Deforestation in Cameroon
It rained all day and all night, and the forest flooded. When we arrived, it was easy to wade across the river, but now the fast currents made it impassable. The waterfall was now raging brown with the sediments and muds, and I would no longer dare to swim there. But we are absolutely ready to leave. We had packed up all the tents and gear, and hiked to the river to make our crossing and return to civilization. What to do? A helicopter to rescue us? Not likely. Or sleep in the forest until the river goes down? But that could take days, or weeks, and we had no more food. We talk about the options, and luckily our cook knows this forest well. He lives in the nearest village and grew up here. He hikes around looking for possible spots to make the crossing. After some time, he returns with news that he has found a spot where a single huge tree has fallen across the river. It is overgrown and he has to cut back the sprouting twigs and vines and make this slippery “bridge” crossable. It is not only the people, but also all the equipment, including tents, and scientific supplies for 13 people for 3 weeks. After some time, we dare the crossing, crawling like armadillos with our backpacks over this massive log. We shout with joy once we make it to the other side.
It is the science that drives us. The destruction of the forest in this part of Cameroon is unparalleled. We were all shaken when we saw the clear-cutting before our eyes. Just a few kilometers from where we were trapped by the river, the forest is entirely gone. It’s happening quickly. The road to this region has been paved now, so they can take out the trees faster than ever. We are studying how large-scale deforestation affects disease transmission. What happens to the mosquitoes, and the birds, and their diseases? Will another disease emerge from the rainforest, as did Ebola, or HIV? How do patterns of malaria change? Will the destruction facilitate the spread of the dangerous mosquitoes that feed on humans? This dedicated group of students is truly remarkable. They will study these questions, and become the next generation of Cameroonian scientists in the process. They have collected blood samples from hundreds of rainforest birds, and identified thousands of mosquitoes for the project. When I initiated this work three years ago, I would never have imagined that 5 PhD students and numerous Masters students from three Cameroonian universities would dedicate the most precious parts of their lives to the project and become experts in the field.
This pristine forest is beautiful. Swimming and bathing in the river near the waterfall (before the storms) was the highlight of each day. Listening to the insects and watching the numerous colorful butterflies. Hearing the birds, and finding many of the exact individuals that we tested last year; like old friends coming back for a visit. The rains and deafening thunder entertained me while I was safe and relatively dry in my tent. But it will all be gone soon. And at the same time the wildlife populations are being decimated. The people in the village of Manyemen are certainly eating a lot of bushmeat. You know something is wrong with the economy when a chicken costs nearly $10, and a monkey just a few dollars more at $13. Yes, they eat monkeys, and bush pigs and porcupines are a tasty snack for the people in large buses that stop here for lunch.
From the laboratory in Buea, we go through all the samples and draft some scientific papers for publication. The Southwest Region of Cameroon, which the separatist movement calls Ambazonia, is under major upheaval these days. Recently, for 93 days, the internet was shut off, for political reasons. The central government retaliated with harsh measures against the people demanding more rights and autonomy for the region. That meant no email, no Facebook, no web, nothing, for 3 months! It brought the English-speaking parts of Cameroon to a standstill. They still go on strike every Monday. Even now, there is no reliable internet at the university. This morning I said to myself, well at least there is electricity. But now that is out too. It is nearly impossible to do scientific research these days without a reliable internet connection. All the databases and literature are online. But the students and professors carry on, and just shrug it off, because it is so normal to lack the basics here. The inequalities in this world are too apparent these days. The injustices are not sustainable and will have to change. While it is easy for people in wealthy nations to close our eyes to the social unrest in so many parts of Africa, what we need to understand is that the exploitation of the rainforests can lead to the emergence of dangerous new human pathogens that could affect us all.