South West Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife Urges Action to Protect Forests and Grow Economies

The South West Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife, Christian Manga Bell Epie, has called on the population to protect the region’s forests and its reserves, emphasizing its role in driving economies and sustaining livelihoods. He spoke during the 2026 International Day of Forests commemoration held at Government High School, Buea on Thursday, March 29th under the theme “Forests and Economies”, highlighting the important role forests play in economic growth and in supporting the well-being of local communities.

He emphasized that the choice of the theme by the UN General Assembly is to draw attention to the global importance of forests, highlighting that the day exists to bring together key actors, stakeholders and experts to work on topics related to forest management, mitigation of climate change, and other forest-related challenges.

A major emphasis of the event was engaging youth, where the regional Delegate aligned to the head of state’s directive during his inaugural address that placed youth and women at the center of the mandate. He added that educating and involving young people now is essential because they will manage the forestry sector in the near future. Engaging youth will help them understand the long-term importance of preserving forests for current and future generations.

On the subject of deforestation, Christian Manga Bell Epie estimated Cameroon’s deforestation rate at around 1–2 percent and noted a similar trend in the Southwest region. He attributed a recent uptick in local deforestation partly to expanding agricultural farmlands driven by rising cocoa prices. To address this, he said the Forestry Administration is coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture to promote more sustainable exploitation: reducing the surface area used for agriculture while increasing productivity through intensive practices.

Students from the Conservation Club at Government High School, Buea, left the event with greater knowledge about biodiversity conservation.

The celebration concluded with a tree-planting exercise led by Secretary General at the Governor’s Office, alongside other local authorities who reiterated the importance of biodiversity preservation and sustainable management of protected areas.