Sangha Trinational Landscape
The Sangha trinational is most active in areas such as anti-poaching, monitoring and ecotourism development. Regular binational and trinational anti-poaching patrols are conducted both along the Sangha river and inside all three of the national parks, focusing on those areas which are most vulnerable to cross-border incursions. A binational ecotourism circuit has been established between the Congo and CAR sectors of the Sangha trinational, and several groups of tourists are planned in 2006. It is hoped that this circuit will soon be completed with the addition of activities on the Cameroonian side of the border.
National governments and conservation NGOs from the three trinational countries first began working together to conserve biodiversity in the Sangha Trinational in the late 1980s. However, the Sangha Trinational was not officially created until December 2000 when an agreement was signed by the Ministers responsible for protected areas in Cameroon, Central African Republic and Congo. This cooperative agreement reflected the commitment of the three countries to collaborate in the management of the zone, and established the trinational management structures necessary to coordinate activities across the three countries.
The Comité Tri-National de Planification et d’Exécution (CTPE) has been the most active committee with meetings twice each year. It has the primary responsibility of reviewing all relevant trinational activities and problems, as well as planning for future joint activities.