Forest Guardians and CRNP Rangers Protect Oban from Wildfires

| By Adora Onyile

©SMACON

Following the pre-patrol training in Erokut, Cross River State, in collaboration with the Cross River National Park (CRNP), Rangers of the Cross River National Park and Forest Guardians across five communities in Oban began their Wildfire Program a few months ago.

Forest Guardians and Rangers start the day with morning drills to prepare for the physical demands of patrolling the Oban landscape

Participants learned to use GPS devices to collect accurate coordinates, building the spatial data that will guide and track the program's success over time. Forest Guardians learned safe farm fire management techniques and were provided with protective gear, including helmets, boots, water pumps, reflective vests, and machetes for creating firebreaks.

Newly recruited Forest Guardians learning to use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) during the pre-patrol training

The Oban landscape is massive, covering approximately 400,000 hectares. It supports endangered species such as the African forest elephant, chimpanzee, drill monkey, and holds the largest (estimated) population of the Endangered Short-tailed Roundleaf bat in a protected area in the country. Protecting an area of this size requires data to guide efforts where they are most needed. Two months of successful patrols show that SMACON's Wildfire Prevention Model is successfully translating from Afi to Oban.

Like Afi, wildfires also destroy farms and pose a serious threat to these species by destroying forest homes and food sources. While fires are traditionally used to clear farmlands for the planting season, they frequently escape control and spread into the surrounding forest. Yet these communities have limited access to training, equipment, and coordinated wildfire response systems to prevent and respond to fire incidents. The goal is to eliminate the uncertainty of wildfire outbreaks by equipping farmers with the knowledge to plan their fire use during the dry season, thereby protecting their annual investments. Additionally, community-led Forest Guardians are trained to spring into action to stop farm fires before they spread into the forest, while park rangers provide supervisory support and keep track of the program’s data within the protected area.

Our focus is now on engaging more communities, continuing patrols in the area, and successfully translating our wildfire management model to keep this landscape free from fires.

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Conservator of Parks, Cross River National Park, Joseph Assam Ntui (fifth from left), DCP Rebecca Ikpeme, Oban Biosphere Reserve (third from right), SMACON staff, and some of the newly trained Forest Guardians.