photo: keoki seu

ClientEarth's Feja Lesniewska and Nathalie Faure describe arriving in Cameroon for a workshop on forest law in Africa.

We arrived to a hot and humid Douala, Cameroon, West Africa last night for a workshop on ‘How can community control of forest lands be secured, delivered and maintained?’ This is a collaboration with our partner organisations FERN, Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and, Cameroon- based, CED. The workshop funded by the EU is part of our Rights and Governance work under the Climate and Forest Programme. It aims to provide an opportunity for the 57 participants from seven central and West African countries:  Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana and Liberia -- to discuss substantive and procedural forest-related law reforms from a community-based perspective. This will be framed within FLEGT and REDD processes which currently dominate the forest law reform landscape.

Each of the country’s involved are sending at least two participants, one NGO and one community representative. Over the course of three days we will be hearing from them of their concerns, challenges and aspirations and exploring what strategichow solutions ClientEarth can assist and support these partners in the development of solutions supporting along with our other partners.

Our first full day in Cameroon was busy with preparatory meetings with our partners and fellow workshop organisers discussing the agenda, thematic issues and the challenges faced by forest- based communities in central and West Africa today. A common concern that many spoke of today is the leasing or sale of land for agricultural use by foreign states and/or companies and coupled with the lack of clear legal rights (or rights enforcement) legal safeguards   for forest-dependent communities.

This evening all of the participants will arrive at the hotel where the workshop is being held. This is a great opportunity for us to meet with these people and to begin the sharing over locally caught fish and national Cameroonian beer (in moderation!). We will be sending further blogs to let you know how the next three days have gone and what steps ClientEarth, with our partners, will be taking contribute to improve forest governance in these countries.