Cameroon and CIFOR Sign Agreement to Help Forests and People

The future of Central Africa's forests in supporting millions of livelihoods and providing a vital habitat for much of the world's rich biodiversity was significantly enhanced recently with the signing of a Host Country Agreement between the Government of Cameroon and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

Signed by Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, Cameroon's Minister of State and Minister of External Relations, and Frances Seymour, CIFOR's Director General, the agreement guarantees the support of the Government of Cameroon for CIFOR's activities in Central Africa. It also binds CIFOR to work in the interests of the people of Cameroon through its research on policies, practices and technologies that contribute to improving sustainable forest management and the livelihoods of people who depend on forests. Now official partners, CIFOR and the involved ministries support and advise each other on forestry issues.

CIFOR's regional co-coordinator, Cyrie Sendashonga, said it was a privilege for the Center to be recognized and supported by the Government of Cameroon in its research to improve the contribution that forests make to the present and future development of this as well as other countries of the Congo Basin, while safeguarding their rich biodiversity.

"Cameroon is an important piece in the jig-saw puzzle of the six Congo Basin countries, which contain the world's second largest rainforest," Sendashonga noted. CIFOR coordinates it activities across Central Africa from its office in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde.

Covering 350 million hectares, Central Africa's Congo Basin harbors enormous plant and animal diversity, including unique and endangered species like gorillas and elephants. Its forests also contribute to the survival and livelihoods of millions of people, and they are central to CIFOR's global research on sustainable forestry for poverty reduction.

"These forests are one of Mother Nature's greatest gifts to humanity," Sendashonga said. "But we must value this gift, and that is the aim of the Host Country Agreement. The Agreement recognizes the true value of the Congo Basin and the importance of governments and forestry organizations like CIFOR working together so that forests continue to support people's livelihoods without suffering irreversible environmental damage. The future of the Congo Basin and rainforests around the world depend on all of us working together."

According to the World Bank, forests around the world provide 1.6 billion people with food, fuel and other life-essentials. One in four western pharmaceuticals is derived from rainforest ingredients. In the countries that make up the Congo Basin, more than 80 million people depend on its rich forests and other natural resources for their livelihoods and economic development. These include primarily Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo.

Unfortunately, despite the livelihood and environmental importance of the continent's forests, Africa has the second highest deforestation rate in the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Africa lost 4 million hectares of forests per year between 2000 and 2005.

In this challenging region, government policy plays a vital role in ensuring the long-term survival of the forests. It is essential that policies affecting forests and the people who depend on them be based on sound knowledge and advice from solid scientific research.

CIFOR researchers work with and advise a range of Cameroon's government departments and agencies dealing with issues that impact on sustainable forest management. For example, in partnership with both government and nongovernment agencies, CIFOR has helped improve rural livelihoods in such areas as Lekié and Akonolinga with its research into the cultivation and marketing of non-timber forest products.

CIFOR is also assisting the Cameroonian government by presenting its studies on forest management decentralization, low-impact logging practices and community forestry. In 2003, the Center assisted the Ministry of Forests in developing a set of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. Currently, the government and CIFOR are working partners in the Model Forest Project - a broad alliance of NGOs, logging companies, administrative authorities and local communities working toward sustainable forest use.

CIFOR is confident that with the signing of the Host Country Agreement, it will carry on its activities with fresh momentum and heightened collaboration with the Government of Cameroon and other partners towards tackling challenges in sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation in Central Africa. The recent conclusion of a Memorandum of Cooperation between CIFOR and the Commission for Central African Forests (COMIFAC) is another important milestone towards that common goal.

For more information, please contact Janneke Romijn, Communications Officer, CIFOR Central Africa Regional Office (j.romijn@cgiar.org) and consult the CIFOR Web site ( www.cifor.cgiar.org).