researcher and conservationist specialising in the African manatee talks to tourists and other biologists on a boat in Dizangue Cameroon: Ever since his first hard-won sightings of African manatees award-winning marine biologist Aristide Takoukam Kamla has been devoted to protecting the little known and at risk aquatic mammals African manatees are found in fresh water along the coast of western Africa such as in Cameroon's vast Lake Ossa where the researcher first saw them more than 10 years ago But they are shy creatures -- spotting them requires setting out before dawn when the lake is glassy and tranquil all the better for following the trails of bubbles and catching two big nostrils taking a quick breath "I was expecting to see them like on YouTube: in clear water a completely surreal idea" stemming from publications on manatees in Florida are very different and the then University of Dschang apprentice researcher had to row for a long time before being rewarded Takoukam Kamla has now learnt how to spot African manatees more easily within the darkened depths of the 4,500-hectare (11,000-acre) Lake Ossa part of a sprawling wildlife reserve in southwestern Cameroon the subject of his doctorate at the University of Florida -- and the reason he won this year's prestigious Whitley Award that recognises groundbreaking biodiversity work by grassroots conservationists A statue of a manetee stand at a roudabout in the town of Dizangue American scientist Sarah Farinelli was moved to tears after seeing five African manatees There are certain places in Africa where it's impossible to see them," said Farinelli who is in her 30s and studies the marine mammals in Nigeria Much still eludes researchers about the Trichechus senegalensis -- how many are in Cameroon; how long do they live; when and where do they migrate African manatees are found between Mauritania and Angola but "it's a very little studied species the large marine herbivore is listed as "vulnerable" on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Fishermen bring their pirogues to the shores of Lake Ossa to sell their fish But the Cameroonian scientist thinks that is "an under-estimation of the real status of this species which is subject to poaching" and whose habitat is "constantly in danger" Takoukam Kamla set up the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organisation which has five laboratories including in the lakeside fishing village of Dizangue the animal's sole predators are human -- only a few years ago manatees were still being served up in the village restaurant Manatee hunting is now outlawed and the dish has vanished from menus A blue statue of a manatee has even been erected in their honour points to a palm oil refinery whose waste is dumped into the water Another threat is the positioning of a net across the lake to maximise catches as it could "trap a small manatee in its mesh" getting into a heated discussion with a fisherman in his dug-out canoe we live off this and we have never had to suffer prohibitions at home," the old man grumbled bitterly Relations between the scientists and the local communities whose fishing traditions have been passed down the generations are tricky But an environmental threat that struck three years ago brought their two worlds together Half of the lake's surface became covered by the invasive giant salvinia -- Salvinia molesta -- a free-floating plant that has made the lake uninhabitable for both fish and manatees head of freshwater habitats and researcher at the University of Douala looks for weevils in a clump of salvinia on Lake Ossa scientists used a microscopic insect that feeds exclusively on salvinia and called on the fishermen to help "They used to take the salvinia infested with weevils and put a bit everywhere in the lake," AMMCO researcher Thierry Aviti said the menacing plant has all but disappeared we couldn't cope anymore" but promises were kept marked by the memories of long nights with no fish poses for a portrait while sitting on his boat The bridges built with the fishermen is something Takoukam Kamla is keen to maintain to avoid "parachute science" a term referring to scientists dropping into local communities from their academic ivory towers to undertake field work he wants to develop the area's eco-tourism curator of the nearby Douala-Edea National Park who said "all stakeholders are allies for conservation" (Business in Cameroon) - Zuidaf sarl/Fredex group is on the verge of losing a CFA4.5 billion contract due to significant delays and failures in paving a 14 km stretch from Edéa (Inter N3) to Dizangue Centre This route is the initial phase of the 50.1 km Edéa-Dizangue-Mouanko road project in the Littoral region was detailed in a service note titled "Notice of Failure," signed on March 22 by the Minister of Public Works and released on April 15 by the ministry's communication unit The failures include delays in project execution and several non-compliances by the consortium the "non-fulfillment of terms from the service order dated October 23 which served as a formal notice and was assessed as unsatisfactory on February 28 2024." Such failures justify the termination of the contract as per Article 45 of the agreement the Ministry of Public Works (Mintp) stated the contract granted the Zuidaf sarl/Fredex group 12 months to complete the works With the issuance of the "Notice of Failure," steps to terminate the contract have now been initiated Kribi Bitumen Plant Set to Start Construction in 2025 with Government Backing CEMAC Bond Market Hits CFA 8.45 Trillion in March 2025, Interest Rates Drop Cameroon’s Timber Output Projected to Rise in 2025 Despite Higher Export Taxes Central Africa Stock Exchange Sees 98% Drop in Trading Value in Q1 2025 Every week the economy and investment news from Cameroon Mboa Paris Trains 30 Young Cameroonians to Boost Tech and Entrepreneurship Cameroon Audit Targets Former Officials for Mismanagement in Agricultural Project Camwater Seeks Global Bids to Launch Bottled Water Lines in Five Cities Bafoussam Workshop Highlights Benefits of Cameroon-EU Trade Agreement Cameroon Could Reach 350,100 Tons of Cotton in 2025 (Beac) Paul Biya Appoints Johnny Razack as Chair of Cameroon’s National Investment Company Cameroon Refuses Work Visa Renewal for Casino and Super U Boss Over Toxic Workplace Claims Cameroon Joins Global Charter to Fight Illegal Fishing the Ministry of State’s Property and Land Tenure recently granted an additional 2,000 hectares of land to Société Africaine forestière et Agricole du Cameroun (Safacam) subsidiary of Luxembourg-based Société financière des caoutchoucs (Socfin) that was formerly listed on Douala stock exchange these additional lands will be used to expand oil palm and rubber plantations in Dizangué district about XAF3.5 billion will be invested in these plantation extension projects including nearly XAF2 billion in the rubber branch the 400 hectares will be used to extend oil palm plantations and significantly boost the production of nuts Safacam's managers indicate that these expansion projects will generate around 300 additional jobs in this agro-industrial unit which ended 2018 with a net result of XAF571 million down nearly 50% from the XAF1.8 billion it earned in 2017 this performance picked up again in Q1 2019 since the company ended the first three months of 2019 with a net result of XAF1.36 billion which is 27% increase compared with the XAF1.07 billion achieved during the same period in 2018