Central Africa contains some of the world’s most important forests, wildlife populations and freshwater ecosystems. These landscapes support communities, regulate water systems, store carbon and provide habitat for species that occur nowhere else.

Yet protecting them requires much more than declarations and positioning statements.

Ethical and effective conservation depends on people working on the ground: communities, conservation organisations, researchers, park authorities, traditional leaders, local government, donors and technical partners, working in line with PARTNERs principles.

For individuals and organisations looking for ways to support Congo Basin forest and wildlife conservation in Central Africa, one of the most important questions is therefore not simply, “Where can I donate?”

“How can my support contribute to sustainable action?”

There are several practical ways to make that happen.

1. Support Locally Led Conservation Organisations

Local conservation organisations work close to the landscapes and communities they serve. They understand local realities, relationships, cultural practices, land-use pressures and the practical challenges involved in protecting biodiversity.

Supporting locally led organisations can help ensure that conservation programmes are designed and implemented with strong local knowledge and long-term presence.

In Cameroon, SEKAKOH works across important biodiversity landscapes, including the Ebo Forest in the Littoral Region, Mpem and Djim National Park in the Centre Region, Bénoué National Park in the North Region and the Kom-Wum Forest landscape in the North West Region.

Its work is organised around four strategic pillars: Knowledge Valorization, Ecosystem Health, Community Development and Institutional Resilience. These pillars recognise that successful conservation requires respect for nature, strong communities and resilient institutions.

2. Invest in Wildlife Monitoring and Scientific Evidence

Conservation decisions are stronger when they are based on evidence. Wildlife monitoring helps conservation organisations understand which species are present, where they occur and how populations and habitats may be changing over time.

This can involve camera traps, field surveys, community monitoring, biodiversity assessments, mapping, digital forest-monitoring tools, drone technology and training local monitors and field teams.

SEKAKOH has used camera traps combined with other community-based monitoring approaches to strengthen knowledge of wildlife and forest conditions in its intervention landscapes. Support for equipment, data collection, field logistics and technical training can therefore have a direct impact on conservation planning and decision-making.

3. Support Forest-Edge Communities That Depend Solely on NTFPs

People living around forests and protected areas are central to conservation success. When conservation programmes recognise local livelihoods and community priorities, they are more likely to create lasting impact.

Such actions can include agroforestry, beekeeping, regenerative agriculture, tree nurseries, improved grazing practices, participatory land-use planning, environmental education, community forest monitoring and other viable alternative livelihood opportunities.

For conservation organisations, these activities do not exist in isolation from biodiversity protection. They can help reduce dependence and pressure on natural resources and habitats while giving communities practical reasons to participate in protecting ecosystems.

4. Strengthen Ranger Capacity and Protected-Area Management

Wildlife protection often depends on people working under difficult and poorly equipped field conditions. Rangers and conservation teams need support for routine patrols, movement of equipment, training, communication and monitoring.

In landscapes such as Bénoué National Park, conservation organisations can complement the work of government authorities by supporting patrol activities, equipment and training opportunities. Donors and partners can contribute through equipment, logistics, training and targeted project support.

5. Fund More Than Short-Term Activities

Many conservation grants support activities for six months, one year or two years, often within a defined funding window. These projects are important, but conservation challenges rarely fit neatly within short funding cycles.

Forests, wildlife populations and community relationships require long-term commitment and a sustained presence.

Conservation organisations therefore also need sustained support for staff development, financial and administrative systems training, communications, fundraising capacity, equipment and office maintenance, monitoring and evaluation, and long-term programme development.

Institutional support strengthens organisations and helps sustain project outcomes over time. Multi-year funding is particularly valuable because it allows organisations to plan beyond individual project cycles.

6. Provide Flexible and Unrestricted Funding

Restricted grants normally specify exactly how funds must be spent. That is understandable within donor priorities, but organisations also face essential costs that may not fit into individual project budgets.

Flexible funding can support organisational needs such as staff retention through reasonable living wages and social security, proposal development and co-funding, communications, technology, office operations and responses to unexpected field challenges.

A strong conservation organisation needs both field-project funding and institutional support. Supporting both can improve long-term sustainability for ecosystems and institutions.

7. Become a Technical or Institutional Partner

Conservation support does not always have to be financial. Universities, research institutions, companies, technology organisations and professional networks can provide valuable expertise.

Potential areas of collaboration include ecological research, GIS and mapping, drone technology, wildlife monitoring, financial management, communications, fundraising and networking, data analysis, environmental education and organisational development.

Professional expertise that may seem routine in another sector can be extremely valuable to a conservation organisation working with limited resources.

8. Make Introductions and Contacts to Potential Partners and Donors

Sometimes the most valuable contribution is simply opening a door.

Individuals with professional networks can introduce conservation organisations to foundations, universities, companies, development agencies, environmental institutions, embassies, research programmes, philanthropic networks and technical partners.

An introduction can lead to a conversation. A conversation can lead to a partnership. And a partnership can eventually support conservation work on the ground.

This means people can support conservation even when they are not in a position to provide funding directly.

9. Support Conservation Communication

Good conservation work needs visibility.

Field teams may collect valuable data, support communities in sustainable ways, respond to collective social needs and protect critical ecosystems, but these results must also reach the wider public.

Support for communication can help improve the digital footprint of conservation organisations and strengthen the production of field stories, photographs, videos, conservation reports, websites, social-media content, educational materials, and project and donor updates.

Better communication helps communities understand conservation work, allows donors to see results and helps organisations reach new partners. Sharing credible conservation stories within your own network can also make a difference.

10. Support Environmental Education

Long-term conservation depends partly on what younger generations understand and value.

Schools can play an important role through environmental clubs, tree planting, wildlife education and practical conservation activities. Supporting educational materials, school programmes, conservation clubs and field learning can help young people understand the relationship between forests, wildlife and their own communities.

11. Support Conservation Networks and Collaboration

Environmental challenges flow across administrative boundaries, just as forests, wildlife and river systems do not stop at national borders.

Conservation organisations therefore benefit from participating in national, regional and international networks where they can exchange knowledge, identify potential opportunities and develop partnerships.

SEKAKOH participates in conservation networks and partnerships that connect its work in Cameroon with wider biodiversity and environmental initiatives. Supporting this type of collaboration allows local experience to contribute to broader conservation efforts while bringing knowledge and opportunities back to communities and field programmes.

12. Ask Organisations What They Actually Need

One of the simplest ways to provide meaningful support is to ask. Different organisations have different priorities at different times.

A conservation organisation may currently need field equipment, a vehicle or motorcycle, camera traps, a professional camera, research support, training, communications expertise, funding for community activities, support for ranger patrols, institutional funding, or introductions to new partners and networks.

Support becomes more effective when it responds to real priorities instead of assumptions.

Supporting SEKAKOH’s Conservation Work in Cameroon

SEKAKOH is a grant-based Cameroonian conservation non-profit working to protect Cameroon’s unique biodiversity through research, stronger community engagement and improved livelihoods for communities living around important ecosystems.

Since its establishment in 2014 and legal registration with the Government of Cameroon in 2015, the organisation has developed an interwoven approach linking research, community development and institutional strengthening.

Its long-term direction is guided by its 2025–2034 Strategic Plan, which places ecosystem health, knowledge valorization, communities and institutional resilience at the core of its work.

SEKAKOH works with communities, public authorities, researchers, conservation networks and funding partners to address drivers of biodiversity loss across four key biodiversity areas in Cameroon.

Individuals, foundations, companies, universities and conservation organisations interested in collaborating with SEKAKOH can support through funding opportunities, technical expertise, partnerships, equipment, institutional development, or introductions and referrals to potential partners.

Conservation Is a Shared Responsibility

Conservation is a shared responsibility as we work towards a better world for people and nature.

Researchers generate knowledge. Communities and civil society organisations protect and manage landscapes. Governments provide regulatory and institutional frameworks. Donors provide resources. Technical partners contribute expertise. Individuals can contribute connections, knowledge, funding or visibility.

Each contribution can strengthen the wider conservation effort.

For organisations working on the ground, the most valuable partnerships are often those that recognise that conservation is a long-term process requiring trust, respect, evidence, resilient institutions and meaningful participation from local communities.

If you or your organisation would like to explore opportunities to support or collaborate with SEKAKOH, we welcome partnerships that contribute to lasting conservation outcomes for biodiversity and communities in Cameroon. You can also learn more about ways to get involved with SEKAKOH.

SEKAKOH is accredited by UNEP and UNCCD and is also a member of conservation networks including the Alliance for the Conservation of Great Apes in Central Africa, Nature Needs Half, the Global Rewilding Alliance and the ICCA Consortium.

SEKAKOH — Living in Harmony with Nature.