Biodiversity
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| Country: | CAMEROON, REPUBLIC OF |
| Grantee: | GIC Malimba Ocean - GIC Malimba Ocean (Community Based Organization) |
| Focal Area: | Biodiversity |
| Op. Program: | OP2 - Costal, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
| Project Type: | Full |
| Operational Phase: | OP3 - Y2 (Mar 06 - Feb 07) |
| Dates: | 7/2007 - 12/2008 |
| Grant Amount: | 16 651,00 USD |
| Project Status: | Currently under execution |
| Project Types: | Capacity Building |
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Project Details & Results
Malimba is a village within the Lower Sanaga Basin of the Douala – Edea reserve. The major activities of this community include agriculture and fishing, but particularly the exploitation and processing of bivalves which is the mainstay of the local economy with over 80% of the population dependent on it which spans from November to May.
There is a very clearly gender distribution in the activity as men are mainly involved in the exploitation (fishing) from the river basin and the processing of the shells through burning and bagging latter evacuated to industrial towns of Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam to produce ceramics and animal feeds being very rich in calcium. Women are involved in the processing by cooking of the bivalves to extract the meat put in steaks “soya’’ bought locally or sold in nearby towns. Over 800 tonnes of bivalves are extracted annually from the area with annual revenue of more than 500 million francs CFA. The execution of this activity has effects both on the population and on the environment. The highly fragile and vulnerable mangrove forest is widely cut to smoke or burn bivalves thus threatening the biological production base due to disappearance of nursery zones.
This project proposes a two-step strategy to address the human and environmental effects. The first step is the organisation and capacity building of the Malimba Ocean CIG that is involved in bivalve exploitation and processing, to carry out improved exploitation of bivalves so as to ensure sustainability. The second step involves the use of energy saving technology as a strategy to reduce the over exploitation of wood as well as the health effects that stem from the execution of this activity.
Project Results
1. Workshops on Group Dynamism, Participation, Leadership and Management, Communication, gender mainstreaming were carried out; and 23 (11men, 12 women) group members benefited from them.
2. Systematic evaluation/stock taking exercises for group activities are carried out. One training workshop was organised on the above mentioned theme and 23 (11men, 12 women) group members benefiteded from it.
3. Sensitisation meeting were held with community based-organisation members to explain the appropriate methods for bivalves fishing and processing.
4. Acquired knowledge on bivalves fishing is implemented (Use of diving glasses). One training workshop was organized to explain the utilization and the maintenance of diving glasses attended by 25 participants (13 men, 12 women).
5. 8 improved smoke ovens have yet been constructed for Common Initiative Group members. A training session will be organised for beneficiaries to gradually experience the improved ovens. Socio-economic benefits include: improved working conditions; Physical energy savings due to reduced quantity of fire wood to fetch; money savings due to the reduced quantity of fire wood to by; and reduced health related effects. Environmental benefits are a reduced quantity of fire wood to harvest from the forest leasing in the long term to the restoration of disturbed forest spaces.