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ICENECDEV commits to Cameroon’s mountains

23.01.2020

The International Center for Environmental Education & Community Development (ICENECDEV) in Cameroon has released its “Action Plan 2020”, mapping the ways in which the organization will work toward achieving the environmental components of Agenda 2030 throughout this year. Mountains play a key role in ICENECDEV’s plans for 2020.

The organization aims to address intersectional environmental, social and economic issues that affect communities in Cameroon and the African continent as a whole. ICENECDEV works with integral actors, from locals to academia to the private sector, to achieve its goals.

ICENECDEV’s action plan is composed of 12 core actions, one of which focuses specifically on mountains. The organization plans to promote the conservation of biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. Specific actions include celebrating international United Nations days like World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, liaise with key stakeholders to create lasting impact at the national level and execute an expansive communications campaign at the local and national level. They will utilize many strategic alliances and resources to accomplish these goals, including the Mountain Partnership and the Government of Cameroon.

Cameroon is home to Mount Cameroon (4 095 m), the highest point in sub-Saharan western and central Africa. It is part of a range of mountains and hills that separate Cameroon from Nigeria in the north.

African mountains’ environments and biodiversity must be protected. Mountains in Africa harbour the continent's most fertile soils, allowing high yield agriculture to thrive and contributing significantly to food security in the region. For example, Mount Cameroon’s rich volcanic soils support bananas, rubber, oil palms, tea and cacao.

In a continent dominated by arid and semi-arid areas, African mountains function as water towers for millions of people. Low-lying arid areas in countries such as Sudan and Namibia receive water from large rivers with mountain sources, while in East Africa, Mount Kenya is the only source of freshwater for more than seven million people. African mountains house many ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, drylands, rivers and wetlands, and are home to unique biodiversity including the critically endangered mountain gorillas of Central Africa and Uganda.

With global warming, high population growth and intensive land-use threatening Africa’s mountains, urgent policy action is needed to create the enabling conditions for promoting sustainable development and investment in these mountain areas.

News from ICENECDEV

Photo from Nili Majumder