CONSERVATION THREATS
s a developing nation, Cameroon suffers from many
of the ill effects of uncontrolled growth, including deforestation,
rapid urbanization, and destruction of habitat. Indiscriminate
felling of both lowland and montane forests is a serious problem.
There is constant pressure on the environment to produce food
and resources for a growing population. By the year 2010, Cameroon's
cities will have 13 million people, compared with 5 million today.
The burning of savannahs to make way for agriculture is common
in Cameroon today, and desertification is affecting much of the
land, especially in the north.
Poaching is a regular menace, with the elephant,
black rhino and crocodile populations being prime targets. Birds
are hunted too, but the most serious danger is from habitat destruction
threatening the 14 endangered species found in Cameroon, including
the endemic Mount Kupe bush shrike (Malaconotus hupeensis)
which was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1989.
The country's diverse marine and coastal ecosystems, which are
home to one of the largest populations of manatees in the world,
remain virtually unprotected.
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