Cameroon President Paul Biya has cancelled government’s plan to cut down trees in the Ebo forest located in the Littoral region of the country following complaints made by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Greenpeace Africa, and the Banen community.

Reacting to this development, as gathered by Development Diaries, Greenpeace Africa stated that the cancellation of the Ebo forest project was just one step in a long process.

The NGO said that they wanted to see the formalisation of a sustainable conservation mechanism for the forest.

Forest Officer with the NGO, Sylvie Djacbou said, ‘The Cameroonian government’s decision to suspend the Ebo forest exploitation project is a good one, but we should not stop there. It is just the first step.

‘We need to think about a special and sustainable status for this region to preserve its biodiversity while contributing to the local and national economy’.

Source: Afrik21

Photo source: Barnyz