Core area “Conserving nature and natural resources, protecting life on Earth” Conservation of tropical forests

However, the forests are increasingly coming under threat through excessive use. Mining and agricultural activities are encroaching more and more on the forests. Large areas of forest are lost to illegal logging. Biodiversity is at risk as a result of unsustainable forest management and poaching.

The conservation of natural resources through tropical forest protection is thus one core area of German development cooperation with Cameroon. To this end, Germany is assisting the Cameroonian government with the implementation of urgently needed reforms in the forest sector. The programme of Cameroonian-German cooperation contributes to greater legal certainty for the people living within the forests and depending on them for their livelihoods, improves the sustainability of forest management, fosters climate change mitigation, and helps to reduce poverty.

Important areas of intervention include advice for Cameroonian decision-makers in the forest policy sector, both at the national and the regional level, and support for the country as it further develops the forestry sector and manages protected areas. The programme focuses on what are some of the most important biodiversity hotspots worldwide.

Under Financial Cooperation, the BMZ also supports reforestation and forest restoration.