Sustainable wood-energy management in Cameroon: regional strategies as tools to limit the effects of climate change and support economic development

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.

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 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.

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.

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.