When Conservation Meets Conflict: Navigating Cultural Tensions in the Bamunkumbit Forest Project

In the journey of environmental restoration, the path is rarely straight. The Bamunkumbit Community Forest Project in Cameroon's North West Region has shown promising early results in its mission to restore degraded landscapes and protect vital water sources. However, an unexpected challenge emerged that threatened to derail its progress – a conflict that revealed the complex social dynamics often overlooked in conservation initiatives.

The Crisis Point

Nearly one-third of the project's newly planted trees were destroyed by wildfires that swept through the restoration areas. Initial assumptions pointed to the Bororo community – pastoralists who live in the highlands where the project is centered. The conventional narrative suggested that these herders might have deliberately set fires to promote fresh grass growth for their cattle, a practice seen in various pastoral communities worldwide.

However, this assumption would prove to be not only incorrect but dangerously incomplete.

Beneath the Surface

The community dialogue session, hastily arranged under the shade of an ancient tree on the hillside, revealed a much more complex situation. As Bororo elders and young men gathered with project staff, a different story emerged – one rooted not in opposition to conservation itself, but in deeper issues of consultation, consent, and community governance.

"We did not burn your trees," one elder stated plainly, his weathered face reflecting decades of life in these highlands. "But we were never told why these trees were being planted on land we have used for generations."

As the dialogue progressed, the central issue became clear: the community's traditional chief had allegedly engaged with project implementers without transparent community consultation. Many Bororo community members believed their land had been "sold" for the project without their knowledge or consent, triggering internal conflict within their own governance structures.

The Consultation Gap

This revelation highlighted a critical oversight in the project's implementation approach. Despite its community-based ethos, SUHUCAM had unintentionally relied on a top-down communication channel, assuming that traditional leadership structures would effectively disseminate information and build consensus.

"We thought we were doing everything right by working through established leaders," admitted one project coordinator during the meeting. "We never intended to bypass community consultation."

The Bororo representatives explained their perspective with clarity: "We are not against protecting the forest or the water. Our animals need water too. But we must be part of decisions that affect our livelihoods."

The Cost of Conflict

Beyond the environmental setback of losing 30% of newly planted trees, the conflict carried other significant costs:

• Trust erosion between project implementers and local communities
• Internal community tensions that threatened social cohesion
• Delayed implementation of critical conservation activities
• Potential donor concern about project viability

Perhaps most importantly, the situation revealed how easily environmental initiatives can be undermined when social dimensions are inadequately addressed.

A Turning Point in Approach

The meeting represented more than conflict resolution – it marked a fundamental shift in the project's implementation philosophy. Several key insights emerged that would reshape the initiative:

1. Inclusive Consultation

The project team committed to direct engagement with all stakeholder groups, not just traditional authorities. This meant organizing separate discussions with women, youth, elders, and occupational groups like the Bororo herders.

2. Transparent Communication

Information about project goals, funding, and activities would be made widely available in accessible formats and local languages, addressing the information asymmetry that had contributed to misunderstandings.

3. Collaborative Land-Use Planning

Rather than imposing conservation zones, the project pivoted toward collaborative mapping exercises where Bororo herders identified traditional cattle routes and seasonal grazing areas that could be integrated into the forest management plan.

4. Shared Benefit Mechanisms

The dialogue led to the development of specific economic opportunities for the Bororo community, including training in sustainable livestock management practices and potential roles as forest monitors.

Rebuilding Through Engagement

Following the watershed meeting, project implementation took a deliberate pause for a comprehensive community engagement process. SUHUCAM staff spent several weeks conducting smaller discussions throughout the Bororo settlements, documenting concerns, and incorporating local knowledge into revised plans.

"We realized that what we had considered a purely environmental initiative was actually operating in a complex social landscape with histories and tensions we hadn't fully appreciated," reflected a senior project officer.

The engagement process revealed valuable insights about fire management that would strengthen the project. Bororo elders shared traditional knowledge about seasonal burning practices that, when properly managed, could actually support certain aspects of forest regeneration while reducing fuel loads and wildfire risk.

Moving Forward Together

The renewed approach has begun showing promising results. Community-led fire management committees now include significant Bororo representation. Cattle corridors have been clearly demarcated, allowing controlled access to water points while protecting regenerating forest areas.

Perhaps most significantly, some Bororo youth have joined the project as rangers, bringing their intimate knowledge of the landscape to conservation efforts. Their involvement has helped bridge the divide between pastoral and agricultural communities that had historically viewed land use through different lenses.

Lessons Beyond Bamunkumbit

The experience offers valuable lessons for conservation initiatives worldwide:

1. Comprehensive stakeholder analysis is essential before project implementation, identifying not just formal leaders but informal power structures and marginalized groups.
2. Conservation cannot succeed against social resistance, no matter how technically sound the environmental approach may be.
3. Conflict can be transformative when approached with genuine openness to learning and adaptation.
4. Indigenous and pastoral communities often possess sophisticated ecological knowledge that can strengthen conservation outcomes when properly integrated.

A Project Transformed

Today, as new saplings replace those lost to the fires, the Bamunkumbit Community Forest Project stands stronger for having faced and addressed its most significant challenge. What began as a serious setback has evolved into an opportunity for creating a more inclusive, resilient, and ultimately more successful conservation model.

As one Bororo elder remarked at a recent tree-planting ceremony, "Now we are planting these trees together, and together we will watch them grow." In this simple statement lies perhaps the most important metric of the project's renewed progress – a shared vision for the landscape that transcends the conflicts of the past.