Iko Esai
River State commissioner project. Iko Esai was expressed t h e i r
of Forestry, in represented by the dedication t o
Iko Esai village Chiefs’ council, CBO conservation and their
and Rhoko chairman, y o u t h excitement a b o u t
camp. president and about 50 participating in the REDD
The delegation other p r o m i n e n t programme.
first visited c o m m u n i t y CERCOPAN is proud to
C E R C O P A N ’ s representatives. be the facilitator for the
forest camp to Mr. Arikpo explained REDD activities in Iko
b e t t e r the goals of the REDD Esai, and pleased to see
understand the project and urged the that the village’s
organisation and its community to continue commitment i s
BenJee with the
activities. working towards forest recognised b y
delegation
The group then preservation. Mr. Rider international a n d
moved to Iko Esai stated he was pleased national delegations.
5. VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 PAGE 5
CBO registration
Since June last year, CBOs filled out registration programmes and trainings
CERCOPAN has been forms, submitted their for their CBO.
working with the constitutions and paid the As a last step, Mr Simon
communities of Owai and registration fee . Mr. Simon then visited the villages of
Agoi Ibami to facilitate spoke to the chairman of Owai and Agoi Obami,
the start‐up of a each CBO about the role of where the CBOs were put
community B a s e d a CBO and asked them through a screening
Organisation (CBO) in various questions about including a c c o u n t i n g
each village. aspects of t h e i r procedures and bank
After several meetings constitution to make sure statements. We are proud to
and w o r k s h o p s , everyone understood the say that Mr
representatives of the purpose and content. Simon was
CBOs came to Calabar to T h e C B O impressed with
start the official representatives also both CBOs, and
registration process. received some advice on the villages
CERCOPAN facilitated the contacts a n d expect t o
a meeting with Mr. Simon opportunities available receive their
of the Ministry of Youths through the Ministry of o f f i c i a l
and Sports to officially Youth and Sports and were r e g i s t r a t i o n
register the CBOs with encouraged to remain forms in early
the government. The active in attracting March.
CBO Inspection
Agoi
Welcome Laetitia!
In early January, Amy Manager. She will be coordinator, and then the
Rose Baxter, the responsible for the smooth new CERCOPAN team in
Sanctuary Manager, left operations and day‐to‐day Calabar will be complete.
after three years working running of the CERCOPAN
for CERCOPAN. She will activities in Calabar.
be missed, but lucky for Laetitia has a degree in
us, she is still very much Agriculture & Environment,
involved with the and research experience in
organisation. the United States and
She has accepted a South Africa. Furthermore,
position on the she has been a volunteer in
CERCOPAN Board of several rehabilitation
Trustees, and continues centres in South Africa and
to support us from her Costa Rica.
base in the UK. We welcome Laetitia to
Laetitia Coret has the CERCOPAN team! We
taken over Amy’s are still awaiting the arrival
position as Sanctuary of our construction Laetitia at CERCOPAN
