Location of the Kilum-Ijim forest and it’s local communities:
Project Background
The two previous projects KMFP (Kilum Mountain Forest Project) and IMFP (Ijim Mountain Forest Project) have been in operation since 1987 and 1992 respectively (JFS 101) and have achieved major development and conservation successes during that time. This is most notable when comparing the remaining forests at Kilum and Ijim with other forest remnants in the surrounding area, which have all but disappeared over the intervening period. The continued existence of healthy breeding populations of the key threatened bird species whose survival depends on these forests, demonstrate the ‘health’ of the forest. There has been a high level of support for, and collaboration in, project activities by the local communities whose livelihoods depend, in very large measure, on the health of the forests and on the natural resources the forests can supply on a sustainable basis into the future.
These projects were to have been completed in 1996, but have been extended to take advantage of new opportunities created by the 1994 forestry legislation of Cameroon. This new legislation permits the designation of Kilum and Ijim as community forests. While this appears to be the correct approach and appropriate at the local level, it is a new approach in Cameroon and it will take time to develop and strengthen both local and government institutions necessary to ensure effective community forest management and conservation beyond the life of the projects.
Project Objectives
The goal of the project is that the biodiversity, extent and ecological processes of the Kilum-Ijim Forest are maintained, and that the forest is used sustainably by the local communities. For the past five years, the project has followed a four-pronged strategy to achieve this purpose, as indicated by the four core objectives:
- An effective, participatory, community-based forest management system for conservation and sustainable use of the forest is in place and functioning
- Communities, traditional authorities and government have the capacity to implement community forest management
- Local livelihoods are improved in ways which contribute to the conservation of the Kilum-Ijim forest
- A permanent system is in place for monitoring the effectiveness of forest management
The project is now in its final phase and the core objectives have evolved to reflect an increasing emphasis on the establishment of permanent structures to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the Kilum-Ijim Forest. These include:
- The entire Kilum-Ijim Forest is effectively managed by the local communities with support from traditional authorities and government for conservation and sustainable use
- A permanent government structure to support community forestry and conservation at Kilum-Ijim is in place and functioning
- A permanent, independent system is in place for monitoring the condition of the forest
- A trust fund is in place to support ecological monitoring and other strategic activities that contribute to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the Kilum-Ijim Forest
Project Activities
Helping communities to put in place a system for forest management involves many aspects. Communities may require assistance with:
- Physically demarcating forest limits
- Putting in place a legally recognized organization to manage the forest
- Producing inventories, to ascertain exactly what is in their forests and how the resources have been managed in the past
- Developing rules for forest use, and producing management plans
- Navigating the legal process which must be followed for the legal attribution of each community forest
At each step, communities may require training, material support, or help in facilitating a particular process. At Kilum-Ijim, most of the communities are now at the latter stages of the process of establishing community forests, and have already taken on many forest management functions.
To support government’s role in forest management the project is working towards the establishment of a Technical Operations Unit (TOU). This will be a permanent part of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry (MINEF) with a mandate to support community forestry and conservation at Kilum-Ijim.Project staff are working with MINEF staff to develop the terms of reference for the TOU, and are helping to determine and implement an appropriate staffing structure.
In addition to the community and government structures described above, the project is also developing an independent structure for ecological monitoring of the Kilum-Ijim Forest. The system and methodology for ecological monitoring have already been developed, and the project has established a long-term institutional home for the programme. This unit will provide feedback to all interested parties, locally and internationally, on the condition of the unique species and habitats of the region.
The project is also working with the Cameroon Mountains Conservation Foundation (CAMCOF) to put in place a trust fund that will support ecological monitoring, conservation and sustainable use of the Kilum-Ijim forest and other significant parts of the Cameroon Mountains in the long-term.
Additional Information:
Hello, what are you doing in terms of community mapping?
By: Giacomo on November 20, 2007
at 6:44 am