Group photo of first BSB Yamoussa session in Yaounde
By Ngalame Elias
The first session of the regional platform of the BSB Yamoussa complex has held in Yaounde, May 21-23, 2025.
Experts from Cameroon and Chad gathered at Toung’gou Hotel in Yaounde for three days to discuss innovative approaches for preserving this crucial ecosystem, which is vital for biodiversity conservation in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Central and West Africa.
According to the experts, the session examined ways and means to improve governance and management of the platform,strengthening the contribution of national institutions to the management of the transboundary binational ecosystem complex of Sena Oura/Bouba Ndjidda, involving Cameroon and Chad.
“There is need for the implementation of the project’s activities in this ecosystem. This involves reviewing the documents and recommendations for better management of the Sena Oura/Bouba Ndjidda transboundary binational ecosystem complex,” the representative of the Minister of the economy, Plannning and regional development, MINEPAT said.
Workshop Session
Insight into the BSB Yamoussa Complex
The BSB Yamoussa Complex comprises the Bouba Ndjida National Park (PNBN) in Cameroon and the Sena Oura National Park (PNSO) in Chad.
It is of great importance for biodiversity conservation in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Central and West Africa.
This protected area complex is one of the last refuges in the region for many wildlife species, many of which are threatened with extinction. The main large wildlife species found here include elephants, lions, buffaloes, giraffes, Derby elands, and other large antelopes.
Pressure on the parks is continuously increasing due to ongoing population growth, which has a devastating and ever-growing effect on land use by pastoralism and agriculture, illegal gold mining, regional conflicts, and the advanced degradation of peripheral areas in Cameroon. Additionally, insufficient coordination on transhumance and the exponential increase in organized elephant poaching on an international scale are exacerbating the situation.
The transboundary protected area complex known as the Binational Sena Oura – Bouba Ndjida (BSB Yamoussa) is composed of the Sena Oura National Park in Chad, the Bouba Ndjida National Park in Cameroon, and surrounding areas (hunting zones around the Bouba Ndjida park, transition area around the Sena Oura National Park) and covers a total area of 650,000 hectares.