Consortium leader: Regional Centre of Specialised Training in Agriculture Forest-Wood – RCTSA (Centre Régional d’Enseignement Spécialisé en Agriculture Forêt-Bois – CRESA Forêt-Bois), University of Dschang, Cameroon
Consortium: RCTSA Forest-Wood – University of Dschang, Cameroon; Faculty Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Yangambi (IFA-Yangami), DRC; Pôle de Recherche pour l’Organisation et la Diffusion de l’Information Géographique (PRODIG), France; and Cameroon Environmental Watch (CEW), Cameroon.
Grant from the RESSAC programme: 60,970 euros
Currently, in the savannah regions of Central Africa, sacred forests act as cultural heritage, a frame of reference for identity, and a remarkable carbon sink. Once sacred and highly protected, they are gradually being transformed into farms and built-up areas, despite the strong commitment made by the countries of Central Africa as part of the Paris Agreement to work towards reducing greenhouse gases at the global level. This paradoxical situation is mainly due to the precarious living conditions of the main stakeholders in sacred forest management, which are leading to the desacralization of these forest reserves. In response, this project proposes an approach by which conservation of sacred forests in Central Africa is promoted by improving the income of their main stakeholders. These include village chiefs, prominent individuals and local communities.
Backed by funding requested from the RESSAC programme, this 24-month project will take place in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It will be carried out by a postdoctoral researcher and four master’s students. The results will lead to the publishing of four articles in international scientific journals and the production of three policy briefs: one targeting the main stakeholders of sacred forest conservation, presenting an economic model adapted to their forest, and two others targeting the governments of Cameroon and the DRC.
