*10 Sensitisation campaigns in social groups and gatherings on importance of the forest, bushfire prevention and management measures

12 sensitisation campaigns carried out on on importance of the forest, bushfire prevention and management measures 1172 persons (390Men, 420 Women, 262 Youths, 10 people with disabilities, 70 Indigenous Peoples) were sensitized. This was done in churches, social gathering, traditional groups and in markets. This built community solidarity which is a social insurance. Community members revitalized their culture and traditional knowledge and practices in forest conservation like traditional patrols and injunctions. CAMGEW had massive sensitization campaigns in public places with many community members and could not fill the attendance lists. We had sensitization campaigns in many social and cultural gatherings. We reached out to more than 3000 people but could not fill their names in lists. This made communities to be aware of COVID 19 through barrier measures.
Bushfire reduced to about 2 that were early and easily put off due to a large population that came out to tackle it. This protected biodiversity in Kilum-Ijim forest. Indigenous knowledge and practices can be better used protect the Kilum-Ijim forest from bushfire. Community solidarity is a big social insurance to each other and in nature protection. This activity need to be carried out yearly because bushfire occur yearly. Funds need to be raised yearly.

* Use of creative arts to prevent and manage bushfire [8 radio programs in community radios, 10 education sessions by town cryers, 25 forest signpost, 500 posters produced for bushfire prevention and management measures:

15 Radio programs were organized and 10 education sessions with town cryers carried out by local journalist and traditional masquerades. 25 forest sign post to place on forest boundaries to promote the prevention of bushfire have been done. 500 posters on bushfire prevention and management have been designed, printed and distributed to communities. We learned that indigenous knowledge and practices can be used in fighting bushfires in forest areas.

*Trainings for Kilum-Ijim forest multistakeholder platforms on bushfire prevention and management:

40 persons (9Men, 9 women, 16 youth, 2 people with disabilities, 4 Indigenous Peoples) participated in the training. During this training participants learned about causes of bushfire, how to fight them, who to involve and when to fight bushfire. Thus training was participatory and much indigenous knowledge and practices that have helped protected the forest from bushfire was shared. All this information learned and shared was used to produce a bushfire guide for use by communities to fight bushfire. During the training communities also learned and practiced how to prevent COVID 19.


* Working session to prepare a bushfire prevention and management calendar with forest multi-stakeholder platforms in each community :

23 persons (6 Men, 4 women, 8 youth, 2 people with disabilities, 3 Indigenous Peoples) from communities were trained on how to prepare a bushfire calendar and also identify areas of high risk to bushfire and prepared a plan of action for the activities of last year. This plan of activities was executed with activities like fire tracing, patrols, back burning and sensitization. Persons who participated in this workshops were community leaders and forest users who went back to put into practice what they learned.


* Production of 1000 guides on bushfire prevention and management using traditional ways of fighting bushfire:

Information gathered from bushfire multi-stakeholder platform training and training on bushfire calendar resulted in the production of 1000 copies of bushfire prevention and management calendars and 1000 copies of bushfire prevention and management guides. These documents have been shared to communities for use in bushfire prevention and management.


*Supporting of forest communities with tools [50 cutlasses, 50 spades, 50 hoes, 50 rakes, 100 buckets, 100 hand gloves] to better prevent and manage bushfire
Results: Community members needed tools to use in bushfire management and together with them various tools needed were identified and bought. Some COVID 19 prevention kits were also bought and distributed to communities. 10 forest communities supported with 50 cutlasses, 50 spades, 50 hoes, 50 rakes, 100 buckets, 100 hand gloves 1000 facemasks


* 2000 metres traced. 20 persons will be participating in each of the 10 FMIs communities . Carrying out fire lining or tracing of 4m path around the forest by community members with different forest interest. This will be a practical way of learning through learning-by-doing with communities. This will be done in community forest with high risk of bushfire:

302 persons from 8 communities carried out fire tracing. About 6500 metres were traced in Manchok, Ngvuinkei II, Vekovi, Abuh, Mutteff, Tumuku and some other communities. Bushfire was prevented through practical learning and actions


* 3000m traced line will be back burned? At least 20 persons of each of the 10 FMIs participate. About 17 communities will be benefitting of this practice Carrying out back burning after fire lining:

4000 metres of fire traced area was back burned by 81 persons from 5 communities. Not all areas traced needed back burning and back burning never needed many persons. During this period the socio-political crisis in the North West Region was high and many people never wanted to go out. This improved on community solidarity as community members worked together. Fire tracing should be made a yearly activity with financial support because the Kilum-Ijim forest is a carbon sink.


*2 Training on agroforestry techniques for 50 farmers to make area traced and closer to forest peripheries evergreen to prevent fire crossing into forest:

86 farmers (41 men, 23 women and 22 youths) with farms around forest peripheries were trained in 2 sessions. They learned how to create green belt with native agroforestry plants that also served as food crops, income source and guaranteed job creation. These crops also served in soil conservation from erosion and increase variety of food that could be harvested from farms. The farmers received variety of agroforestry crops to plant in farms as donation from CAMGEW. This helped prevented slash-and-burn from farms that caused bushfires. Many community members came out for the training than we invited and we could not deny them the training.


* 24 patrols made in 10 community forest. At least 10 persons made of women, men Mbororo and youths with knowledge in bushfire management or ready to learn participating? For 240 persons:

18 forest patrols sessions were carried out by 150 person (66 men, 43 women, 32 youths, 9 Mbororos)). These people who came out for forest patrols were either Forest Management Institutions? members, forest honey Cooperative members, herbalists, water catchment protection committee members, grazers and other forest users. When we had more than 14 persons in the forest we divided them to 2 groups of patrols. We had challenges of arm conflicts and patrols in the forest was risky especially with kidnapping by separatist


*8 exchange visits done in Mbockeghas, Elak, Manchok, Simonkoh, Njikijem, Tachim, Kevu, Ngvuikei II Number of persons (3men, 3 women, 4youth) involved in each exchange visits for 80 persons This was between communities that are strong in bushfire prevention and management with communities that lack the skills

CAMGEW carried out 7 exchange visits and this involved 91 persons (52 men, 4 women and 35 youths) from 9 communities. Because of the Anglophone crisis that made movement difficult. Exchange visits were within and between villages with persons with experience and skills in bushfire sharing with others. This was also done practically in the field during bushfire fire tracing and back burning. CAMGEW recommend that exchange visits should be made a yearly activity with financial support because the Kilum-Ijim forest is a carbon sink. CAMGEW is also proud that this activity improved on community solidarity as they worked together