Securing Permanent Forests to Combat Climate Change and Enhance Sustainable National Local Economies in Cameroon

Background: 

IUCN has submitted the SPEFOCE funding proposal to the Green Climate Fund to be tabled at the 45^th Board meeting to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 29 June – 2^nd July. 

Rationale:

Cameroon has experienced significant forest cover loss, including in Permanent Forest Areas (PFAs), which threatens biodiversity, undermines ecosystem services, and exacerbates climate change, as forests play a critical role in carbon sequestration and climate regulation. Deforestation and forest degradation are increasingly driven by the combined effects of climate variability including changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures, and anthropogenic pressures such as agricultural expansion, illegal logging, population growth, and unsustainable harvesting of forest resources. Forest-dependent communities, particularly in and around PFAs, are disproportionately affected due to high reliance on climate-sensitive natural resources and limited adaptive capacity.

Efforts to avoid and limit PFA degradation and restore them are constrained by financial, economic, ecological, political, social, and technical factors that interact at the national and local levels. 

In this context, sustainable forest management and restoration are essential adaptation strategies, as they enhance water regulation, stabilize soils, buffer microclimates, and diversify climate-resilient livelihood options, thereby reducing vulnerability to climate shocks.

Objectives: 

The project objective is to transform land use and forest management practices in and around Permanent Forest Areas (PFAs) into climate-resilient, low-emission and economically viable systems that sustainably generate forest ecosystem goods and services for national and local economies, reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and strengthen the climate change resilience of forest-dependent communities and ecosystems. Over a 20-year accounting period, the project is expected to deliver a combined portfolio mitigation potential of approximately 2,467,777 tCO_₂e, comprising 1,589,313 tCO_₂e from avoided emissions and 878,464 tCO_₂e from enhanced sequestration, across approximately 60,008 ha of forest and agricultural landscapes.

Components:
 
To achieve this objective, the project adopts a holistic approach structured around four technical (4) components: 

Component 1: Climate-smart sustainable forest management (SFM) and land restoration practices effectively implemented in targeted forest landscapes

Component 2: Value chain development and transformation are operational

Component 3: Stakeholders’ capacities are strengthened on climate-resilient land-use practices

Component 4: Strong project monitoring and knowledge‑driven partnerships

Landscapes of intervention:

Landscapes of Waza, Dja- Lobeke, Bakossi- and Bamboutous, in Cameroon

Region: 

West and Central Africa

Total Project Budget including co-financing: 

46m USD

Executing Entities:

Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF)

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)