Close to Benoué National Park, human movement has resulted in new villages across from this protected area. Around 30,000 people 400 km North are searching for better pastureland and healthier soil. This is a new type of human migration for Cameroon.
Firewood is a main source of energy for people in Cameroon. The search for firewood often results in the clearing of large tracts of land and landscape degradation — which in turn is one of the factors driving migration. The contrast between these new localities and the National Park conveys an important challenge: securing this protected area while providing resources for these new communities. This is a growing concern for everyone.
In response, the Government launched a new campaign in March in Garoua, a city in the same region as the Park. The Ministry of Forests and Fauna has travelled throughout these ecologically fragile regions to measure the impact of degradation. 2020 will mark a new starting point for this annual exercise. The Government will also promote forest plantations to reach Cameroon’s AFR100 goal of restoring 12.06 million hectares of mangroves, coastal landscapes and the three Northern regions of the Sahel by 2030.
