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Report 3 (of 6): Breaking
the Bank - Cameroon
Introduction
The Waza Logone region situated within
the Lake Chad Basin in the far north of Cameroon surrounds
a vast floodplain known as the Yaéré. This is an important
wetland in the country and home to a United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve - the Waza National Park.
With a rich diversity of plant and animal species,
the floodplain was nearly destroyed by the construction
of the large Maga hydroelectric dam in 1979. The floodplain
began to dry up, causing damage to fishing and agricultural
livelihoods.
A Cameroonian environmental NGO, The
Committee for the Support of Conservation and Sustainable
Development Initiatives (CACID), was recognised for
its contribution to community poverty reduction via
the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity,
by the United Nation's Equator Initiative Awards.
It formed a collaborative management committee composed
of park management and community representatives to
co-manage the natural resources of the region, and
supported efforts to restore the wetland and the livelihoods
of its inhabitants. CACID has also led local initiatives
to restore the water balance of the plain.
Since 1992, CACID has rallied stakeholders
to promote re-emergence of the wetlands through sound
natural resource management and small-scale eco-development
that has not only succeeded in restoring the ecological
fabric of the floodplain, but has also brought opportunities
for sustainable income generation. Successful activities
carried out by CACID include:
- Hydrological rehabilitation of
the flood plain.
- Improvement of production systems
and conflict resolving mechanisms associated with
access to national resources such as pasture land
and fishing resources.
- Capacity building with government
personnel as well as farming and livestock-raising
communities.
- Rural development including fishing,
livestock raising and park zones.
- Establishment of eco-development
projects, including production of rainfed rice,
80 drinking water supply points, construction of
latrines and the construction of a locally managed
eco-tourist camp site.
Waza Logone
The 170,000 hectare (420,000 acre)
Waza National Park retains large numbers of mammals
and birds which depend on the annual inundation of
the floodplain. Fauna includes elephant, roan antelope,
red-fonted gazelle, giraffe, lion, jackal and hyena.
The Waza Logone region was an area intensively harvested
for fish and agricultural crops, livestock production
and tourism.
The main river of the region, the
Logone, receives its water from a higher rainfall
zone in Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic.
In September and October the river is at peak flow
and, apart from very dry years, usually breaks the
riverbanks and spills over into the floodplains. As
the area is very flat, the floodwaters spread over
a large area. Before the dam was built, two principal
seasonal rivers rising in the Mandara Mountains also
contributed to the flood of water. Thanks to the construction
of the Maga dam in 1979, however, the entire flow
was captured.
The restoration of the Waza Logone
floodplain was vital, as the dam construction reduced
flooding over a large part of the floodplain. This
had a big impact on the downstream environment and
on local people and their livelihoods. Seasonal flooding
provides sheltered spawning grounds and so generates
large numbers of fish. The dam severely reduced the
extent of flooding over the floodplain, and fisheries
became over-exploited. It also affected the supply
of water, with inevitable consequences for livestock
rearing. Wildlife numbers fell due to the lack of
dry-season grazing and surface water. This finally
led to a mass migration of the impoverished resident
fishermen, farmers and herders.
Rehabilitation of the Wetlands Area
In 1994, an integrated programme of
conservation and development was initiated by CACID
to rehabilitate the wetlands. By bringing together
government organisations, residential and settled
communities, traditional and administrative authorities
and various private sector bodies such as hotels and
tourist agencies, they have worked to restore and
conserve the existing natural resources of the region.
The programme has focused on ecosystem
evaluation and monitoring to identify and evaluate
alternative management scenarios. On this basis, a
water management plan was made, which releases water
from the Logone River to revive the floodplain. Approximately
200 square kilometres (20 per cent of the floodplain)
were restored in the early phases of the project.
Protection of the Waza National Park is ensured by
a management plan for the area, with local people
obtaining access to resources and involved in eco-tourism
activities. Capacity building and empowerment for
local communities have been of great importance and
the project includes clean water access from 37 wells
in 33 villages and training in health and sanitation.
With clean water there has been a 70 per cent decrease
in diarrhoea in the region.
Each of the stakeholders has a specific
responsibility:
- Local villagers: to use
the natural resources in compliance with management
agreements and rules, to protect these resources
against outsiders, and to participate in the identification,
planning and monitoring of eco-development and micro-project
activities.
- Administrative authorities:
to check agreements are respected and adjudicate
any conflicts arising from the implementation of
management agreements.
- Municipality authorities:
to take the management agreements into consideration.
- Heads of technical services
(agriculture, forestry, stock breeding and fish):
to contribute to control of natural resource use
and advise local populations when important decisions
relating to the exploitation of resources are being
taken.
- Development agencies and NGOs:
to facilitate the establishment of management plans
and committees.
- Research institutions: to
advise in the use of natural resources, especially
in the park.
The Waza Logone Initiatives
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Local fishing with baskets © IUCN |
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The Waza Logone floodplain rehabilitation
project began by collecting baseline data and deciding
on the main activities to be carried out, in collaboration
with the local population. Working closely with all
stakeholders involved in the region, the project has
established management structures to ensure the long-term
sustainability of the natural resources in the area.
Conserving natural resources
In addition to improving the condition
of the wetlands, the availability of water on the
flood plains has had a big impact. Rice can now be
grown on the flood plain and fish breeding grounds
have been improved. Stocks of fish have increased,
improving food security and nutrition in the region.
The sale of surplus fish stocks brings in valuable
income that can be used for education, health and
improved housing. The provision of drinking water
supply points has reduced the number of water-borne
diseases that used to be widespread in the region.
The development of village tourism
has brought benefits to the communities. Women are
involved in catering and food processing, while men
are involved in improving the housing and village
facilities. A community store has been developed for
the safe keeping of dried foods, managed by women
in the village of Waza, while some income from tourism
is being used to improve other coastal villages.
Biodiversity and poverty reduction
The rehabilitation of the flood plains
has enabled the recovery of vegetation in the park.
The supply of watering holes has increased and as
a result more animal species are returning to the
area. Various inventories of the fauna show a sustained
increase in animal species. As the park has become
more attractive, eco-tourism has developed, bringing
in more tourists and much-needed revenue, 40 per cent
of which is invested in the development of the park's
coastal villages.
Sustainability
To ensure sustainability and management
of the floodplain, the project based its strategy
on the existing traditional structure of water and
livestock chiefs. Crucial to the sustainability of
the project, however, is the involvement of all stakeholders
throughout the process and the establishment of various
committees to ensure the management of natural resources
and the conservation of biodiversity.
Increasingly the government regards
this area as a priority within its national environment
management programme. Self-marketing organisations
are increasingly raising the financial resources to
pursue sustainable development and management activities.
Awareness of the importance of conservation and biodiversity
is being increased through the establishment of environmental
education programmes within academic institutions.
Lessons learned
Many factors have contributed to the
success of this initiative. The considerable progress
achieved has been due to the way that CACID has worked
with indigenous communities and local organisations
to plan and implement the project. Particular attention
was paid to gender issues, since women represent 51
per cent of the population and are the most prone
to poverty.
For people living in poverty, sustainable
management and conservation of biodiversity is not
always a high priority. Combining eco-development
and small project activities can be crucial to satisfying
the needs of the populations and encouraging their
involvement in sustainable management policy.
Crucial factors include participation
from all key areas, effective communication and co-ordination
between stakeholders, financial support for stakeholders
meetings, discussions and the preparation of management
plans.
For further information on the Waza
Logone Floodplain, please contact:
Website
www.iucn.org/themes/wetlands/project.html
IUCN Wetlands projects
Further Reading
Books from EarthPrint
Natural Resource Management - A
Pack of 10 Issue Papers from IIED's Drylands Programme
US$22.50, IIED, ISBN: 13579312(ISSN)
The natural resource management pack contains papers
written by policy researchers, specialists and field
workers. Papers in this set cover topics relating
to natural resource management in Africa such as indigenous
soil and water conservation, women's management of
natural resources, community and common property management,
local conventions and decentralisation
Books from Blackwell Publishing
Floodplains
Marriott, Susan, Alexander, J.
£65.00, Geological Society Publishing, 1999, ISBN:
1862390509
Contains the results of research by hydrogeologists,
ecologists and geologists who are addressing the problems
relating to floodplain processes, ecology and morphology,
modern deposits and environmental architecture.
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Books
Indigenous and traditional peoples
and protected areas: principles, guidelines and case
studies
Beltran, Javier
£16.50, IUCN, 2000, ISBN: 2-8317-0547-9
This publication provides a framework for developing
partnerships between indigenous and other traditional
peoples and managers of protected areas. It contains
a number of case studies giving successful examples
from different parts of the world.
This document is an output from
a project funded by the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and the European Commission (EC)
for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID or the
EC.
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