Yaoundé, Centre, Cameroon
Dr. Roger Fotso was born and raised in rural Cameroon and became passionate about nature at an early age. He obtained a Ph.D. in zoology from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium in 1994. His first conservation work was interning on the Kilum Ijim Montane Forest project by BirdLife International in 1990-91. He worked with local communities to protect the Oku Forest in western Cameroon, one of the last remaining patches of montane forest in western central. He then joined the European Union’s Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa (ECOFAC) program, serving for two years as director of research for the Dja Wildlife Reserve in southern Cameroon. From 1995 to 1998, he led a biodiversity priority-setting exercise for Cameroon using birds as indicator species. The project identified Cameroon’s Important Bird Areas and served as a basis for the Cameroon National Biodiversity Action Plan. Fotso has been the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Cameroon country program since 1998, building it into arguably the most effective conservation program in the country. Fotso has been involved in many successful conservation initiatives, including a project with the World Bank, the Cameroonian government and the country’s national railway to halt the illegal rail transport of bushmeat, which has decreased the volume of bushmeat transported by train by nearly 70 percent. Other initiatives include the creation of five protected areas — three national parks (Mbam Djerem, Takamanda and Deng Deng) and two wildlife sanctuaries (Banyang Mbo and Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary). Since 2015 WCS has expended its area of intervention to include Bouba Bouba Ndjidda National Park and the Benoue national park in northern Cameroon. Under Fotso, WCS has been involved in managing and protecting these parks through support for law enforcement, research and monitoring, preparation of management plans and engagement with surrounding communities. Under Fotso’s leadership, WCS Cameroon has also engaged effectively with companies such as Exxon Mobil, CAMRAIL and Electricity Development Corporation Cameroon to mitigate negative environmental impacts of infrastructure development and find win-win solutions for people and nature. Additionally, Fotso has helped a new generation of Cameroonian conservationists through graduate opportunities and scholarships. Roger Corneille FOTSO E-mail: [email protected]