Voice of Nature (VoNat) Climate Action team has monitored and evaluated trees planted some 2 months ago in public spaces and river sites in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon, within the framework of the organization’s climate justice initiative implemented with funds from CDKN and the Mcginnity Family Foundation. The monitoring and evaluation exercise, which took place on July 23, 2024 was aimed at identifying key threats to the survival of the trees for the development of protection and sustainable management measures.
The Climate Action team noted that 25% of the trees planted were either eaten by strayed goats or cleared by local inhabitants, mostly accidentally, while 5% died from transplanting shock. Based on these results and discovery, the organization organized a series of strategic meetings to strategise for the protection and sustainable management of surviving trees. In this light, plans are underway by the VoNat technical team to fence all surviving trees against any further destruction by strayed goats and residents. They are also making arrangements to establishment a tree nursery to raise more trees and replace those destroyed.
According to the Director of Programmes and Climate Action Coordinator at VoNat, Dr. Dongang Cerephine, landscape restoration and fighting climate change transcends the mere planting of trees to sustainably monitoring and ensure their survival. “Thousands of trees are planted every year, but very few of the survive. This his is because they are not being monitored,” she noted.
VoNat believes that monitoring and accountability of trees planted are necessary to ensure that tree planting efforts are effective, efficient and contribute meaningfully to climate change mitigation and landscape restoration.
By Kang Brita Ebude (UB Journalism Student on Internship)