WWF COUNTRY OFFICE



T
he Country Office, which operated in Douala was completely moved to Yaoundé in October 1994. The WWF­Cameroon Programme cultivated meaningful partnerships with a number of indigenous NGOs and CBOs in all agro­ecological zones of Cameroon. Collaborative activities with these local partners have focused on providing technical support and training. Some highlights of their activities:

  • WWF­CPO has provided support to the Centre for Environment and Rural Transformation, a Limbe­based NGO, to train CBOs in Conservation Project Areas in the production of mushrooms as a cash crop and as a means of improving diet. The idea was also to reduce the demand on bushmeat and thus pressure on animal populations.

  • Four workshops were organized by WWF­CPO in collaboration with organizations like UNDP and USAID for NGO leaders in Natural Resource Management and project development.

  • WWF­CPO is a member of the Country Working Group and National Selection Committee of GEF/Small Grants Programme. It has been directly involved in advising, monitoring and evaluating the work of the NGOs and CBOs benefitting from grants.

  • WWF­CPO provides the chair of the Joint Environmental Unit (JEU), a service­oriented organization comprising NGOs, CBOs, International Organizations, Academic and Research Institutions and some donor agencies. The JEU has over 100 members and is represented in all geo­ecological zones of Cameroon. It facilitates and promotes networking, information exchange, education and communication in natural resources and ecosystem management.

  • In June 1994, an organization called the African Forest Action Network (AFAN) was created as the culmination of a seminar organized by WWF­CPO and other bodies. AFAN's goals: to promote the conservation of forests and the sustainable use of forest resources, emphasizing the well­being of people. AFAN is an informal group of African NGOs­­currently 55 from 11 different countries­­which disseminates information and exchanges experience among members. It coordinates lobbying activities in the field of sustainable management of forests. This NGO network was mainly funded and technically assisted by WWF. Its coordination office is based in Yaoundé.

WWF­CPO's own field projects have had a demonstrable impact in various areas. It now has a high public profile and is considered among the top one or two conservation organizations in Cameroon. WWF­CPO's partnership is sought by the government, International Organizations, including the World Bank and UNDP, International NGOs and agencies such as Living Earth and Birdlife International.




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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature