SUHUCAM and local community in discussion
Group photo
By Apongse Ateh
Across many communities in Cameroon in particular and Africa in general, land degradation and climate change are converging to create a growing crisis. Unsustainable land use, deforestation and soil erosion have left millions of hectares barren, stripping communities of the natural resources they rely on. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change , shifting rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and more frequent droughts and floods ,are compounding pressures on agriculture and water resources. The Northwest region in Cameroon has not been spared of this land degradation crisis.
It is against this backdrop that local leaders, volunteers, and environmental advocates gathered in Bamunkumbit on August 1st and 2nd,2025 to launch a year-long watershed restoration project aimed at reviving the Mbingmboh River and safeguarding rural livelihoods in the Northwest region of Cameroon. The initiative led by Support Humanity Cameroon (SUHUCAM) and financed through the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative Return Grants, seeks to restore degraded catchments around the Mbingmboh River, a water source that supports several rural communities and key livelihood activities.
The official launch began with an inception meeting attended by traditional authorities, local development stakeholders, minority group representatives, and members of the Bamunkumbit Integrated Community Forest (BICFOR) Village Forest Management Committee. During the meeting, Sunday Geofrey, the project lead, explained the key components of the initiative. “These include nursery establishment, tree planting, supported natural regeneration of the Mbingmboh watershed, capacity strengthening in sustainable agricultural practices, distribution of agroforestry tree species to smallholder farmers, beekeeping support, and the formation of a Mbingmboh Water Management Committee,” he said. He equally stressed that while the project is externally funded, its success depends on local ownership and leadership. “At Support Humanity Cameroon, we believe that when communities are empowered, they lead. This is not our project it is your project,” Sunday Geofrey told participants after the first round of tree planting.
Tree Planting to restore degraded land
The second day of the launch saw more than 35 community volunteers converge on the restoration site to begin planting over 500 bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) and Raphia mambillensis trees at identified points along the watershed. The activity marked a symbolic but significant step toward regenerating the damaged ecosystem.
A River in Decline
The Mbingmboh River, which runs through the villages of Bamunkumbit, Baligashu, Bafanji, and Bambalang before flowing into the Bamendjin Dam, is a vital water source for pastoralists, subsistence farmers, sand miners, and fisherfolks. But in recent years, the watershed has suffered from increasing degradation due to deforestation, bushfires, unsustainable farming practices, and climate change. This degradation has had direct consequences on the communities that depend on it. “This water used to flow all year round when I settled here in the 1960s,” said Bouba, a pastoralist living near the watershed. “We had enough water to drink and feed our animals. But things are changing. Last year [2024], all our water sources dried up during the dry season. We had to fetch water from a single source, and over five horses died because they had nothing to drink. This has never happened before.”
Local farmers and sand miners have also reported declining yields and increasing hardship due to the loss of soil fertility and reduced water access.
A Community-Driven Approach
The project is part of the wider Bamunkumbit Integrated Community Forest (BICFOR) restoration initiative, which Support Humanity Cameroon began in 2019. The initiative promotes environmental sustainability, community forest management, and climate adaptation strategies across the region.
At the launch, traditional rulers applauded the effort and pledged their full support. They called on the population particularly young people, to take the project seriously and actively participate in its implementation. “Restoring this river is restoring our future,” Pa Ayah Edward remarked.
Project organisers say the restoration effort will not only revive the Mbingmboh watershed but also serve as a model for sustainable landscape management across similar rural ecosystems in Cameroon. As droughts intensify and resources dwindle, many hope this project will be a turning point for both the environment and the communities that depend on it.
Women were very active in the tree planting exercise
