https://news.mongabay.com/list/cameroon/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/cameroon/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/cut-down-once-again-uncontrolled-logging-puts-new-sahel-reforestation-projects-at-risk/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/cut-down-once-again-uncontrolled-logging-puts-new-sahel-reforestation-projects-at-risk/#respond 06 Oct 2023 07:00:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=273969 - Facing poverty, war and corrupt local authorities, locals and refugees are cutting trees in new protected areas for firewood or to sell charcoal.
- Local environmental defence organizations, officials and administrations who lead these reforestation projects are raising the alarm about the extent of deforestation which is contributing to desertification in these areas.
- Despite alternative solutions to excessive logging being proposed and implemented, locals are still harvesting from reforested areas.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/cut-down-once-again-uncontrolled-logging-puts-new-sahel-reforestation-projects-at-risk/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/bollore-blacklisted-over-alleged-rights-violations-on-plantations-in-africa-and-asia/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/bollore-blacklisted-over-alleged-rights-violations-on-plantations-in-africa-and-asia/#respond 29 Sep 2023 19:46:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=273752 - Bolloré failed to act to resolve accusations of human rights abuses committed by its subsidiary, Socfin, around oil palm and rubber plantations in West Africa and Southeast Asia, the Swiss Association for Responsible Investments (SVVK-ASIR) determined.
- Investigators commissioned by Socfin recently found credible claims of sexual harassment, land disputes and unfair recruitment in Liberia and Cameroon; field visits to other sites will take place later this year.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/bollore-blacklisted-over-alleged-rights-violations-on-plantations-in-africa-and-asia/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/agroecology-holds-promise-in-congo-basin-if-funding-woes-can-be-overcome/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/agroecology-holds-promise-in-congo-basin-if-funding-woes-can-be-overcome/#respond 21 Sep 2023 20:18:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=273548 - He was able to invest five years in the project thanks to financial and other support from NGOs, highlighting the main challenge to other farmers who want to transition away from using synthetic fertilizer and other inputs.
- Today, Eku is sharing his experience with other farmers and helping connect them with similar support.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/agroecology-holds-promise-in-congo-basin-if-funding-woes-can-be-overcome/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/study-tall-trees-and-shade-boost-bat-diversity-on-africas-cocoa-farms/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/study-tall-trees-and-shade-boost-bat-diversity-on-africas-cocoa-farms/#respond 17 Aug 2023 19:54:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272338 - New research found higher abundance and diversity of bats on farms with 65% or greater shade cover — still common on cocoa farms in places like Cameroon, but rare in major cocoa-producing areas of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
- Related research has established that bats and birds can reduce the amount of pesticides cocoa farmers use, but also find yields decline where shade cover is greater than 30%.
- Researchers hope to find optimal levels of shade from native trees for agroforestry systems that provide homes for friendly bat and bird species while maximizing yields for farmers.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/study-tall-trees-and-shade-boost-bat-diversity-on-africas-cocoa-farms/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/kordofan-giraffes-face-local-extinction-in-15-years-if-poaching-continues/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/kordofan-giraffes-face-local-extinction-in-15-years-if-poaching-continues/#respond 16 Aug 2023 15:33:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272207 - The study found that antipoaching measures are the most effective way to prevent extinction, including robust patrols by guards, strengthening law enforcement, and providing sustainable livelihoods to people living around the park.
- Kordofan giraffes are a critically endangered subspecies with an estimated 2,300 individuals remaining, of which fewer than 300 are found in Bénoué National Park.
- The authors also stress the importance of identifying, restoring and protecting wilderness corridors to connect populations of giraffes across the region.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/kordofan-giraffes-face-local-extinction-in-15-years-if-poaching-continues/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/investigation-confirms-most-allegations-against-plantation-operator-socfin/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/investigation-confirms-most-allegations-against-plantation-operator-socfin/#respond 11 Aug 2023 20:46:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272011 - Investigators found credible claims of sexual harassment, land disputes and unfair recruitment practices at both of the sites they visited.
- Activists in both countries remain unsatisfied, saying the consultancy should have spoken to a wider range of community members and calling for Socfin to answer directly to communities with grievances.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/investigation-confirms-most-allegations-against-plantation-operator-socfin/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/cameroon-government-again-opens-way-for-logging-in-ebo-forest/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/cameroon-government-again-opens-way-for-logging-in-ebo-forest/#respond 01 Aug 2023 00:01:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=271648 - A local leader of the Indigenous Banen community, who have a claim to the territory they were expelled from in the 1950s and 60s, says most Munen are opposed to the move.
- The same portion of Ebo was briefly opened for logging in 2020, but the government reversed course. Local politicians have remained intent on reclassifying parts of the forest.
- Activists say the latest reclassification failed to meet legal requirements, particularly regarding consultation of local communities.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/cameroon-government-again-opens-way-for-logging-in-ebo-forest/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-cameroon-raw-log-ban-expands-and-villagers-act-against-forest-bandits/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-cameroon-raw-log-ban-expands-and-villagers-act-against-forest-bandits/#respond 18 Jul 2023 16:01:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=271082 - Nigerian villagers step up to protect nearby forests from illegal logging.
- Forests & Finance is Mongabay’s bi-weekly bulletin of news from Africa’s forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-cameroon-raw-log-ban-expands-and-villagers-act-against-forest-bandits/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/local-communities-protest-as-land-conflict-grows-with-more-agricultural-giants-in-cameroon/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/local-communities-protest-as-land-conflict-grows-with-more-agricultural-giants-in-cameroon/#respond 17 Jul 2023 18:51:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270986 - The Cameroonian government views industrial agriculture companies as drivers of future economic development and is encouraging the sector’s development, but their establishment is marred in land issues arising from colonization.
- The government’s adopted solutions to conflicts have proved ineffective, and it is struggling to implement adequate measures to curb disputes.
- Civil society groups and organizations are calling for the reform of Cameroon’s land policy as communities turn to popular protests as a way to meet their demands.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/local-communities-protest-as-land-conflict-grows-with-more-agricultural-giants-in-cameroon/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-wood-export-bans-and-short-staffed-regulators/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-wood-export-bans-and-short-staffed-regulators/#respond 14 Jul 2023 14:25:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270926 - Kenya’s president lifts a ban on logging in state and community forests, raising fears forest loss will accelerate.
- Understaffed authorities are struggling to curb deforestation in the Angolan municipality of Nambuangongo, where felling trees for farmland is seen as a culturally sanctioned tradition.
- Forests & Finance is Mongabay’s bi-weekly bulletin of news from Africa’s forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/forests-finance-wood-export-bans-and-short-staffed-regulators/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/forests-finance-communities-turn-to-tree-planting-zero-logging-and-mushrooms-to-protect-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/forests-finance-communities-turn-to-tree-planting-zero-logging-and-mushrooms-to-protect-forests/#respond 15 Jun 2023 23:28:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=269878 - Renewed forest restoration efforts by a local council in Cameroon’s East region.
- Mushroom profits may help protect Tanzania’s forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/forests-finance-communities-turn-to-tree-planting-zero-logging-and-mushrooms-to-protect-forests/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/element-africa-offshore-oil-threatens-fisheries-gold-mining-topples-homes-and-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/element-africa-offshore-oil-threatens-fisheries-gold-mining-topples-homes-and-forests/#respond 15 Jun 2023 23:27:45 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=269877 - Fishers fear impacts of cross-border oil and gas exploration in waters shared by Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
- Illegal miners in a forest reserve in Ghana are brazenly shooting back at law enforcement agents.
- Element Africa is Mongabay’s bi-weekly bulletin of brief stories from the extractives industry in Africa.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/element-africa-offshore-oil-threatens-fisheries-gold-mining-topples-homes-and-forests/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/palm-oil-giant-hands-over-sacred-community-land-for-reforestation-project/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/palm-oil-giant-hands-over-sacred-community-land-for-reforestation-project/#respond 04 May 2023 19:11:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268296 - However, the total is still short of what the community asked for, which was initially 30 hectares (about 74 acres).
- The local environmental organization and traditional leaders who campaigned for the sacred sites say reforestation and land restoration projects are now in the works.
- Socapalm is highlighting its commitment to respecting the rights and traditions of communities in accordance with its social and sustainability certifications, while local critics continue to accuse it of land grabbing.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/palm-oil-giant-hands-over-sacred-community-land-for-reforestation-project/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/forests-finance-agroforestry-in-cameroon-and-reforestation-in-south-africa/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/forests-finance-agroforestry-in-cameroon-and-reforestation-in-south-africa/#respond 03 May 2023 08:59:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268202 - A community effort in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province is restoring the region’s mistbelt forest that’s home to the iconic Cape parrot, and since 2011 has planted 52,000 trees while allowing participants, mostly women, to earn a living.
- A program meant to ensure the legality of timber in Gabon’s supply chain was briefly suspended between March and April over what the government says was missing paperwork — a justification that proponents have called into question.
- Forests & Finance is Mongabay’s bi-weekly bulletin of briefs about Africa’s forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/forests-finance-agroforestry-in-cameroon-and-reforestation-in-south-africa/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/forests-finance-protection-and-restoration-in-cameroon-and-senegal-fire-threat-in-angola/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/forests-finance-protection-and-restoration-in-cameroon-and-senegal-fire-threat-in-angola/#respond 13 Apr 2023 10:30:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267436 - Scientists fear pockets of species-rich afromontane forest in Angola’s Namba Mountains will be lost if uncontrolled fires continue.
- A Senegalese association is protecting and restoring southern Senegal’s tree cover by establishing community forests.
- Forests & Finance is Mongabay’s bi-weekly bulletin of briefs about Africa’s forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/forests-finance-protection-and-restoration-in-cameroon-and-senegal-fire-threat-in-angola/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/caps-new-gas-megaproject-aims-to-power-central-africa-but-at-what-cost-critics-ask/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/caps-new-gas-megaproject-aims-to-power-central-africa-but-at-what-cost-critics-ask/#respond 11 Apr 2023 13:40:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267373 - The forum says gas in particular should play a key role in developing the region’s economy.
- Seven countries have so far signed a memorandum of understanding, and a feasibility study for a first phase is expected by the end of 2023
- Environmentalists say the project is a mistake that will exacerbate the climate crisis and fail to benefit local populations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/caps-new-gas-megaproject-aims-to-power-central-africa-but-at-what-cost-critics-ask/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/treacherous-pits-and-lakes-left-in-the-wake-of-cameroons-abandoned-mining-sites/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/treacherous-pits-and-lakes-left-in-the-wake-of-cameroons-abandoned-mining-sites/#respond 24 Feb 2023 17:51:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=265938 - In January, a 13-year-old boy drowned in one of these lakes near Yaoundé, left behind by the quarry company Transatlantique Cameroon Ltd, a subsidiary of the Chinese consortium Cameroon Meilan Construction Conglomerate (CMCC).
- In 2021 and 2022, the Cameroonian NGO Forests and Rural Development (FODER) identified more than 700 mining pits in Cameroon, including 139 which had become artificial lakes, claiming the lives of more than 200 people.
- Cameroonian legislation obligates mining companies to refill mining pits after their operations. Despite this, the law is not being adhered to or enforced.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/treacherous-pits-and-lakes-left-in-the-wake-of-cameroons-abandoned-mining-sites/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/kew-gardens-joins-local-partners-to-save-tropical-plants-from-extinction/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/kew-gardens-joins-local-partners-to-save-tropical-plants-from-extinction/#respond 15 Feb 2023 14:53:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=265518 - In 2022, Kew Gardens identified 90 plants and 24 fungi completely new to science. They include the world’s largest giant water lily, with leaves more than 3 meters across, from Bolivia; and a 15-meter tree from Central America, named after the murdered Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres.
- The institution is working actively with local partners in many parts of the world, and especially in the tropics, to save these species in-situ, that is, where they were found. When Kew can’t do this, it saves seeds in its herbarium, carrying out ex-situ conservation.
- Kew researchers, along with scientists from tropical nations, are also working together to ensure that local communities benefit from this conservation work. The intention is to save these threatened plants for the long term, helping slow the pace of Earth’s current extinction crisis — the only one caused by humans.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/kew-gardens-joins-local-partners-to-save-tropical-plants-from-extinction/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/tense-neighbors-chinese-quarry-in-cameroon-takes-a-toll-on-locals/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/tense-neighbors-chinese-quarry-in-cameroon-takes-a-toll-on-locals/#respond 24 Jan 2023 20:07:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264925 - Local communities accuse the company of air and water pollution and not respecting its local development commitments.
- The quarry manager denies these allegations, pointing to their new road development leading to the mine which has increased the value of land in the village.
- Local authorities receive money from the quarry through taxes but are not responding to local demands to reinvest in the area.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/tense-neighbors-chinese-quarry-in-cameroon-takes-a-toll-on-locals/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/#respond 29 Dec 2022 17:52:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264198 - Scientists estimate that only 10% of all the species on the planet have been described. Even among the most well-known group of animals, mammals, scientists think we have only found 80% of species.
- Unfortunately, many new species of plants, fungi, and animals are assessed as Vulnerable or Critically Endangered with extinction.
- Although a species may be new to science, it may already be well known to locals and have a common name. For instance, Indigenous people often know about species long before they are “discovered” by Western Science.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/top-15-species-discoveries-from-2022-photos/feed/ 0