Cameroon Grants Indigenous Baka More Access to Protected Forests


Bertoua — The government of Cameroon and the indigenous Baka people in the country’s southeast have agreed to an updated memorandum of understanding that provides them with more access to natural resources in the country’s protected forest areas.

The memorandum, that was signed on 19 September in the regional capital Bertoua, expands upon an initial agreement that was reached in 2019 that gave Baka communities unfettered access to the Lobeke and Boumba Bek National Parks.

Under the new deal, the original forest dwellers will now be able to reach the Nki National Park and the Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve which are essential for maintaining their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

According to Cameroon’s Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo, the upgraded agreement is “another milestone moment in our efforts to promote the rights of indigenous people and local communities in the preservation of biodiversity in southeast Cameroon.”

Hailing the pledge, the minister added, “This new commitment will not just promote Baka rights, but will also foster participatory natural resource management and the wellbeing of communities around protected areas.”

Joseph Johnson – president of the Baka ASBABUK association who signed on behalf of the indigenous people – underlined that incorporating Baka opinions into the final text of the MoU represents an important step towards the state’s acknowledgement of indigenous rights to forest resources.

However, this hasn’t always been the case. The Lobeke, Nki, and Boumba Bek National Parks, as well as the Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve – which together encompass over 765,000 hectares – were established by the Cameroonian government between 2001 and 2014, severely restricting Baka access to their traditional forest habitat.

“You couldn’t get into the forest without being harassed by eco-guards,” Baka woman Ndobo Marianne Catherine told RFI.

Yet, without the forest “the Baka will cease to exist as a people,” she added.

Pointing to some tree bark samples and herbs on an exhibition stand, Yenjo Henri stressed that the forest represents everything for the Baka.

“We hunt and gather in the forest. We harvest herbs and tree barks to treat ourselves when we are sick. It is our pharmacy. We harvest wild tubers and honey … and it is in these forests that we perform our traditional rites … where we get into conversation with our ancestors,” the 44-year old told RFI.

By creating protected areas, Cameroon’s government effectively violated Article 31 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which gives indigenous people the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage.