CEW is an NGO led by a doctor in environmental science, with proven experience in forest protection and support from institutional donors. Small grants are regularly awarded to the organisation.
The project is based in Cameroon’s Centre Region, around a hundred kilometres from the country’s capital, Yaoundé. The Ngog Mapubi-Dibang massif, directly concerned by the project, covers an area of around 14,000 ha, which is currently relatively well preserved (likely home to great primates).
The main problems the project seeks to address are the lack of knowledge among local populations and municipal stakeholders regarding regulations on community and municipal forest management, the absence of a legal status for the massif, and the lack of a legally recognised entity formally responsible for its management.
The project’s specific objectives are therefore to gain a better understanding of the Ngog-Mapubi-Dibang massif’s biological and ecotourism potential (based on preliminary work identifying tourism development opportunities), to strengthen local communities’ capacities in managing non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and monitoring the legality of forest exploitation, and above all — a crucial issue for this forest before it is potentially opened up to State-authorised logging — to strengthen the massif’s legal protection status.
The direct beneficiaries of this project are the communities of the 17 villages, around 16,000 inhabitants. Indirect beneficiaries are the 49 neighbouring villages, local authorities, and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests (MINFOF).
