The NGO SAILD signed a partnership agreement with two foreign researchers on March 04, 2025 in the Elig-Essono district of Yaoundé.
Promoting the sustainability of deforestation-free landscapes and ensuring fair and transparent supply chains in Cameroon are the aims of this new collaboration between the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) through researchers Franck Ndjodo and Aristide Tchounkeu; and foreign researchers Dr Bastos Mairon and Dr Yanou Malaïka; from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Chalmers University of Technology based in Sweden respectively.
Cameroon is a producer and exporter of various agricultural products such as palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber and soya… The country is therefore concerned by the Deforestation Regulation adopted in June 2023 by the European Union to reduce the risks of products associated with deforestation and natural resource losses entering the European market; and to increase demand for “Zero Deforestation” products. The agreement signed by SAILD as part of the implementation of the BEDROCK “Building an Evidence-base for Deforestation-Free Landscapes” project therefore aims to support the creation of an evidence-base for deforestation-free landscapes in Cameroon.
Influencing environmental policies
To achieve this, the stakeholders intend to jointly conduct a series of research studies with the relevant players. “We want to move science forward in an inclusive way, bringing the concerns that organizations like SAILD have, based on practices and realities on the ground, into scientific discussions. The idea is to do direct engagement work, with visits to the forests. We’re going to talk a lot with local populations to find out about their difficulties and needs, and their views on deforestation in the context in which they live” explained Yanou Malaïka.
In addition, the information gathered during the field surveys will serve as a database for influencing environmental policies. “We want to promote effective change with our scientific products. This research will enable us to draw up an action plan to modify policies in a way that helps reduce deforestation and promote sustainable development in line with the wishes and needs of populations and agriculture. And get major decision-makers like the European Union to take into account in their policies the situation of the players who are most affected on the ground” revealed Bastos Mairon.
SAILD researchers and the two foreign researchers have begun project implementation activities. They took part in the international symposium held in Yaoundé from 05 to 06 March 2025 under the theme “What environmental diplomacy for the Congo Basin”. The occasion also enabled them to discuss the BEDROCK project with experts in environmental issues.
- Sharon Maché
