Spread over Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon, TRIDOM gets its name from the initials of Dja,Odzala and Minkébé - three famous protected areas, each in a different country. The huge TRIDOM forest covers 178,000 km², or 10% of the whole Congo Basin rainforest. The area is a haven for large mammals: it shelters up to 25,000 elephants and 40,000 gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as a host of other species, including buffaloes, giant forest hogs, sitatunga, pythons, and monkeys.
WWF has been working for years to conserve this area. Camera traps have been installed in remote parts of TRIDOM to gather critical information about its rich biodiversity.
Caught on camera
Almost 97% of TRIDOM is forested. Eleven protected areas cover 24% of the landscape and are some of the most pristine natural sites remaining anywhere in the Congo Basin.
Nki Falls, in Nki National Park, on the Dja River
Elephant poaching and ivory trafficking are rife in TRIDOM, with cross-border networks operational here. Bushmeat trade, mining, large scale infrastructure development and agri-industrial plantations also pose big threats to conservation.
WWF works closely together with the governments and ministries of the three countries, as well as many other partners, to conserve this critical region of the Congo Basin.
1. Curtail the ongoing poaching crisis by improving the effectiveness of patrols, ensuring full prosecution of wildlife criminals, systematic species monitoring, widespread communication and local society engagement.
2. Ensure effective conservation in focal Protected Areas, and drive the creation of 6,000 km² of new Protected Areas.
3. Promote sustainable development to help local communities benefit from conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, and dissuade them from poaching and commercial bushmeat hunting.
4. Push to ensure that logging and carbon concessions covering 30,000 km² provide effective protection for (managed) natural forests and wildlife.
5. Steer mining and infrastructure projects to apply a “no-net loss or net gain of biodiversity” policy.
