Cameroon, Japan Evaluate Forest Management Project

The FCFA 4 billion three-year venture drilled experts and equipped structures for efficiency.

Cameroon and Japan have come to the end of a three-year, “Support Programme for Forestry and Wildlife Management (PAGFF)” funded by the government of Japan to the tune of 800 million Japanese Yens (about FCFA 4 billion) with much to show in terms of results.

Stakeholders say experts in the Ministries of Forestry and Wildlife and of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development have been drilled on the techniques of analyzing satellite images, carrying out forest inventory and the study of biomass among others. They equally gained knowledge on Redd+ mechanism which seeks to mitigate climate change through reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and removing greenhouse gases through enhanced forest management.

These disclosures were made in Yaounde on Tuesday April 1 by officials of the project who met to share the results with other stakeholders. According to the Coordinator of PAGFF, Pelagie Nguimouth, through the project, Cameroonian experts also undertook field studies in Japan and material for analyzing satellite images, airborne photos for carrying out national forestry inventory and study of biomass were also acquired. The trainees also carried out working visits to forest zones.

“The 70 people who benefitted from this project will train others because effective forest and wildlife governance needs more than that. We will need to discuss with sectoral ministries to know how to organise the training,” Mrs Nguimouth said.

Meanwhile, Kazuhiko Fujita, who sat in for the Japanese Ambassador, said climate change is one of the challenges plaguing development in Africa. Reason why Japan, he noted, financed PAGFF so as to seek ways of cushioning the effects and in so doing strengthening the already existing cordial ties between Cameroon and Japan as well as accelerating Cameroon’s development. Presiding at the results-sharing forum, the Inspector General in Charge of Evaluation and Service Performance at MINEPAT, Yvette Bonga, hailed the trainers for braving all the challenges to produce the required results before the April 30, 2014 deadline.