Sustainable Landscape Conservation : Bana, Bangante, Bangou Stakeholders Consider Option

A workshop organized by Rainforest Alliance Cameroon to present the findings of a study on the conservation and sustainable management options for the Bana-Bangante-Bangou Mountain Landscape held in Bangou in Upper Nkam Division of West Region on July 7, 2023. 

COBALAM Project
The conservation option to be eventually selected by stakeholders will be factored into the project, “Removing Barriers to Biodiversity Conservation, Land Restoration and Sustainable Forest Management through Community-based Landscape Management, COBALAM.” It is funded by the Global Environment Facility.. 
COBALAM covers the council areas of Bana in Upper Nkam Division; Bangou in Upper Plateau Division, and Bangante in Nde Division - all in the West Region. And also council areas in Mifi, Bamboutos and Menoua Divisions in the West Region; and Mezam Division in the North West Region.

With Partners, Stakeholders 
Rainforest Alliance in partnership with the Cameroon Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, MINEPDED and UN Environment, will implement the project. The objective of COBALAM is to preserve biodiversity in the Western Highlands and in the South Region of Cameroon. 
Through a sustainable landscape management approach in which High Conservation Value Forest is protected by law and the surrounding forest and agricultural areas are managed according to the principles of community-based landscape management. The Bana-Bangante-Bangou Mountains, one of the mountainous massifs in the West Region of Cameroon, constitute the breadbasket and key biodiversity area in the West Region.

Involving Women, Youth, Minorities
“When we talk about involving women, youth and minorities in the management of the landscapes around Mount Bamboutos and Mount Bana-Bangante-Bangou, it is because about 75 per cent of women are involved in agriculture,” said Bih Bridget Mbacham, Senior Associate, Gender and Human Rights with Rainforest Alliance Cameroon.
According to her, “You cannot talk agriculture without mentioning women. Especially for the sake of sustainability and durability of agricultural practices, given that Cameroon has a youthful population. About 60 per cent of Cameroon’s population is under 25 years old. Likewise the Mbororo minority, who provide us beef and also benefit from the landscapes. It is important to get them involved.” 

Human, Constitutional Right 
“Moreover, women make the majority of Cameroon’s population. Secondly, they carry a lot of agricultural activities on the landscapes. The lifespan of Cameroonian men is 58 years, and that of women is 62 years. If only men are involved in the project and when there are longer there, who will talk about landscape management activities? Women should continue with farming,” Mrs. Mbacham affirmed.        
“It is also a human right. Cameroon’s Constitution, international treaties and the bye-laws of the landscape management committees of COBALAM project insist on the participation of everyone in project activities. For funding purposes, no proposal can be accepted without involving women, youth, minorities – and of course, the men,” she added.                              

Stakeholders, Sustainable Conservation 
William Mala, Senior Manager, Landscape and Communities, Rainforest Alliance Cameroon, said without the agreement of stakeholders, there will be no sustainable solution to the problem of conservation of Mount Bamboutos and Mount Bana-Bangante-Bangou. "That is why they must agree on a sustainable solution and the way forward,” Mala noted. 
“The land tenure aspect is very tricky because you have customary and legal segmentation. From our understanding, the legal segment of land tenure overshadows the customary segment, except in sacred forests. Members of the Council Landscape Management Board and Council Landscape Management Committee will be discussing land tenure, which is big source of conflict. It also permits land grabbing by those who have money and power. We will bring everyone on board and discuss the future. And their future is in ensuring the sustainable management of their landscape,” William Mala pledged. 

Getting Mayors On Board 
“Concerning land tenure aspects, we will go back to the law and discuss with the stakeholders implementing the law on the ground to see what to do to stop what is happening,” Jacques Waouo, the Team Manager and Coordinator of Rainforest Alliance Cameroon for West Region, promised. “We would like mayors to get involved in the grant of title deeds. The mayors whose council areas cover the Bamboutos Mountain Landscape have realized the problems that exist there, and have agreed to look into them. The mayors will discuss the concerns raised by the consultant and look for the way forward,” Waouo disclosed. 

Landscape Management Tool
He also talked about the Landscape Management Tool developed three years ago by Rainforest Alliance and its partners. “It is used in evaluating the landscape, thereby enabling the Mount Bamboutos Landscape Management Board to know the status of the landscape, and define the sustainability indicators for managing the landscape. This information is important for project external partners,” Jacques Waouo explained.          

Expected Project Outcomes 
“Removing Barriers to Biodiversity Conservation, Land Restoration and Sustainable Forest Management through Community-based Landscape Management, COBALAM,” project has a number of expected outcomes. They include reducing pressures on natural resources from competing land uses on natural forests covering 53,038 hectares through integrated natural resource management by land users and communities in the Western Highlands of Cameroon and in the South Region.
Also, landscape management plans will be identified sustainable forest management pra...