- Satellite data and imagery show that logging has continued in Cameroon’s species-rich Ebo Forest since 2022, despite repeated warnings from conservationists and local communities.
- The logging operations are being carried out by two companies, SCIEB and the little-known Sextransbois.
- Conservation experts warn of the potential for conflicts between loggers and local communities because of disrupted access.
- The Cameroonian government says it has an “ecological conscience” and is keen on the preservation of the country’s wildlife resources.
In the heart of southwestern Cameroon, Ebo Forest is under immense threat from logging. This pristine and vibrant biodiverse ecosystem spanning 200,000 hectares (490,000 acres) is considered a critically important habitat for many rare animals, including Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglydtes ellioti) known to use tools for cracking coula nuts and fishing for termites. Ebo also harbors numerous critically endangered wildlife, including western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli), forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), and one of two of the country’s only Preuss’s red colobus (Piliocolobus preussi) populations.
Historically, Ebo’s habitat has been left relatively unscathed, with less than 0.3% primary forest cleared between 2002 and 2021, according to satellite data from monitoring platform Global Forest Watch (GFW). Meanwhile, the surrounding Littoral region of Cameroon lost nearly 8% during that same time.
But in 2022, despite repeated warnings from conservationists and local communities that it would have dire impacts on area wildlife, a group of local politicians and businesspeople began construction of a road that pierced Ebo’s southern portion. Another road transected northeastern Ebo in 2023, according to data from GFW.
Forest loss has only intensified further in 2024, with satellite data and imagery showing the proliferation of what appear to be logging roads and associated clearing in southeastern Ebo.
There had been plans to conserve Ebo Forest’s unique biodiversity by designating the ecosystem a national park. But the plans failed to materialize in 2012 after a large number of the Indigenous Banen people opposed it, citing fears they could be permanently alienated from their ancestral land. This was despite massive awareness-raising campaigns by conservation organizations. The proposed upgrade to national park was also dashed due to a dearth of funding and lack of a strong political will and commitment.
In 2020, the government created two logging concessions in the forest, but an outcry from conservationists pressured it to suspend the logging. However, three years later, under murky circumstances, the government went back on its initial plan — reclassifying Forest Management Unit (FMU) 07-006, which covers 68,385 hectares (168,983 acres), and FMU 07-005, which spans 65,007 hectares (160,635 acres), and opening them up to commercial logging.
The government awarded FMU 07-005 to logging company SCIEB and FMU 07-006 to Sextransbois, both in blatant violation of Cameroonian law, according to a group of conservation organizations. In a joint petition dated April 24, 2024, and addressed to European and U.S. governments, the group noted that the award procedure was noncompliant: the awards lacked a public call for tender, input from an interministerial award commission, and competitive bids, among other irregularities.
“Local communities of the Banen people with insecure customary land rights, are tricked into accepting the industrial logging with false promises that they will be allowed to return to their ancestral villages and receive large amounts of forestry taxes,” the petition said. “The ‘consultations’ undertaken are in no way compliant with the requirements of international human rights law for consultations and free, prior and informed consent.”
Local residents say logging continues through the Ebo forest, with timber trucks hauling wood across newly created dirt roads to the port city of Douala almost daily. The logging operations are being carried out by SCIEB and little-known Sextransbois, whose operations are largely shrouded in secrecy; very little information about the company is publicly available.
On the World Resources Institute’s Open Timber Portal, a platform to promote transparency in the harvesting and trade of timber, Sextransbois is ranked last in out of 131 logging companies operating in Cameroon. It hasn’t uploaded any of the required documents on the portal, nor has it made public any information related to its operations.
All attempts by Mongabay to reach Sextransbois and SCIEB for comment were unsuccessful.
Unlike the 2020 version of the prime ministerial decree classifying parts of Ebo Forest for logging, the latest one states that “enclaves shall be created within the forest area” and that plans will be drawn up “to facilitate the return of populations to their villages.” It also says concessions have to be managed in line with wildlife protection regulations, including mitigating human-wildlife conflict, poaching and wildlife crimes. These safeguards are outlined in the decree in theory; but in practice, conservationists say, the reality is different.
Lamfu Fabrice Yengong, a forest campaigner with Greenpeace Africa, said the group’s timber-tracking investigations show wood shipments flowing constantly from the Ebo Forest area to the ports of Douala and Kribi.
“We were expecting that after this declassification was actually suspended, we were going to have a complete shutdown of all the bastardized deforestation going on in the area,” he said, noting that the felling of trees is progressing at an exponential rate.
According to Yengong, the opaqueness of the companies makes it difficult to stop their operations. “But the resistance continues,” he said.
A researcher in forest ecology, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, confirmed that logging operations in the area were at really concerning levels.
The researcher said Sextransbois doesn’t mark the stumps of some of the trees it cuts, in violation of forestry laws. This obscures the origins of logs extracted from within Ebo Forest.
“Also, for some unexplained reasons, we have seen that there is abandonment of logs on the field whereas regulations stipulate that all logged trees must be sold. This means the government of Cameroon has lost money and we have lost biodiversity,” the researcher said. They also noted that field monitoring has been made challenging because third parties have to seek permission from the companies before entering the area or risk being accused of trespassing.
Anthony Agbor, a biodiversity conservation strategist and landscape director at the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), said the government’s decision to approve logging concessions in Ebo Forest, despite its critical role in sequestering carbon dioxide, will contribute to biodiversity loss and global warming.
“Logging operations will inevitably result in the clearing of large swaths of pristine forest, destroying the habitats of countless species, including endangered gorillas and chimpanzees. This could lead to the irreversible loss of species and genetic diversity,” Agbor said.
He also warned of the potential for conflicts between loggers and local communities because of disrupted access for the latter to resources, and added that soil erosion and water pollution resulting from logging operations could also compromise water quality for local communities.
Members of the more than 40 Banen communities dotted around the periphery of Ebo Forest, who depend on it for their livelihoods and to maintain their culture, are also speaking out.
“It is very concerning that our customary land has been turned into private property of the state, with the aim of exploiting it and with no right of return for our people,” said Victor Yetina, chief of the Ndikbassogog 1 clan and a representative of the Association Munen Retour aux Sources, an advocacy group of Banen community members.
Citing concerns about the future of their forest and way of life, Yetina said they’ve taken the government to court in a bid to annul the concessions and stop the logging companies from destroying their ancestral lands.
“No one can accept that his or her village, with ancestral graves, be made state property. It’s either we are Cameroonians or we are not,” he said, adding they’re pursuing other measures, but declined to say what they were.
Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment. But the forestry minister previously acknowledged Ebo Forest’s rich biodiversity and said the government has an “ecological conscience” that makes it keen on the preservation of the country’s wildlife resources.
“Cameroon remains a land of conservation, with over 30% of its territory devoted to conservation, whereas the target set by the United Nations is 12%,” Minister Jules Doret Ndongo said at a press conference in 2020. “We have voluntarily opted for sustainable and participatory management. It is this sustainable management of the forests that has enabled our country to remain an exporter of timber and, above all, to be attentive to the views of the local population, NGOs and civil society.”
At the time, Ndongo said the government was concerned about the contrast between the country’s enormous forest wealth and the extreme poverty of its people, and called for correcting the failings of local governance.
However, Agbor from AWF said there are several reasons to be skeptical of the government’s commitment.
“Cameroon has a history of illegal logging and weak enforcement of forestry regulations. This raises doubts about the government’s ability or willingness to effectively monitor and control logging activities in the Ebo Forest,” Agbor said, adding that the lack of transparency in awarding the logging concessions and the limited involvement of other stakeholders raise more concerns.
“The government’s emphasis on the economic benefits of logging, such as job creation and revenue generation, suggests that these considerations may outweigh concerns about biodiversity conservation,” Agbor said.
In 2020, a group of researchers, development experts and conservationists led by Ekwoge Abwe, manager of the Ebo Forest Project, urged the prime minister to consider a more inclusive land-use planning process over Ebo Forest.
“Conservation concessions or other innovations, whereby the state receives annual royalties for the public treasury while the forest and its resource are intact and accessible for low impact local community uses could be one of the options for the Ebo forest,” they proposed.
Other proposed sustainable alternatives have included developing a responsible and community-led ecotourism industry; focusing on nontimber forest products; exploring the sale of carbon credits to offset emissions elsewhere; and payments for ecosystem services.
Ebo Forest has an estimated carbon stock of 35 million metric tons and hosts part of the last remaining intact forest landscapes in Cameroon. In terms of biodiversity, it’s a critical ecosystem, home to several threatened species, including some of the world’s last remaining wild drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus), foot-long goliath frogs (Conraua goliath), more than 300 bird species, and at least 12 plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
As the chainsaws continue to cut through Ebo Forest, environmentalists, local communities and wildlife experts say they fear for the future of this precious ecosystem.
“The Ebo Forest represents a critical test for Cameroon’s commitment to balancing economic development with environmental protection,” Agbor said. “The choices made today will have far-reaching consequences for the country’s biodiversity, climate, and the well-being of its people.”
Banner image : Chief Dekath Nguile, one of the traditional rulers in the Ebo forest area, makes entry into the lush bushlands to fetch tree barks for herbal medicines. Image courtesy of Ekonde Daniel.
Editor’s Note: This story is powered by Places to Watch, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time deforestation alerts, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data. Sign up for GFW’s monthly email updates featuring these stories.
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