Consortium leader: Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund (FTNS), Yaoundé, Cameroon
Consortium: Scientific Committee of the Sangha Tri-national (CST), Centre for Studies and Research in Economics and Management of the University of Yaoundé 2, the University of Le Mans and Cameroon Environmental Watch (CEW)
Grant from the RESSAC programme: 160,286 euros
The development of eco-responsible cocoa value chains is a major concern of the Sangha Tri-national (TNS), a 44,000 km2 cross-border area straddling Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo. TNS is a pioneering model for cross-border initiatives in conservation and the development of an inclusive forestry policy in the Congo Basin.
While cocoa production is a source of benefits for each of these Congo Basin countries, it has also led to significant deforestation and forest degradation there. This has resulted in significant destruction of wildlife habitats and in greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions. In view of the harmful effects of cocoa farming on biodiversity and the environment, national and international initiatives have been established. These are both voluntary initiatives (e.g. Rainforest Alliance certification, the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative, etc.) and regulatory initiatives (the European regulation against deforestation and forest degradation).
This project is based on the need to promote harmonious coexistence between cocoa farming and biodiversity conservation. The key question is therefore “How can the conservation of the TNS protected areas be reconciled with the constraints of socioeconomic development based on cocoa farming?”
The main objective of the project is to assess the cocoa economy and the conditions for its socioeconomic and environmental sustainability in relation to the need for nature conservation (both flora and fauna) in and around the TNS protected areas. The ultimate goal is to identify success factors for sustainable cocoa farming that are compatible with biodiversity conservation objectives.
