A consequence related among other things to the mismanagement of bushfire, informs the Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (Minepded).
The northern part of the country is the area most affected by desertification. Indeed, 8,000 million hectares of land are degraded according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Across the country, the study reports 12 million hectares of damaged land. And for good reason, "The incidence of poverty in this Sudano-Sahelian zone is increasing mainly due to land degradation-associated loss of productivity. This situation is a direct consequence of unsustainable agricultural and livestock practices, the overexploitation of fuelwood, poor management of bushfires, etc.", justifies Hélé Pierre, Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (Minepded).
In order to restore these degraded lands, the Cameroonian government in collaboration with FAO launched on December1 the project entitled "Neutrality of land degradation and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the Sudano-Sahelian afro-ecological zone of Cameroon". The programme will focus on the reforestation of the 12 million denatured land. "It's about making land degradation neutral. This means reforesting the land. This is a problem that concerns everyone. If we execute this project well, we could have an increase in agricultural products that will protect people from famine and allow more agricultural products to be put on the market," explained Hélé Pierre.
According to UNEP, ecosystem restoration is the process of halting and reversing degradation, which cleans up the air and water, mitigates extreme weather events, improves human health and restores biodiversity, including by improving plant pollination. Restoration encompasses a broad continuum of practices, from reforestation to peatland re-humidification and coral rehabilitation. It contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including health, drinking water, peace and security, and to the objectives of the three "Rio conventions" on climate, biodiversity and desertification.
