When you think of Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon who has held power since 1982, making him Africa’s longest-serving current head of state. Also known as Cameroon's Iron President, he has overseen major shifts in land use, wildlife protection, and rural development across Central Africa. His rule didn’t just change politics—it changed how wild animals live, where they’re protected, and who gets to profit from them.
Under Biya’s leadership, Cameroon, a country with some of Africa’s most diverse ecosystems, from rainforests to savannas and the Sahel became a hub for private game farms and controlled hunting concessions. These weren’t just tourist traps—they became economic engines for remote regions, funded by foreign hunters and conservation NGOs. The government licensed hundreds of hunting zones, often in areas where communities had no legal claim to the land. This created a strange mix: wildlife was protected because it had value, but local people were often pushed out. Meanwhile, game farms, private lands bred for trophy hunting, ecotourism, or species breeding grew in number, especially near the borders with Nigeria and Gabon, where enforcement was weak and demand for exotic game was high.
Biya’s regime didn’t ignore conservation—it just tied it tightly to control. The state kept tight oversight of national parks like Waza and Bouba Njida, but allowed private operators to run large tracts under state contracts. This meant elephants, lions, and even rare species like the African forest elephant survived in numbers that surprised outsiders. But it also meant corruption flourished. Permits were handed to allies. Foreign operators paid bribes. And when activists spoke up, they disappeared from public view. The result? Wildlife numbers stayed stable in some places, but trust in the system collapsed in others.
Today, Cameroon’s game farms still operate under laws shaped during Biya’s early decades in power. Newer conservation models—community-based, wildlife corridors, anti-poaching drones—are slowly emerging, but they’re still fighting against a system built for control, not collaboration. If you’re reading about African game farms and wondering how some areas have managed to protect animals while others have lost them, the answer often leads back to one man and the rules he put in place over four decades.
Below, you’ll find posts that connect Paul Biya’s political legacy to the real-world outcomes on the ground—how his decisions shaped hunting zones, influenced conservation funding, and even affected how safari operators see Cameroon today. These aren’t just political stories. They’re about elephants, rhinos, and the people trying to keep them alive in a system that never quite let go.
Paul Biya won Cameroon's 2025 presidential election with 54% of the vote, extending his 43-year rule. Despite legal challenges over his age and health, he remains Africa's second-longest-serving leader amid low turnout and opposition claims of fraud.
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