Global Forest Watch Launches New Cameroon’s Interactive Forestry Atlas

By Christopher Ambe Shu
(Pictures:Gideon Neba Shu (standing)addressing his audience at the Forestry Atlas presentation in Buea)
Global Forest Watch (GFW) Yaoundé, an initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI), an NGO based in Washington, DC in the United States of America, has launched an updated Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon version 2.0 in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and announced its availability to all stakeholders in the country’s forest sector.GFW updated the forestry atlas in colloraboration with Government of Cameroon through the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF). According to Grace Mbah Nyieh, a senior MINFOF official ,Cameroon has a total forest cover of about 20 million hectares, about half of the surface area of Cameroon.She said forestry sector contributes significantly to the national economy through the creation of jobs, infrastructure development and significant contribution to the national revenue.


The launching of the forest atlas and capacity-building in using geospatial data/tools for monitoring and control of natural resources exploitation took place on February 4 at Pan-African Institute for Development, Buea, co- chaired by Gideon Neba Shu,Assitant National Coordinator of GFW Cameroon and Grace Mbah Nyieh, MINFOF Southwest Provincial Delegate.

The over 100 Participants at the three-day meeting included mayors, local NGO’s dealing with forest activities, Government officials and journalists.

An earlier convention of collaboration signed by GFW with MINFOF to promote sustainable and transparent forest management led to the production of spatial databases, maps of situation of forest exploitation in Cameroon(2003&2004),interactive forestry atlas of Cameroon(version 1.0),and associated reports and publication, according to GFW Yaoundé sources.
“GFW has as object to assemble information and put in a format that forest sector stakeholders can use in decision-making. We have been able to put together cartographic and statistical data base on the forest situation in Cameroon”, Mr Neba Shu told reporters in Buea “The data base is readily available for every body. All stakeholders in forestry sector have access to this data base which helps them in decision-making with regards to forestry sector. It is a tool used by those involved in forest management and exploitation. The atlas has covered almost 80% of the forest cover of Cameroon”
He said GFW has been working in Cameroon for over six years and helps the Cameroon Government to transparently manage its forest by “making public information about governmental decisions and providing decision-making or negotiation tools available for everybody who is interested.
Mrs. Mbah Nyieh, speaking at the meeting, said the MINFOF partnership with Global Forest Watch “seeks to support the Cameroonian forestry administration in its functions of monitoring forest exploitation through the use of remote sensing and development of a cartographic and statistical database for stakeholders in the forestry sector and forest management”. She said that the Interactive Atlas of Cameroon contains “key information on forest management and governance put in a friendly and easily accessible format for exploitation by the general public”
She was thankful to the GFW for bringing the forest atlas to the province (visit http://www.globalforestwatch.org/)
Participants ,who spoke to reporters, appreciated the timeliness and usefulness of the forestry atlas especially now that the Cameroon Government is bent on ensuring sustainable exploitation and management.