Protecting Bakossi forest through sustainable farming in Bangem

About the Project and the Ecosystem

Our project, Promoting Community Wildlife Management and Regenerative Agriculture around Bakossi National Park, is implemented in four villages bordering the Bakossi National Park in the Mbwogmut Clan, Bangem Sub-Division, South West Region of Cameroon.

Bakossi National Park is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Cameroon Highlands Forests. Covering over 29,000 hectares, it protects critical ecosystems that support rare and endangered species, including chimpanzees, the critically endangered Drill monkey, Preuss’s red colobus, forest elephants, pangolins, and a wide range of birds, amphibians, and plant species. The park also safeguards vital watersheds, including the Mungo River, which provides water and livelihoods to thousands of people downstream.

The surrounding landscape is made up of tropical rainforest, farmlands, sacred forest patches, and river systems. These ecosystems are highly interconnected, meaning that changes in farming practices and land use directly affect wildlife habitats and water systems.

However, the area is under increasing pressure from population growth and reliance on agriculture. Communities mainly depend on cocoa as a cash crop, while subsistence farming (cassava, maize, cocoyam, beans) is practiced by households, especially women. Unsustainable practices such as shifting cultivation, slash-and-burn farming, logging, and bushmeat hunting are contributing to forest loss and wildlife decline.

Our project works directly within this fragile interface between protected forest and community farmland. We address both conservation and livelihood needs by promoting regenerative agriculture—especially Inga alley cropping and nitrogen-fixing tree systems—to restore soil fertility and improve yields on existing farms. This reduces the need for further forest encroachment.

At the same time, we strengthen community awareness on wildlife protection and ecological balance, helping communities recognize the value of biodiversity not only for conservation but also for long-term food security, climate resilience, and water protection.

By integrating conservation education with sustainable farming, the project builds a pathway where communities and nature can thrive together in one of Cameroon’s most ecologically significant landscapes.