The hunters in Southern Ebo Forest are looking for other means of getting an income to sustain their families following a study carried by SEKAKOH.

Our works in the Southern Ebo Forest in Dibamba Sub division of the Littoral Region, Cameroon was firstly to obtain information of the hunting situation, its economy and demography of the hunters. We had to get a better idea of how lucrative and important hunting was in the economy of villages and how hunting has evolved.

Hunting has grown into a very lucrative business in the villages. Not only is hunting limited to locals of this area but has also attracted many hunters from the East Region because of the high prices following the closeness of this site to Douala, Cameroons largest city..

However, the hunters are becoming more and more reluctant with hunting because they feel ‘tired’. Getting the animals have become very difficult as there is increased scarcity. They have highly expressed the need for livelihood alternatives that will give them a long term solution to take care of their basic needs.

Hunting at first was done for subsistence but with the increasing demand for ‘bush meat’, from nearby Douala, the forest is increasingly being emptied. These hunters are willing to engage into alternative income activities such as beekeeping, mushroom growing, heliculture, poultry and pig farming, small businesses, small scale plantations and the list is endless if supported.

Our first activity in the Southern Ebo forest was to obtain information of the hunting situation, its economy and demography of the hunters. We had to get a better idea of how lucrative and important hunting was in the economy of villages South of Ebo.

As a start of our support to the livelihood of hunters from Dibamba, a hands-on beekeeping training was organized in Somakeg village by Sekakoh.

This training has been supported with 3 follow up visits by the trainers to further accompany beneficiaries.

Not to focus on men only, 50 women and youths from this area were selected, trained and supported in mushroom farming. This was also accompanied with 2 follow up visit by the trainers.