Only small pockets of forest habitat exist in the nations of and for the world鈥檚 rarest . The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee鈥檚 numbers are low and its threats are high. Until now, its prospects were slim.

Government officials, WCS conservationists, and scientists from 17 organizations have come together to give this chimp a better chance. What鈥檚 it going to take? A region-wide plan for enhanced collaboration and law enforcement along the border area, increased recruitment and training for wildlife rangers, more conservation research, and improved partnerships with and sustainable livelihood opportunities for local people.

鈥淭his plan is a roadmap to the future of the critically endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee,鈥� said James Deutsch, Director of WCS Africa Programs. 鈥淲e commend the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon for their leadership in pledging to save this living example of their natural heritage.鈥�

Numbers for the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee in the wild fall somewhere between 3,500 and 9,000. With such a few-and-far-between existence, it鈥檚 little wonder the chimp was just recently identified as its own subspecies in 1997. The primates also face heavy hunting and tend to flee when they encounter humans. The $14.6 million strategy to ensure its future could protect more than 95 percent of the remaining individuals over the next five years. 聽

The chimps鈥� neighbors will benefit, too. Other emblematic wildlife in the area include critically-endangered, drills, Preuss鈥檚 monkeys and Preuss鈥檚 red colobus.

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