Sean Penyit Gansey
Lake Oku, a small volcanic crater lake nestled within the Kilum–Ijim montane forest of Cameroon's Northwest Region, is one of the most biologically significant freshwater ecosystems on Earth. It is the sole habitat of the critically endangered Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes), an amphibian found nowhere else in the world and listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The survival of this unique species depends entirely on the ecological health of a single lake, making its protection an urgent global conservation priority.
This 12-month project (June 2026–June 2027) aims to safeguard Xenopus longipes and its habitat through a community-led conservation model that places local residents at the heart of protection efforts. Increasing population pressure, agricultural encroachment, livestock grazing on the shoreline, and declining soil fertility have intensified stress on the lake ecosystem in recent years. Environmental changes including increased water turbidity, loss of shoreline vegetation, and unexplained frog mortality events indicate deteriorating habitat quality. Despite the species' global importance, consistent ecological data on habitat condition and water quality trends remain scarce.
The project will address these gaps through four integrated approaches:
First, water quality will be monitored twice monthly at 5–8 fixed points around the lake, tracking temperature, pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen parameters critical to frog egg survival and larval development.
Second, habitat assessments will map shoreline conditions, vegetation cover, erosion intensity, and human disturbance, identifying priority breeding and conservation zones for Xenopus longipes.
Third, community members will be actively engaged as conservation stewards: 20–30 residents will be trained as local conservation monitors, equipped with GPS devices, water testing kits, and field notebooks to support long-term independent monitoring. Buffer zones will be demarcated, native vegetation planted along degraded margins, and low-impact barriers installed to restrict livestock access.
Fourth, the project will conduct at least five community awareness events reaching over 200 people, including school conservation talks and the distribution of information materials in local languages. All findings will be compiled into a baseline habitat and threat assessment report, shared with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), the Oku Traditional Council, and local NGOs. A scientific paper on the community monitoring model will also be drafted for open-access publication. This project aims to ensure the long-term survival of Xenopus longipes while strengthening local livelihoods and community ownership of lake conservation.