Context and Justification:
In the North West Region of Cameroon, water catchments are much solicited areas in villages due to permanent presence of water all over the year. According to the baseline study of North West Region (2006), increase in population pressure has resulted to a corresponding increase of human impact on the environment especially catchment areas. Deforestation, farming with the use of chemicals, grazing, bush fires, planting of unfriendly trees such as eucalyptus around catchments and the laying out of fields on slopes are some of the activities that lead to soil erosion, pollution, siltation and drying up of water catchments. Water sources in around and around catchments are being degraded and has led to shortages in water supply in adjacent communities.
The existence of weak and poorly trained Water Management Committees (WMC), limited awareness of community members on importance of water catchments protection and existence of conflicts between stakeholders (Farmers, Grazers, WMC and Councils), cannot be left out. These have also contributed to the unsustainable management of catchments areas around the region.
Although the Cameroonian government issued a decree in 2001 to organize the protection of water catchments areas, most of these water sources are treated as individual properties by those who own the land. These landlords do not respect the legal prescription in force such as: acquisition of land certificate, demarcation of catchments, fire tracing, fencing (live and dead fencing) and planting of water friendly trees.
This pressure on water resources highlights the hydrological, social, economic and ecological interdependencies in water catchment areas. These interdependencies demand more integrated approaches to developing and managing water and land resources. The present trajectory is made to stimulate a dynamic relationship between water catchment areas stakeholders and councils authorities, who have to work together to ensure the viability of their decisions in meeting sustainable development goals.
Provide advisory services to New Forest Project clients in order to conduce a trajectory that aims to manage and develop water resources in a sustainable and balanced way, taking into account of social, economic and environmental interests of riparian populations in rural council areas.
- Increase awareness of community members and stakeholders on water catchment protection
- Improve on the database of needs of stakeholders around catchment areas
- Institute a plan to protect water catchments within the council areas
- Ensure effective monitoring of catchments protection