Some 2388 seeds of Leucaena, 2895 seeds of Acacia, and about 2021 seeds of Prunus Africana making a total of over 7000 tree seeds have been planted in six schools in the chief town of Lebialem division, Menji as part of efforts to rebuild the environment which has suffered land degradation in recent times. The trees planted in schools will be transplanted to water catchment sites, farm sides, school campus and hill sides in the next school year. This activity was carried out recently by the Education for Sustainable Development team at the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF).
Menji is the head quarters of the Lebialem division, in the South west region of Cameroon. The town is surrounded by forest areas, and as a result is rich in biodiversity. The people are mostly farmers who cultivate crops like cocoyam, cassava, plantains, etc for local consumption, and as well as the growing of cocoa for commercial purpose. The people also hunt and trap for wildlife species for local consumption.
Activities such as slash and burn for agriculture and the fact that farmers cut down trees for virgin farm sides, as well as the introduction of chemical fertilizers has left the environment vulnerable.
It was therefore in a bid to restore some degraded landscapes that ERuDeF team introduced the establishment of trees nurseries in some schools in Menji with the goal of transplanting them in areas like water catchment sites, farm sides, school campus, hill sides, etc
The schools included; Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Fontem, GTHS Fontem, CS Menji, CS Fontem, SNPS Menji, and Seat of Wisdom Fontem College. Apart from just sowing these seeds, the students were also drilled on the importance of reforestation. The students were told that the main role played by the agroforestry species such as Leucaena and Acacia is the improvement of soil fertility through leaf-fall or through the storing of nitrogen fixing organism in their roots. The team also explained the medicinal value of Prunus africana including its possibility to cure cancer and its use as timber, as well as providing habitat for some wildlife species like birds, squirrels, etc.
The team also took advantage of this tree planting program to educate the pupils, students and teachers concerning the role play by trees in the environment and the problem facing trees in the area.
Emmanuel Ndip
