Multi-stakeholder consultation frameworks have been set up to guide and monitor the development of wood-energy value chains in the target regions.

In the Eastern Region, a regional platform has been set up by the Minister in charge of forests and wildlife, under the chairmanship of the Regional Governor.

In the Far North, a regional wood-energy unit (CRBE) has been set up.

These consultation frameworks are held every six months, and serve as a forum for taking stock of progress in the value chains concerned, as well as formulating guidelines for their smooth operation.

The strategic direction of the wood-energy value chains, embodied in the strategy documents drawn up, is the result of a consultation process involving the various stakeholders meeting within these consultative bodies.

The resolutions resulting from these meetings have enabled certain advances to be made, namely: i) the definition of a regulatory framework for the production and marketing of wood-energy; ii) the development and validation of guideline standards for the management of dryland forests.

Cameroon's NDC specifies contributions to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

It provides for the reduction of unsustainable fuelwood consumption through, for example, sustainable wood-energy management, improved stoves, and the promotion of methanization and/or butanization in rural areas.

The regional strategies developed are in themselves locally appropriate mitigation measures for wood-energy value chains.

In terms of adaptation, the reforestation actions carried out as part of this solution are fully in line with the NDC's Adaptation Program No. 19 relating to the forestry sector.

The use of improved fireplaces by households, thanks to the wood savings achieved, and the carbonization of sawmill waste, constitute concrete greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation activities. Similarly, restoring the ecosystem functions of degraded areas through individual reforestation is an added value in terms of adaptation. However, although these initiatives are fully in line with the objectives of the UNFCCC, a mechanism for accounting for their contributions at national level is not yet operational.

The shortfall between supply and demand for wood fuel in northern regions has led to an ever-increasing degradation of natural resources, a reduction in vegetation cover and a drop in agricultural productivity.

Individual reforestation is carried out on a small scale, on areas ranging from 0.25 to 5 ha. Two main types of reforestation have been implemented: i) agroforestry reforestation, which takes place on cultivated land with the aim of improving farmland productivity despite climate change; ii) forest reforestation, which takes place on degraded land unsuitable for farming, with the aim of restoring degraded forest cover and improving the supply of ecosystem goods and services.

The creation and management of a private plantation follows the main stages of reforestation in dry savannah zones, as described in the GIZ manual on the technical itinerary for reforestation in dry savannah zones in Cameroon.

Beneficiaries were provided with training and technical data sheets for setting up and monitoring individual reforestation plots.

The promotion and use of Foyer Amélioré (FA) is one of the mitigation strategies used by GIZ/ECO Consult to reduce pressure on the timber forest resource in the Far North, as their use reduces household wood consumption and related expenditure.The dissemination and use of Foyer Amélioré Trois pierres (FA3P) and Foyer Amélioré bil-bil in the Far North region since 2015 has enabled a significant and rapid reduction in wood-energy consumption.

Dissemination of the FA3P essentially targets rural and peri-urban areas where wood is the only source of combustion (over 95% of the population depend on it) and building materials are locally available and free of charge, whereas the FA Bil-bil targets rural and urban areas due to the presence of wood-using Small and Medium Enterprises.

The East Cameroon Region is the country's main forest region. It has 24 wood processing units, generating around 500,000 m3 of scrap wood per year.

The carbonization of sawmill waste has gradually been introduced, given the enormous waste observed in wood processing (material yield of 35%).

Support consisted in organizing and structuring producer groups. Once these producer groups had been legally recognized, efforts were made to sign sawmill scrap agreements with raw material holders, in order to secure the supply of scrap wood to charcoal makers.

The professionalization of charcoal makers in the production chain has focused on the development and implementation of Environmental Impact Notices for charcoal-making activities, and training in improved charcoal-making techniques. It also involved facilitating access to the secure transport documents needed to bring coal to market.

An institutional framework for monitoring the value chain has been set up at regional level, to ensure the improvement of framework conditions for the value chain.

Harvesting water through Watershed Development (WSD) is an important and widely accepted technique to increase the supply to meet the water requirements and make a village water secure. WSD is based on the principle of catching rainwater on ground surface; by constructing locale appropriate area treatments (Close Contour Trenches, Farm bunding, Tree plantation, Terracing, etc.) and drainage line structures (Gully plugs, Loose boulder structures, check dams, etc.), thus increasing the water stock on the surface and in aquifers. To implement water stewardship effectively, WSD plays a major role as it primarily strengthens supply side management. However, having implemented watershed treatments, regular repairs and maintenance are important to continue receiving the benefits.

Once the water budget of the village is calculated, the repair and maintenance requirement of water harvesting structures are documented. If village is water deficit, repairs and maintenance works are taken up in summer season for structures to function to their full potential. If the deficit is high and runs for longer period, new soil and water conservation structures are erected. All these works are done through Shramdaan (local contribution generally in kind) and convergence with the government and other donor projects if available.

The water budget focuses on central issues of environmentally sustainable and efficient management of available water. They are accepted by the local general body (Gram Sabha), the most important step in water governance.

The WB process has two steps:

1. The WB prepared in March / April calculates the water requirement for the whole year including that for the proposed Kharif (Monsoon), Rabi (winter) and summer crops. This exercise presents the water deficit which encourages the village to undertake repairs and maintenance of the water harvesting (WSD) structures earlier constructed, to meet the demand estimated in the water budget.

2. The water budget prepared in October (post monsoons) helps in planning for the Rabi season and to decide whether cultivating summer crops would be viable. This water budget calculates the total water available for use within the village for: (a) the water requirement is prioritized for domestic, livestock, and other livelihood needs after which the net water balance is considered available for agriculture. (b) Crops are selected and the area for their cultivation decided upon for the Rabi and summer seasons.

In order to avoid generating expectations or contradictions among the different stakeholders in the area of influence, prior to the consultation process with potential beneficiaries, a broad process of socialization of the project was carried out with local authorities, indigenous organizations, community representatives, describing the project, its scope and coverage.

A diagnosis of the situation of the Lenca communities was then carried out in order to strengthen knowledge of their culture and determine probable approaches for consultation.

Based on the diagnosis and socialization, we proceeded to shape the process of direct consultations with the communities about the project, its implications and the potential participation of the communities.

This block refers to the set of activities and processes that strengthen the exchange of information and experiences related to the design, implementation and monitoring of the solution. This allows building a shared knowledge base with the potential to facilitate the adaptation process and accelerate innovation and expected change/adjustments.

The main activities are:

• Formation and training of commissions to recover local narratives that interweave actors, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and changes that are triggered throughout the adaptation process,
• Systematization of the solution to identify lessons learned and confirm the results of the process.
• Elaboration and dissemination of materials with great communicative power that show the territory, the actions carried out and the main protagonists of the adaptation process.

The SbN citizen monitoring exercise is a useful tool in the analysis of better solution alternatives for local communities, but also to promote good governance and transparency, since it allows citizens to learn about the problems and challenges of ecosystem-based adaptation actions and to propose complementary alternatives for improving social organization, diversifying economic activities, new governance practices, among others:

• to know the problems and challenges of ecosystem-based adaptation actions and the proposal of complementary alternatives for the improvement of social organization, diversification of economic activities, new governance practices, among others.
• Raise realistic expectations about collective action and better understand their role as contributors to local well-being.
• Recognize the relationship between adaptation to climate change and local development that responds to the needs, demands and realities of vulnerable groups.