David PAYANG
AFR100 Focal Point, Cameroon
Improving management and regeneration of hillside degraded lands is done by growing trees, revitalizing grasslands, and halting erosion in its tracks. After the Government of Cameroon started work on 60 sites hundreds of people have worked together to start restoring their degraded lands to increase their productivity and ecological functions.
Intercropping trees with field crops transform smallholder household farmers with improved food security, nutrition, income, health, shelter, social cohesion, energy resources and environmental sustainability. Agroforestry leads to increases in staple and cash crop yields by up to two or three times in Cameroun. The trees that are selected for the program often included once-wild types that are under threat of deforestation. Agroforestry diversification helps to restore wildlife habitat within degraded farmland and to mitigate climate change by increased carbon sequestration.
Assisting natural regeneration of natural forest ecosystems refers to all spontaneous natural processes and forestry strategies and techniques for restoring a forest cover. It can be natural or artificial. It is achieved by growing trees on and near their farms in agroforestry systems, building ditches and stone walls to keep soil in place during heavy rains, and planting saplings, these activities are improving the quality of the water and the soil.
The government of Cameroon has initiated broad support for forest landscape restoration in Sahel region in order to raise water levels, encourage sustainable agro-pastoral activities and conserve dwindling biodiversity. The main activities focus on encouraging local production of tree seedlings, buying seedlings from farmers and employing local communities and organizing labor for afforestation/reforestation programs by youths and NGOs. Today, the Government of Cameroun spends one billion FCFA (about US$2 million) annually to sustain the operation which involves the planting of trees in areas seriously affected by desertification.
Stakeholder involvement
Cameroun has put in place a LDN working group made of Government ministries/departments, research institutions, universities, NGOs, farmers and private sector. The Work group advises on policies and restoration activities relevant to and proceed to integrate LDN recommendation in ongoing initiatives.
A coordinating mechanism/platform
A national consultation of technical and policy actors was carried out in 2017 and a joint letter of intent was initiated in 2016 by Ministry of Environment, Nature protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) and the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF) to better coordinate the AFR100 initiative. A national working group was created jointly by MINFOF and MINEPDED to enable the development and coordination of reforestation and implementation of Forest Landscape Restoration.
Capacity building
Forest and Environment Programme in Cameroun supported the farmers with a series of theoretical and practical training for successfully land restoration. LDN is mainstreamed into existing national land use policies and programs to accelerate implementation, there is still a need to increase the capacity of Government agencies and private sector in LDN strategies and specific objectives to accelerate implementation of LDN targeted short- and long-term plans.
Partnership
Partnerships in LDN is coordinated with the support of the Target Setting Program Land Degradation Neutrality (LDP-LDN) in close collaboration with the Global Mechanism for UNCCD with the contribution of the country’s development partners. NGOs and CSOs support in capacity development/building as well as in implementation of the approved restoration activities.
Cameroon envisions to achieve LDN, with reference to 2015 (no net loss), and improve an additional 10% of the territory (net gain) by 2030.
Priority Interventions:
