Cameroon's Environment Ministry estimates that 12 million hectares of land have been degraded in the country. But in the Far North region, a group of refugees is intent on reversing the advance of the desert. DW's Blaise Eyong reports from the village of Zamay.
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00:00 This is the far north region of Cameroon.
00:06 Thousands of hectares of what used to be forests has now become desert.
00:11 It's partly down to climate change.
00:15 But human activity is driving the problem.
00:19 Poverty has pushed many local people to cut down trees and sell them as firewood.
00:25 Across the region, there are small roadside spots where people sell wood.
00:33 The reason why I cut down trees is because I can sell the wood and with that make some
00:41 money.
00:42 I have seven children.
00:47 Whenever I sell the wood, I can make some money to buy food for them and then we can
00:54 get by.
01:00 The quest for new farmland has also worsened the problem.
01:05 This region is among the most populated in the country.
01:09 Agriculture remains the main source of livelihood for people here.
01:13 Hundreds of trees are cleared to make way for new farms.
01:18 There is another factor to the problem.
01:20 This is the area where ten years ago the government decided to create a refugee camp for those
01:25 fleeing the violence in neighboring Nigeria.
01:28 They also cut down trees to sell or to build shelters.
01:34 But now these refugees want to be part of the solution to reclaim the land from the
01:38 desert.
01:39 A UN-funded initiative at the Minna Wawo camp is working with Nigerian refugees to plant
01:45 trees in degraded land.
01:48 Laya Tu, who came to the camp in 2014, is one of them.
01:52 She gets around 30 euros a month as motivation for her work, just under half an average salary.
02:00 I am very proud because any stranger that comes to the camp appreciates us about this
02:06 work.
02:07 Even us, we appreciate this work because right now, even you, you will see with your eyes,
02:14 anywhere you go you will see the plant, but the time that you come here, no plant.
02:19 Right now we are continuing to plant it because we know the importance.
02:24 Since the project started in 2017, about half a million trees have been planted.
02:31 Some areas that were previously affected by desertification are slowly turning back to
02:35 forest.
02:36 This is good news for a region where the desert advances by 12 percent each year.
02:42 And the project's success has led to it being expanded.
02:49 We have also experimented with this project with host communities, where there is a demand
02:53 from schools.
02:54 At the height of the dry season, this project can be replicated to plant trees in schools,
03:00 villages and in certain community infrastructures.
03:04 This has really helped to also ease tensions between refugees and host communities.
03:13 One key challenge to the project's progress, even as trees are planted, people in the region
03:19 continue to cut down others.
03:22 And it's unclear what will happen if the UN stops sponsoring the project.
03:27 Layatu is determined to keep planting trees, and she has been encouraging other refugees
03:32 at the camp to do the same.
03:34 About 80 refugees are involved in the tree planting project.
03:37 Even we will see now, we are continuing.
03:42 We shall not stop because we know the importance.
03:45 So right now we are continuing.
03:47 You go slowly.
03:48 Next year, by the grace of God, you will see everything have changed.
03:54 You will be made green again.
03:57 Layatu is already preparing the nursery for the next round of tree planting.
04:01 There are currently 7,000 trees waiting to be planted.
04:05 Layatu believes there's still a lot more to do.
04:09 But they are planting one tree at a time.
04:11 [BLANK_AUDIO]