Cameroon grants indigenous Baka more access to protected forests

The Cameroon Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo and Joseph Johnson, the president of the Baka indigenous ASBABUK association, sign a revised Memorandum of Understanding on forest access rights in Bertoua, Capital of Cameroon’s East region, 19 September 2023. © Ngala Killian Chimtom

The government of Cameroon and the indigenous Baka people in the country's southeast have agreed to an updated memorandum of understanding that provides them with more access to natural resources in the country's protected forest areas.

The memorandum, that was signed on 19 September in the regional capital Bertoua, expands upon an initial agreement that was reached in 2019 that gave Baka communities unfettered access to the Lobeke and Boumba Bek National Parks.