Reasearch and selection of sites suitable for the transplantation of Podostemaceae in the Mpem and Djim National Park (PNMPD)

Reasearch and selection of sites suitable for the transplantation of Podostemaceae in the Mpem and Djim National Park (PNMPD)

By Nanga Charnelle Prudence

As part of the implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan for the construction project of the Nachtigal Hydroelectric dam, the Mpem and Djim National Park (PNMpD) was chosen for the transplantation of priority species at risk identified on the site of said project. The reasons for this choice are firstly the fact that these two rivers belong to the Sanaga watershed, then the protection of the portions of the river included in the PNMpD protected area protects them from human activities, which could guarantee the sustainability of the transplanted species.

It is in view of the above that a mission was carried out by the Green Connexion teams in the PNMpD from March 02 to 16, 2022, i.e. 6 days on the Mpem and 8 days on the Djim. The objective of the said mission was to inventory the populations of Podostemaceae in the Mpem and Djim rivers of the park, and to select potential compensation and translocation sites.

The inventory was done in an itinerant way, that is to say that the rivers were skirted from downstream to upstream, and all the falls and/or rapids encountered were noted and carefully inventoried.

A total of forty-three (43) sites were prospected, namely nineteen (19) on the Mpem and twenty-four (24) on the Djim. Thirteen (13) species of Podostemaceae have been identified in the two rivers.

Of the forty-three (43) sites surveyed, thirty (30) were defined as compensation sites and thirteen (13) as translocation sites.

Of the nineteen (19) sites prospected in the Mpem, six (06) were defined as compensation sites and thirteen (13) as translocation sites. In the Djim River, out of the twenty-four (24) sites identified, all have been defined as compensation sites.

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