Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape: Here - At Last - Comes Your Management Board!

The process took so long to conclude. Much longer than initially thought - and planned. And understandably so. Because it could not have been any different. Painstaking as it was, it had to be! Maximum number of stakeholders had to be brought on board. With each view judiciously sought and taken into account. All this in the quest for a consensual, participatory, inclusive, bottom-up approach to decision-making. To assure eventual attainment of project objectives. 

Tortuous Process Comes To An End!  
Thursday, August 18, 2022 saw the conclusion of the tortuous process of setting up, signing the agreements and putting in place multi-stakeholder landscape management boards. For the “Removing Barriers to Biodiversity Conservation, Land Restoration and Sustainable Forest Management through Community-based Landscape Management,” COBALAM project. A milestone indeed! 

Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape 
The last lap in Bana in Upper Nkam Division of West Region rounded off an initiative that began on August 16, 2022 in Bafoussam. With the commissioning of Mount Bamboutos Landscape Management Board which covers 8 council areas – 5 in the West, one in the North West, and two in the South West Region. The Bana-Bangou-Bangante mountain range landscape covers three council areas of the same names spread out respectively in Upper Nkam, Upper Plateau and Nde Divisions.

First Major Project Delivery
The processes that culminated in the election of members to the two landscape management boards ought to have ended in 2021. “I am happy we are now through with setting up the two landscape management boards,” admits Jacques Waouo, Team Manager, Rainforest Alliance Western Cameroon Highland. Expectedly quite relieved. “The process was not easy. It took more time because we had to consult different stakeholders. Setting up landscape management boards is the first major project delivery. The board is an avenue for stakeholders in the landscape - with different interests - to meet and discuss their issues,” he explained.

Hands In Glove With Consultants 
“The next step is to hire consultants to work with council landscape management committees and landscape management boards to produce landscape management plans. The plans will clearly state what has to be done and by whom. After which grants will be awarded for activities agreed in the plans; and to be carried out by councils, the civil society and community-based organisations,” Waouo clarified.   

Multi-stakeholder Platforms As Key
“The United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP pays great attention to multi-stakeholder platforms whereby the civil society, traditional rulers, government and the private sector come together to define a common vision on managing the resources of a landscape. We believe this is the approach for the future. It ensures the landscape is managed sustainably. Thus, the Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape Management Board is taken seriously by us,” commented Dr Andre Toham, biodiversity and land degradation consultant with UNEP. “UNEP addresses environmental problems in general - biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management and land restoration. Land restoration is a major problem in the West Region and a priority challenge identified by the Cameroon government,” Dr Toham noted. 

PNDP Already Laid The Groundwork
“The National Participatory Development Programme, PNDP, already laid the groundwork. The landscape management boards for Mount Bamboutos and Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante only need to read what has been done in order to facilitate and hasten up their work; and develop management plans,” Megouo Boniface, National Participatory Development Programme Coordinator for West Region underscored.  
Megouo was confident that COBALAM will boost development in Bana, Bangou and Bangante council areas through sustainable land management and awareness-raising on managing their landscape ecosystem. “PNDP already brought Bana, Bangou and Bangante councils together in a working relationship. COBALAM needs to take advantage of this work to facilitate its activities,” Megouo Boniface said. 

Climate Change, A Daily Reality
“We live in a time of climate change, with the effects felt every day by man. Rainforest Alliance offers us the opportunity to pre-empt and preserve our environment for future generations. It is a wake-up call for us to give deep thought to the future we want to pass on to our children. We must be careful how we dispose refuse, especially plastics,” His Royal Highness Sikam Sylvestre Happy, King of Bana stressed. 

Inclusive Approach Ensures Success 
“I am pleased the process of electing members of the Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape Management Board was participatory. This is a plus for the success of the board. I am also happy our women are represented on the board and are already conversant with what is expected of them. They are the ones most affected by problems of land degradation in terms of poor crop yields,” King Sikam noted. 

Avenue For Settling Differences  
“There are recurrent conflicts between crop and livestock farmers because resources are diminishing. The solution lies in our behaviour. Bana, for example, is gradually losing its village status as new, modern infrastructure comes up. This entails loss of forest cover. Our people need to be educated on how to construct and conserve biodiversity at the same time,” King Happy advised.      
“Cameroon is engaged in a policy of environmental protection. The signing of the Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape Management Board agreement is a step in this direction. One of the major problems on the landscape is deforestation - people cutting down trees for firewood. While conflicts between crop and livestock farmers over scarce resources persist. The landscape management agreement will enable us to discuss these problems and together proffer solutions,” said Eric Aimé Niat, Mayor of Bangante.

Everyone’s Voice Counts!
“We will meet with grassroots people to find out the problems they face on the landscape and what can be done. Then, together with consultants, come up with activities to be carried out to save our biodiversity. Our challenges include dwindling land for agriculture, unregulated hunting, and deforestation for fuel wood and construction. The solution is to find alternative livelihoods. Like training young people in improved agricultural practices to reduce dependence on the forest,” Paul Sikapin, Mayor of Bangou suggested. He was elected pioneer Chair of the Bana-Bangou-Bangante Landscape Management Board for a two-year tenure. His deputies for the rotational position are the Mayors of Bangante and Bana.

Female Mbororo Voice
“I am happy for the recognition. I will rally fellow Mbororo women for us to play our role in the sustainable management of the Mount Bana-Bangou-Bangante landscape. Our major problem is dispute with crop farmers over land. Our proposal is for crop and livestock farming zones to be clearly demarcated,” said Mrs Fadimatou Sanki, the female representative of the Mbororo community on the landscape management board.

In The Interest Of Women
“I will defend the interests of women on the board, sensitize old women on right farming practices like making ridges across, and not along slopes, to contain erosion. We need to plant trees to protect the environment. Our women need to be assisted by the project with micro grants, training in the making of compost manure and offer of farm inputs,” said Mrs. Tcheumeni Monique, who represents women on the landscape management board.

Urgency To Tackle Challenges 
“I will work for my community t...