By NDUMBE BELL GASTON
The people of Bamunkumbit, one of Ngoketunjia Division’s 13 villages in the North West region, with a population of about 20 000 inhabitants made up of mostly farmers and Mbororo grazers, have actively been engaged in the process of afforestation, targeting a 50 hectares virgin highland under the banner of the Bamunkumbit Integrated Community Forest Project. The project is driven and coordinated by the Support Humanity Cameroon SUHUCAM, a community based humanitarian and development organisation with the goal of counteracting the negative effects of climate change in a bid to restore rural prosperity and fight rural exodus.
Geoffrey Sunday Mbafoambe who heads the new humanitarian outfit says the community forest project which was launched last August 17, 2019 started with the afforestation of 1800 trees in a two-hectare space and another 200 trees, some of them made up of medicinal plants, were allocated for the village neighbourhoods. The SUN gathered that 75% of tree contributions were donated by the National Forestry Development Agency (ANAFOR) and the remaining 25% contributed by community-based organisations made up of adults, youths and Mbororos.
According to Sunday Mbafoambe, some of the natural resources was not environmentally friendly to others: “We realised that this waterfall was running dry because the eucalyptus plants on its surroundings were instead absorbing the water. So, we will fell these trees and replace them with more environmentally friendly trees which will conserve water in the area. When the project must have gained maturity we will transform the waterfall into a tourism destination” he revealed.
He furthered that they envisage to afforest 55,550 trees such as Wenge, Maligna and others, including fruit trees and food crops by 2023 on the 50-hectare land.