Previous Projects

Community Forestry Support Programme

Project Background
Forests are an important economic resource within Cameroon. Increasing exploitation has resulted in greater conflict over its use. This has the greatest impact at a village level on those groups (often the poorest) that depend on forest products for their livelihoods. Many groups in Cameroon now recognise the need for sustainable management of the forests involving local people.

Project Objectives
Living Earth built the capacity of local groups through training to produce environmental education materials and delivered environmental education in schools. The programme obtained funding from the EU for a three-year project, 1999-2002.

Through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MINEF), Living Earth set out to promote sustainable forest management in three provinces, the Littoral, South and South West, using an innovative environmental education approach that is community driven. Living Earth worked within the context of the forestry law at three levels; to strengthen the capacity of community groups to manage their forests sustainably, to strengthen the institutional capacity of NGOs and to build capacity at government level to support and advocate community forestry. The project has fostered a high level of interest in community forestry on the part of the government and local population and numerous requests have been received for information. 

Project Activities and Outcomes
Community level
Using participatory techniques, Living Earth worked with the various groups in communities to stimulate debate about their forest resources. This resulted in the production, dissemination and training of innovative, community-based environmental education resources (including community radio, drama, posters, booklets etc.) in partnership with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to promote a better understanding of community forestry issues.

The programme developed pilot community forestry initiatives, in up to 3 targeted communities, and explored the potential for a micro-credit scheme to facilitate the initiatives. The programme also provided technical support and training to targeted communities to enable them to implement sustainable forest management projects in partnership with local NGOs and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF).

In the first year of the project, baseline research was conducted and pilot areas identified. Eight communities in the three provinces were given extensive information and lessons learnt from other similar projects. Finally, three communities (Tinto in South West province, Mbango in South province and Nkokom in Littoral province) were earmarked for active facilitation in sustainable forest management and community forestry. Three sets of education materials have been produced for local communities and other collaborating stakeholders and four local radio stations have been identified and collaborative working agreements negotiated.

NGO level
Living Earth held training workshops and produced resources to strengthen NGOs and local forestry networks, to support community forestry projects. In the first year, 4 training workshops were held.

Government level
The programme worked with MINEF at the national, provincial and divisional level to engage them in the community projects. Through the production of working papers, the programme disseminated lessons learnt from the implementation of these projects to MINEF and NGOs to inform government forest policy. A memorandum of understanding was signed with MINEF MINEF, the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) and the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) have attended workshops and meetings to receive training, and to build up their understanding of the concept of community forestry so that they can actively promote the process under the leadership of local communities.

For more information on this project contact;
Dr Nouhou Ndam - Programme Coordinator, Living Earth Cameroon