Yaoundé, 21/03.2024/ Greenpeace Africa and its partners met on 21 March at the Catholic University of Central Africa, Ekounou campus in Yaoundé, for a conference-debate to mark the celebration of International Forest Day. The discussions will focus on mobilising the various stakeholders and young people in the search for innovative solutions to protect the forests of the Congo Basin and combat the effects of climate change.
According to figures from Global Forest Watch, Cameroon lost 1.84 Mha of tree cover, including 873 kha of primary rainforest, between 2001 and 2022, equivalent to a 5.9% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.09 Gt of CO₂e emissions. Similarly, over the same period, the total area of primary rainforest in Cameroon has decreased by 4.6%.
Stella Tchoukep, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa said:
“For us, forest protection is not just a slogan. It’s a real battle. Temperatures are rising on both sides of the national triangle. The year 2023 broke the record for the hottest year in the world, and 2024 is likely to follow suit. Similarly, the month of February just ended also broke the record for the hottest month, compared with 2023. And this situation is partly due to deforestation. We need to act now, which is why we have brought together the players in the forestry sector to reflect together on mechanisms that can enable us to be more effective on the ground.”
For this year 2024, the theme chosen by the UN for the celebration is “Forest and Innovation: New solutions for a better world”. An opportunity to highlight the technological tools that can enable better monitoring of the forestry sector.
“Given the speed at which our forests are being destroyed, it is becoming imperative to combine technology for better monitoring of the forestry sector. Elsewhere, innovation and technological advances have revolutionised forest management in terms of more effective monitoring and data collection, which is essential for decision-making on land use and the fight against deforestation. Participatory mapping, for example, is an excellent tool that is unfortunately not yet recognised by the Cameroon government. Yet it has proved its worth, particularly in the management of forest resources,” adds Stella T.
For Jato Sonita, special guest for this event, more rigour is needed in the field to ensure that the forests are preserved.
At the moment, children are unable to go to school in South Sudan because schools have been closed due to rising temperatures. Every time we cut down a tree, we contribute to the rise in global warming. I consider myself to be a child of the forest and I sincerely hope that this precious heritage will be passed on to my descendants and future generations to consider taking positive actions towards fighting climate Change.
Contacts for Interviews
Luchelle Feukeng, Communications and Storytelling Manager at Greenpeace Africa
Tel: +237 656 46 35 45
Stella Tchoukep, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa