The Sustainable Farming and Critical Habitat Conservation (SUFACHAC) through its implementing partner, the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), developed and signed agreements with some community initiative from Kupe Muanenguba and Lebialem Divisions. This was done through a participatory selection of these initiatives in a workshop that took place on April 14, 2020, in Dschang . The gathering brought together four community initiatives (3 from Lebialem and 1 from Kupe Muanenguba) represented by two members, each to jointly select and develop business agreements.
The Sustainable Farming and Critical Habitat Conservation (SUFACHAC) project seeks to promote biodiversity conservation and mainstreaming in Bakossi-Banyang-Mbo-Lebialem production landscape of South West Cameroon through sustainable farming practices that improve community livelihood options and commercial opportunities.
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The project focus is to conserve critical habitats of endangered species in the landscape. The Bakossi-Banyang-Mbo-Lebialem landscape includes the following areas; Bakossi National Park (BNP), Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary (BMWS), Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (THWS), proposed Njoagwi Fotabong III Essoh Attah Wildlife Sanctuary, proposed Mount Muanenguba Herpetological Sanctuary and proposed Mount Kupe Integral Ecological Reserve. The goal of the project is to complete the official creation of the Bakossi-Banyang/Mbo-Lebialem (BBML) Technical Operation Unit (TOU) as well as to strengthen and manage its protected areas network. The specific objectives are;
- To establish the Bakossi Banyang Mbo Lebialem (BBML) Technical Operation Unit (TOU), To classify and support new protected areas for Tofala, Mt Muanenguba, and Mak-Betchou forests,
- To develop, a common M&E framework for socioeconomic & environmental performance of conservation & development initiatives in the landscape.
- To achieve the goal of this project, in order to strengthen the economic potential of the surrounding communities around these protected and proposed protected areas.
The meeting was attended by 10 participants. After creating a forum for each community initiative to make a short presentation on its activities, number of members (men, women and youths) and the difficulties they face. Nature’s Gift based in Fontem, Wola Multipurpose, CIG based in Bangem and Lewoh Women Cooperative based in Lewoh were shortlisted based on the criteria that had been put in place. In the days ahead, after discussions with the SUFACHAC Project Management Unit, ERuDeF will be contacting the two community initiatives that have been selected with their agreements.
