VZCZCXRO3343
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYD #0806 2671217
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241217Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0290
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000806 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Department for AF/C and OES 
Department Pass USAID and USDA 
USDOC for ITA - Burress 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SENV CD CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON: Tree Planting to Save Lake Chad 
 
REF: NDJAMENA   404 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Embassy Yaounde continued its environmental outreach 
with a recently signed agreement to fund reforestation projects 
around Lake Chad.  An August 27 tree planting ceremony near Lake 
Chad, attended by Ambassador and Chadian and Cameroonian ministers, 
signaled strong cooperation between the two neighbors on a key 
climate change issue.  Soon after the tree planting event, the 
Government of Cameroon began to present its position on climate 
change in preparation for the upcoming Copenhagen talks.   End 
Summary 
 
Johnny Appleseed Comes to Lake Chad 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On August 27, Embassy Yaounde signed an agreement with the 
non-governmental organization Organisme de Developpement, d'Etude, 
de formation et de Conseils (ODECO) for a $98,000 environmental 
project in the Lake Chad region.  ODECO will administer the grant 
under the USDA-funded Food for Progress Program and will use the 
funds to develop tree nurseries in partnership with local 
communities, provide wells to supply water for the nurseries, and 
carry out the reforestation of areas around Lake Chad.  The project 
will complement the efforts of the Cameroonian Ministry of Forests 
and Wildlife to promote the planting of 90,000 trees in the North 
and Far North Regions.  Ambassador joined Cameroonian Minister of 
Forests and Wildlife Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, the visiting Chadian 
Minister of Environment, and local political and traditional leaders 
for a colorful (although very rainy) planting ceremony near the 
Cameroonian-Chadian border. 
 
¶3. (U) The two ministers and the Ambassador planted trees on both 
sides of the Cameroonian-Chadian border as a symbol of their 
commitment to Lake Chad.  They also planted trees in a community 
close to Lake Chad and made plans for many other trees to be planted 
by traditional leaders and community members at a later date. 
National media coverage, both television, radio and print, was 
extensive, in spite of the great distance from Yaounde and difficult 
travel logistics. 
 
Chad-Cameroon Environmental Cooperation 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  During the Ambassador's meeting with the two ministers, they 
spoke of the need for continued trans-border cooperation on 
environmental issues and of the threats facing the Lake Chad region. 
 The ministers also commented that although there is a lot of 
international aid coming into the Congo Basin Region, little is 
going toward the Lake Chad Region.  The surface area covered by the 
waters of Lake Chad has dropped from 25,000 square kilometers in 
1964 to less than 2,000 square kilometers in 2008, they noted. 
African countries are already developing an African perspective in 
advance of the Copenhagen Conference, and Africans hope that 
developed countries will increasingly assist developing countries on 
environmental issues, the ministers said.  They agreed to coordinate 
more on issues important within the region. 
Preparing for Copenhagen:  Give us Aid 
-------------------------------------- 
¶5.  (U)  Soon after the tree planting event, the Ministry of 
Environment and Protection of Nature, which has the lead on 
Copenhagen preparations, called a meeting to discuss the GRC's 
position on Copenhagen.  Cameroonian experts hope industrialized 
countries will finance projects that will reduce the effects of 
climate change in the fields of transportation, energy, and 
sustainable land conservation.  They feel that these new projects 
should in no way substitute for already existing bilateral and 
multilateral assistance.  Appropriate technological transfers from 
industrialized nations are also expected, as well as the 
implementation of carbon forest markets and the procedure for 
financing Clean Development Mechanism projects. 
¶6. (U) COMMENT: The ministers hailed the tree planting for its 
unprecedented level of Cameroonian-Chadian coordination on a high 
profile environmental event.  Both ministers placed great emphasis 
on the need for continued cooperation in the region.    The Minister 
of Forestry is passionate about planting trees, which to date has 
been Cameroon's main contribution to combating climate change.  The 
GRC's position on Copenhagen not surprisingly leans on calls for 
outside assistance; unfortunately it does not offer new ideas or 
initiatives that Cameroon can pursue on its own.    END COMMENT. 
 
GARVEY