Cameroon: Palm Oil Project Threatens People and the Rainforest
Palm oil investors destroy the rainforest and local cultures
American investors are planning a 72,000 hectare palm oil plantation in the rainforest of Cameroon. The forest and the animal and plant species living there would be destroyed forever. The people would also lose their land and livelihoods. Help us stop this project. Please write to the government of Cameroon.
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Plans are in place to clear the diverse rainforest ecosystem in Southwest Cameroon to make room for oil palm plantations. The forest and the agricultural societies situated around it are the foundation for the livelihoods and food supply of the people in the region, which comprises 38 villages and around 45,000 inhabitants. The farmers would permanently lose their ancestral lands to the operators of the palm oil plantations. In return, the investors are promising potential employment. But experience has shown that there will be only a few, irregular and poorly paid jobs.
Please participate in our protest and write to the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Forests of Cameroon. We are collecting signatures and will be presenting them to the Cameroon Embassy in Berlin.
BackgroundAnswer from Minister on Forests of Cameroon from 16th June 2011
To:
Mr Hele Pierre, Minister of Environment, Republic of Cameroon
Mr Ngolle Ngolle, Minister of Forestry, Republic of Cameroon
c/o Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon
Ulmenallee 32, 14050 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: ++49 - 30 – 89068090, Fax.: ++49 - 30 – 890680929
E-mail: berlin@ambacam.de
Dear Minister Hele Pirre, dear Minister Ngolle Ngolle,
I was very pleased to hear that on June 22nd you initiated a regional action plan to protect the endangered chimpanzee species Pan troglodytes ellioti and that you are seeking to establish numerous wildlife protection areas and national parks in Cameroon.
I am however also deeply concerned about the future palm oil developments that are being pursued in your country by Herakles Farms and Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon. For the planned 72,000 hectares of oil palm monoculture, valuable rainforests and the fields of the local population would be cleared.
In your reply from May 13th, 2011, although you write that you share the concern of the 61 environmental and human rights organizations, you also state that you are not responsible for agricultural projects. To the best of my knowledge, however, your ministry is responsible for reviewing and approving the studies on the social and environmental impact of palm oil plantations that are required of the project developers.
I cannot imagine that the studies reflect the reality of the situation or adequately consider the protection of the environment and the local people. The rainforest is the habitat of endangered animal and plant species including the endangered chimpanzee species and other primates. This development would destroy the existing rainforest corridor between Korup National Park and the Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve.
I also don't believe that the planned industrial oil palm monocultures would be advantageous for local residents. The clearing of the rain forest and fields would destroy their livelihoods. The people would lose their ancestral lands to the plantation operators. There is no sensible reason why the population should cede their land and livelihoods to investors from the United States of America.
The number of jobs that the operators supposedly intend to create appear quite exaggerated and overly optimistic to me. Our experience has shown that these are usually temporary and poorly paid jobs. They lead the people into a fatal dependency on the plantation operators.
The industrial palm oil plantations also threaten the many years of development and rain forest protection work that has been done in the region. Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has been operating projects since 2006 in the villages that would be affected by the palm oil project as well as in Korup National Park.
Please reject the palm oil project proposed by Herakles Farms and Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon.
Sincerely,
Cameroon: Government is stopping deforestation
The U.S. company Herakles Farms wants to destroy 70,000 hectares of rainforest for its huge palm oil project. Illegal clearings have already started. The authorities have now stopped the company's activities and seized the logging machinery in the rainforest.
Cameroon: Court stops deforestation
A recent judicial degree by a Cameroon court declared the planned deforestation of 30.000 hectares of rainforest close to the Korup National Park illegal. The judges stopped the activities of US investor Herakles Capital and followed the arguments of an environmetal lawyer.
Recent successes