Biodiversity in Cameroon: Gov’t urged to respect interests of local communities
Ebo forest is a key biodiversity hotspot with many threatened species of plants and animals living in it.
The biodiversity of the Ebo forest is said to be at high risk because of the enormous threat by poachers and other wildlife traffickers who constitute more that 60% of the population of the communities of Ndobong and Ebo.
The availability of a ready market for these endangered species in Douala coupled with ineffective law enforcement has created favorable conditions for poachers and wildlife traffickers to operate with impunity.
The Green Development Advocates, GDA, have therefore urged the government to create territories and areas conserved by indigenous people and local communities to protect these species.
This was made known during a press conference which took place in Yaounde on July 11, 2023.
The Project Manager of GDA, Jean Henri Tsogo Awona, stated that; “There are many alternatives in forest exploitation. We can permit the local communities to create their forests which can be renewed after 25 years. If the community manages this space traditionally, they can be able to have the development needed.”
“In these forests, there are biodiversity potentials that we do not see anywhere in the world, more that 40 communities are using these forests. These forests help in providing food security and the protection of these communities. The problem that we face now is that today, with the exploitation of these forests in Cameroon, there is no development in these local areas,” he further explained.
GDA is therefore recommending for the government to withdraw the classification decree of No 2023/01630/PM of April 27, 2023; which classified 68,385 hectares as a Forest Management Unit, FMU, 07006 as a private state property located in the Nkam and Sanaga Maritime division in the Littoral Region of Cameroon.
They have expressed their deep concern on the consequences that this decree will have on biodiversity, climate change and community resilience.
