Some chiefs and members of the Local Collaborative Management Committees in Mbiako. Photo by Leocadia Bongbe. Used with permission.
In the settlements along Douala-Edea National Park, a first-class park covering over 2,630 hectares (6,498.87 acres) of land and sea in Cameroon, local fishermen living in Mbiako, Yoyo I, and Yoyo II constantly fear “Sapak,” or Chinese trawlers that practice industrial fishing.
In this marine park, illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing remains a major challenge. Industrial fishers use illegal fishing methods, such as illicit chemicals like gamaline 20 and oversized, dense fishing nets, and overexploit protected mangrove ecosystems, undermining conservation efforts.
A fisherman in Mbiako, an island in the Mouanko subdivision of the Sanaga Maritime Division of the Cameroonian coastal region, noted:
The trawlers’ army pursues us with guns at sea; occasionally, they spot us and purposefully destroy and cut our nets with the catch. They shoot if we chase them to retrieve the nets. Three fishermen were shot last year.
Peter Adebanwu, a 23-year-old fisherman from Yoyo I, another fishing community, narrates the same ordeal with the trawlers, and adds:
The trawlers equally take our fishing kit, which they cut and sell in Douala.
Fishermen who must replace their destroyed nets face a significant financial burden. Fumelayo Eneola from Mbiako explains how impoverished the fishermen have become, as they take out loans to buy new fishing kits. Eneola, Mbiako Market women president, said:
Our husbands (fishermen) are entangled in a spiral of debt as they borrow from market women to buy the kits which the trawlers destroy often.
In Mbiako, Patrick Ngoye, a fisherman in his 50s, saw his nets destroyed five times this year alone and remains indebted after replacing the fishing equipment five times.
The last time we were together with my fisherman, we met the most famous Chinese boats that destroyed our net.
The fishing communities have complained to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries authorities through an official they call “Doctor Fish” and at the regional office in Douala, but there has been no solution. Nogoye explains:
When I called the local fishing authorities, they asked for the Global Positioning System (GPS) [data] when I sent them photos. He asks me to provide proof.
An environmental problem is brewing as many Chinese fishing vessels employ nets with small mesh, allowing them to catch small fish, which prevents them from reaching maturity and reproducing. This reduces fish populations, making it difficult for local fishermen to make a living, as noted in a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
According to its IUU legislation, Cameroon's illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) activities forced the European Union (EU) Commission to issue a “red card” in 2023, preventing Cameroonian fisheries products from entering the EU. The EU Commission's official statement noted:
Today's decision is based on the EU's ‘IUU Regulation,’ which ensures that only legally caught fisheries products can access the EU market.
Some members of the Local Collaborative Management Committees in Yoyo. Photo by Leocadia Bongben. Used with permission.
Local Collaborative Management Committees
Initially, communities around protected areas were excluded from management and had no influence on how these areas were administered. However, this is now changing as they are increasingly seen as essential to conservation.
Within Cameroon's Programme for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, South West Region (PSMNR-SWR), the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife produced a guidebook in 2024 titled “Guide to the involvement of local communities in the management of protected areas,” with funding from the German Cooperation. According to the guidelines, local communities must be involved in the planning and decision-making process for protected area management.
Against this backdrop, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) stepped in to support the government in establishing Local Collaborative Management Committees (LCMCs) — committees that give voice to marginalized groups (women, youth, and ethnic minorities) and ensure that their concerns are included in management plans. Officials hope LCMCs can help curb IUU fishing and protect the park, as the committees work to mediate between the community and the government, monitor illegal activities, and lead sustainable development initiatives.
According to Augustine Fayiah, EJF Programme Officer for Liberia, through its global toolkit for participatory fisheries governance, EJF provides technical guidance for practitioners working alongside small-scale fishing communities, empowering them in the fight against IUU fishing. Cameroon is among the 15 countries where participatory fisheries governance is being implemented.
The process of establishing LCMCs started with the creation of training committees, including representatives from the Conservation Service of the Douana-Edea National Park and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries in Mouanko. Representatives from Nigerian, Cameroonian, and Ghanaian communities, youth reps, local chiefs, and women representatives are also included. The committees have been working for nearly two years, with technical support from the EJF and its partner, the Cameroon Wildlife Conservation Society.
Installation of LCMCs in Mbiako and Yoyo
Accessible exclusively by water, Mbiako is a fishing town of approximately 3,000 people, comprising fishermen from Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Benin. It is located along the Sanaga River basin, where it empties into the ocean.
The slogan, “Ajeseku” — a Yoruba word meaning “Eat small and leave some” — thundered through the neatly swept sandy settlements as the fishers and the Malimba people of Mbiako and Yoyo welcomed visitors. Ajeseku is not just a slogan; it reiterates the need for the sustainable management of natural resources.
On August 19, fishers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, and Benin gathered in a church in Mbiako and later in Yoyo I to witness the installation of LCMCs. The 10-person committees include two Cameroonians, two Nigerians, two Ghanaians, two women, chiefs, and youths. They were elected for a five-year mandate that can be renewed once.
The LCMCs mobilize community members, target groups, and Indigenous peoples to draw up and implement management plans; share information on decisions taken by the administration; collect and communicate any grievances around the illegal exploitation of timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs), poaching, or inadequate hunting practices; and maintain and participate in the surveillance of the protected area (PA) boundaries, among other things.
The LCMC president in Mbiako said:
I will collaborate with the government to seek a solution to the trawlers phenomenon. I suggest the army should be removed from the trawlers,
Echoing the views of the three communities. Magmaen Loius Fils, LCMC president for Yoyo, added:
The collaboration should be frank. With the contribution of NGOs and the government, there would be a change, especially regarding the trawler phenomenon.
Besides IUU fishing, mangrove overexploitation is also an issue. His Majesty, Ebenezer Tonga Ngando, Chief of Yoyo II, explained: “Mangrove wood is used to dry fish, and over-harvesting can destroy the ecosystem that serves as a breeding space for fish; if destroyed, there can be no fish,” underscoring the importance of the LCMC in contributing to mangrove conservation.
Mvondo Kenneth, the conservator of Douala-Edea National Park, claims that the conservation services alone are not enough to safeguard the park, and community and government buy-in will be essential.
He hailed the establishment of the LCMC, which aligns with government policy.
The newly installed committee has the total support of the conservation officer to guarantee sustainable forest and sea management. To conserve and manage resources effectively, the committee will be at the forefront of conservation services.
The local government authority, Roland Ngah Koa, the Divisional Officer for Mouanko, cautioned the committee members to collaborate with local authorities to manage resources.
This committee is not a decision-making body, he warns, adding, Authorities are aware of the Chinese trawlers and would take appropriate measures.
