By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi in Buea
Organized by a non-governmental organization, Africaphonie in collaboration with Earth Journalism Network, over 30 journalists from the North west and South west regions were present in Buea recently for a three day capacity building workshop on conservation coverage.
The main aim of the workshop was to empower the local community radio stations with the basic techniques of reporting issues about bio diversity in Pidgin English which is the lingua franca that the common man in the society can clearly understand. The 3 day meeting ran from March 1st to 3rd 2018.
Deforestation, Ecosystem diversity, burning of bushes, blocking waterways and waste management were among the many discussions brought up by experts from other NGOs and government services.
George Ngwane, founder of Africaphonie who doubled as the chair of the 3 day workshop in Buea said “We have realized for a very long time that everyone talks of climate change, poor waste disposal, and the high rate of the depletion of the forest particularly in the SW region where there’s an acute raid of mangrove in maritime areas like the Bakassi peninsula…. we are taking more today and not thinking about the next generations.”
He continued that, to curb these areas of irrationality “We the journalist who are the conveyors of all messages in public space have been brought here today to use the literature on conservation to reach out to the masses”
One key presentation by Mr John M. Takang of Environmental Governance Institute (EGI), explained the conventions Cameroon is signatory to and series of Cameroon laws that regulate the sector.
Talking to some of the participants at the close of the workshop, most of them expressed satisfaction with the experience and the knowledge acquired.
Yannick Fonki, one of the participants, told The SUN that, the workshop has improved and sharpened his skills especially concerning environmental or conservation issues. “I will be able to fully involve my community in the conservation discuss so that they would not only get the information but be able to live through the information and apply some of the conservation best practices.”
The workshop comes at a time when the effects of climate change are already being felt with flooding that recently struck the central town of the nation’s capital, Yaoundé.