Protecting the Dja Biosphere Reserve
Duration of the partnership
The Dja Biosphere Reserve covers 526,000 hectares in eastern Cameroon. It is the country’s largest conservation area, protecting one of the largest and most intact tropical forests of Central Africa that is home to iconic species like chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas.
Slash-and-burn agriculture and cocoa cultivation, which contribute to deforestation, are the primary means of subsistence for the local populations living in and around the reserve.
The project of NGOs Aafeben and TFRD features an innovative conservation model based on developing economic value chains to benefit local communities, to promote a process of sustainable forest management. The three economic sectors have been developed for the sustainable production of moabi, wild mango and cocoa. The project’s primary achievements include improved collection and drying techniques; the establishment of a pre-processing platform for primary products (vegetable oils and butters); and the creation of a marketing and export structure.
The NGO Aafeben supports 10 groups comprising 350 women from the Baka and Bantu ethnic groups to collect and sell forest products such as wild mangoes and Moabi. Likewise, a green farming centre in Lomié brings together production processes at the community level.
The NGO TFRD works with 15 villages and 160 farmers, including 50 women, and supports their organisation into cooperatives and builds their technical capacities.
The project contributes to the preservation of the reserve as well as to improving the local communities’ livelihoods by recognizing their right to access natural resources, by establishing a sustainable resource management system through consensus, and by enhancing the economic value of local production.