Deng Deng National Park, national park in Cameroon
Deng Deng National Park is a large forest reserve in eastern Cameroon with dense tropical rainforest, flat terrain and rounded hills. The park covers about 523 square kilometers and is home to more than 40 large mammal species, including over 300 western lowland gorillas and 600 chimpanzees, plus rare species like hippopotamuses, swamp otters, and giant pangolins.
The Deng Deng forest was protected in 1971 and later established as a national park in 2010 to preserve endangered wildlife. Since 2009 WCS Cameroon has partnered with the national Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, along with French technical support, to safeguard the forest from poaching and illegal logging.
The park is shaped by several ethnic groups including the Badjoué, Boulou, Fang, and Nzimé peoples, as well as semi-nomadic Kakas and Baka pygmies whose cultures have traditionally been tied to the forest. Local communities continue to rely on hunting, fishing, and gathering plants as part of their everyday life and connection to the land.
Visitors should prepare for dense and wet conditions, as the forest floor is soft and muddy requiring slow, careful walks through the terrain. The area is remote and stays are in basic tent camps without electricity or running water, so good physical fitness and readiness for basic conditions are essential.
The park harbors the world's northernmost known population of western lowland gorillas, which would face serious inbreeding risks if isolated from southern populations. This unique population underscores the critical importance of keeping forest corridors to other protected areas intact to ensure the survival of these remarkable primates.
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