By Mercy Fosoh
WWF Cameroon has officially launched the RESPONSE Project (Reducing Poverty and Nature Loss through Sustainable Economic Opportunities) in Bertoua, backed by Swiss‑Belgian cocoa multinational Barry Callebaut. The five‑year initiative, worth FCFA 1.3 billion (€2 million), is designed to reduce poverty while protecting forest ecosystems through sustainable cocoa production in the East Region.
According to WWF Cameroon, the project will be implemented across 31,000 hectares in the Boumba and Ngoko division, covering six community forests, two cocoa producers’ cooperatives and one cooperative specialising in non-timber forest products. More than 800 cocoa producers are expected to benefit directly, with an estimated 4,000 people impacted overall. RESPONSE focuses on agroforestry cocoa systems, rehabilitation of old cocoa farms and improved market access, while discouraging agricultural expansion into forest areas. Cameroon’s forests account for about 41 per cent of national territory but face increasing pressure from farming expansion and illegal exploitation.
“The objective is clear: improve productivity and incomes without extending agricultural land,” said Jean Paul Nlend Nkott, Senior Cocoa Expert at WWF. He explained that the project prioritises better yields on existing farms, alongside sustainable forest use, as a means of stabilising household incomes while reducing deforestation. The initiative also places emphasis on capacity-building for cooperatives and structured participation of local actors.
Beyond farm-level production, RESPONSE includes governance and institutional components designed to strengthen community forest management. WWF Cameroon said the project will support inclusive decision-making, with particular focus on women and indigenous communities involved in cocoa and forest-based value chains. The approach aligns conservation objectives with economic activity in the TRIDOM landscape, a cross-border forest zone shared by Cameroon, Congo and Gabon. By positioning cocoa as an economic driver within regulated forest landscapes, the project aims to demonstrate how agricultural value chains can contribute to rural incomes while maintaining forest cover.
The launch event in Bertoua brought together producers, cooperatives, community leaders and institutional partners to establish a shared implementation framework. WWF Cameroon stated that RESPONSE is designed as a scalable model for sustainable cocoa landscapes, combining private-sector financing, community participation and long-term forest conservation within one integrated economic programme.
