Cameroon:Minister told Buea Forest Reserve is being illegally occupied

Minister Jules Doret Ndongo in group photo with PSMNR-SW after the steering Committee meeting.

By Christopher Ambe

The encroachment  into  the  Buea Forest Reserve  reportedly by some  administrative  authorities  for the purpose of building houses  has been  vigorously  condemned  .

The condemnation  was voiced out  at  the first  Steering Committee meeting of the  of the Programme for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Southwest region  ( PSMNR-SW  Phase IV) ,which took place, last March 13 ,at Buea Mountain Hotel and  chaired by Jules Doret Ndongo,minister of Forestry and Wildlife. 

Minister Ndongo gave assurance that evictions would rectify the situation.

PSMNR is a development programme of the Cameroon Government, co-financed by Germany through KFW (a German state-owned development bank) and its duration is four years (June 2018 –May 2022. The programme is estimated to cost 15million Euros. 

 Mrs. Mafany Julie Mbome,Southwest Regional Delegate for MINFOF,gave a review of recommendations and resolutions of the 2019 Steering Committee and level of Implementation, while Frank Stenmanns of GFA ,presented the key achievements of 2019( level of implementation,constriants and proposed solutions).

Other areas discussed at the meeting included the contribution of PSMNR to MINFOF, financial report and the adaptation proposal of PSMNR –SW to the socio-political situation of the Southwest region.

During the meeting, Senator Charles Moki regretted that some administrative authorities who ought to ensure the protection of the Buea Forest Reserve Area ,had instead encroached into it for building purpose.

 “When you look, you see how the forest is being destroyed”, he pointed out, to the attention of the Minister, who reacted by noting that that he would not condone illegality. 

The Mayor of Buea,David Mafani  Namange,confirmed  the worries of Senator Moki,about the illegal occupation of the Buea Forest Reserve. “What is happening in the area is a mafia,” he fumed.

At the end of the meeting, it was recommended, among other measures, that “  Buea Council in collaboration with the Southwest Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wild life should continue to fight against land sale and illegal activities in the Buea Forest Reserve; that they should also elaborate its management plan in order to ensure its sustainable management.”

The Mayor of Buea was particularly charged to “write to MINDCAF copying MINFOF about the current state of the Buea Forest Reserve” in order to get approval to immediately bring to a stop the creation and award of land titles in the reserved area.

The meeting also agreed “to explore possibilities of addressing climate change situation in the Southwest region.”

A budget of over 1.5 billion FCFA was adopted for the programme activities for  2020.