A Cameroon forest project includes Waza Park on 27 October

Waza Park (Parc national de Waza), in Waza, Cameroon, was included in the SPEFOCE forest project approved on 27 October 2026. The initiative is intended to update protected-area management planning while linking conservation with climate adaptation and local land-use decisions.

The announcement gives travellers a new reason to follow conservation developments in Cameroon's Far North, although it does not announce a visitor festival, special opening or immediate change to park access.

SPEFOCE brings a new forest plan to Waza on 27 October

The Green Climate Fund approved Securing Permanent Forests to Combat Climate Change and Enhance Sustainable National and Local Economies, known as SPEFOCE, at its 46th board meeting. The project covers Waza, Dja-Lobéké and Bakossi-Bamboutos, three landscapes representing different ecological zones in Cameroon.

The project has total financing of US$46 million, including US$29.7 million in Green Climate Fund grants. The IUCN announcement of the approval says the work will run for seven years and be carried out by Cameroon's Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife with the IUCN Cameroon Country Office.

For Waza, the most direct consequence is a planned update of the park's protected-area management plan. The IUCN says the existing plan has expired. The planned work will use IUCN guidance, participatory land-use planning and climate considerations to shape future management.

A 1934 reserve faces a new management-planning phase

The park forms part of the wider Waza Biosphere Reserve in the Chad depression in the extreme north of Cameroon. The UNESCO profile of Waza records the reserve as nominated in 1979 and describes a semi-arid landscape with seasonal floodplains and no permanent rivers.

UNESCO says Waza National Park was founded in 1934. Its setting includes the Yaéré floodplains, whose perennial grasses support the wider region, while the reserve contains savannah, woodland and wetland habitats. This combination explains why a management-plan update connects dryland conservation with water, land use and neighbouring communities.

Wildlife recorded by UNESCO includes giraffes, elephants, aardvarks and warthogs. The reserve also supports spotted hyenas, leopards, more than 300 bird species and threatened animals such as korrigum, pale foxes and Kordofan giraffes.

What the Cameroon project means for the wider landscape

SPEFOCE aims to place 50,000 hectares under sustainable management and restore another 10,008 hectares through agroforestry, reforestation and natural regeneration. The project also includes support for Cameroon's REDD+ systems and the development of value chains for non-timber forest products.

The stated approach places Waza within a broader conservation programme rather than treating the park as an isolated safari destination. It combines management planning with community participation, an important distinction for a reserve whose buffer zone includes villages and whose surrounding livelihoods include agriculture, fishing and animal husbandry.

Visiting Waza Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The relevant news date is 27 October 2026, when the Green Climate Fund approved SPEFOCE for the Waza landscape. The announcement concerns conservation planning rather than a visitor event.
• The planned update concerns the protected-area management plan. The announcement does not set a new entrance, special opening or temporary closure for visitors.
• Waza Park is in Cameroon's extreme north, in the Chad depression near Waza village and the Yaéré floodplains.
• The reserve has a semi-arid climate, seasonal wetlands and savannah habitats. Wildlife includes elephants, giraffes, warthogs and more than 300 bird species.

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Frequently asked questions about Waza Park

What is the SPEFOCE project at Waza Park?

SPEFOCE is a Cameroon forest-management and climate-adaptation project approved on 27 October 2026. It includes an update of the park's protected-area management plan.

Where is Waza Park and how do you get there?

It is in Cameroon's extreme north, in the Chad depression near Waza village. The UNESCO reserve lies around seasonal Yaéré floodplains and savannah habitats.

What is Waza Park known for?

The park was founded in 1934 and lies within a biosphere reserve nominated in 1979. Its wildlife includes elephants, giraffes, warthogs, hyenas and more than 300 bird species.