Common use of Mbe Mountains Clause in Contracts

Mbe Mountains. Lacking any formal conservation status, traditional ownership of the Mbe forest is claimed by nine surrounding communities. Despite recommendations to the contrary, the Mbe Mountains were excluded from the newly established Cross River National Park in 1991 and subsequent attempts by the federal government to incorporate the land into the park were unsuccessful. The nine communities have formed the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM) and they intend to manage the area both for conservation and to provide benefits to community members. This process has been driven by a USAID-funded project known as SPACE (Sustainable Practices in Agriculture for Critical Environments) supported by a number of NGOs such as WCS and Development in Nigeria. Monitoring of the gorillas by a local NGO, the Primates Preservation Group, and more recently by WCS has resulted in a degree of informal protection for the gorillas. Despite the lack of any formal conservation status, wildlife does appear to be more abundant in the Mbe Mountains compared to nearby protected areas. However, the mountains remain under threat from logging, agricultural encroachment, and hunting. It is hoped that the newly created community conservation area will be able to reduce such pressures whilst maintaining local support, and that Mbe will continue to link Afi Mountain with Cross River National Park and the larger block of gorilla habitat to the east.