Saving the Endangered goliath frog in Cameroon

Fogwan Nguedia Cedrick

The goliath frog is an endemic species found along the fast flowing rivers in secondary forests and farmlands of southwest of Cameroon. It is listed as Endangered according to IUCN and under the Protected category in local law. Based on our exploratory study conducted in the Nlonako Reserve in 2020, we noticed that the animal is highly poached. We found 19 hunters and 8 traders of goliath frogs who revealed that they hunt the goliath frog for home consumption and for sale in order to generate income. In addition, they are not aware of the status of the animal as Endangered. Despite the urgent need to mitigate poaching in this region - known as the hotspot of the goliath frog - knowledge is still insufficient to establish a strong management plan. The project aims to improve the conservation status of goliath frogs through participatory research and monitoring, outreach, and livelihood diversification. Interviews will be conducted to gather more information. Local people will participate in monitoring as citizen scientists reporting information through iNaturalist. Field surveys will be conducted in sites where goliath frogs have previously been reported. Outreach will be conducted in schools, with elders through focus groups, and snail farming will be initiated to diversify local people's livelihoods. This project will provide baseline information for setting up a management plan to make a long-term impact.