Source: Greenpeace Statement –
Yaoundé, March 21, 2026 – On the occasion of the International Day of Forests, Greenpeace Africa organized a public mobilization in Yaoundé aimed at raising awareness about the protection of the Congo Basin forests and the rights of local communities.
To mark this day, the organization brought together youth, civil society actors, public institutions, journalists, and scientists around public engagement activities, including panel discussions, exhibitions, and mobilization initiatives. The objective was to strengthen collective awareness and build a united front against the threats facing forests and biodiversity.
The results of investigations conducted by journalists in Cameroon reveal an alarming expansion of mining activity in the East of the country. In just 14 years, the mining area there has increased by 5,000%, growing from 82 hectares in 2010 to over 4,600 hectares in 2024. This dynamic has been accompanied by an estimated loss of nearly 270,000 hectares of primary forest.
Forests play an essential role in climate regulation, particularly at the local level, and contribute, along with soils, to carbon storage. In this context, the International Day of Forests serves as a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen their protection and to combat environmental crime and governance failures more effectively.
The mobilization held in Yaoundé also facilitated a constructive dialogue on forest governance, the securing of community land rights, and the promotion of sustainable solutions led by indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
For Greenpeace Africa, these reforms are essential to ensure the effective protection of forests and the well-being of the populations that depend on them.
“The exploitation of natural resources very often takes place on lands claimed by communities under their customary land rights. Far from fostering local development, these projects cause considerable environmental and social damage and threaten ecosystems that communities have protected for generations,” stated Stella Tchoukep, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.
Local communities and indigenous peoples are thus deprived of their agricultural lands and forests, once sources of livelihood, today degraded and polluted.
Greenpeace Africa calls on the Cameroonian government to strengthen forest protection mechanisms and guarantee the rights of the communities whose livelihoods depend on them. Specifically, the organization urges decision-makers to:
- Recognize and secure the customary land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities within the ongoing reforms;
- Establish a moratorium on new oil, gas, mining, and agro-industrial projects in areas of high ecological value;
- Guarantee direct and equitable access for communities to climate and biodiversity funding;
- Promote community-led solutions, such as agroecology and sustainable local economies developed within community forests.
This mobilization also takes place in a context where Greenpeace Africa has launched a petition calling on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to recognize the climate crisis, caused in part by deforestation, as a human rights violation.
Stella Tchoukep, Forest Campaigner, [email protected] , +237 6 94 59 06 79
Luchelle Feukeng Tabo, Communication and storytelling manager, Greenpeace Afrique [email protected]/+237656463545