Community forestry in Kossa

In Cameroon’s Far North Region, the canton of Kossa lies within the Sudano-Sahelian region, which is heavily exposed both to desertification and soil formation issues, and to biodiversity loss caused by human factors such as inappropriate farming techniques and overgrazing, giving rise to patches of compact, bare soil within this shrub-and-tree savanna.

In addition, although the vegetation is relatively richer than that of surrounding areas, and despite the traditional chief’s conservationist mindset, it is nonetheless subject to commercial firewood harvesting. There is therefore an urgent need to secure these natural resources before the population pressure from neighbouring towns (Mora, Kousséri, Maroua, and even towns in Nigeria) wipes out all vegetation.

The project’s overall objective is to help combat desertification and conserve biodiversity through the planning and implementation of sustainable, participatory natural resource management in the canton of Kossa.

Local populations (around 10,000 inhabitants), represented by the traditional authority, have in fact requested the support of the association GREEN SAFE to establish and subsequently manage 3 community forests covering the entire canton of Kossa (15,000 ha).