evenements

International Day of Biodiversity 2024

Like every year for almost 10 years, Green Connexion will join the international community to celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity 2024 (https://www.un.org/en/observances/biological-diversity-day ).

The theme this year 2024 “Contribute to the Plan”, implied The plan for Biodiversity For life on earth (https://www.cbd.int/gbf ), is a call from the heart for total participation in the conservation effort, given the significant challenges to be met, namely achieving the 4 objectives of 2050 and the 23 targets for 2030.

Green Connexion will organize a talk on May 22 at its headquarters in Yaoundé on the theme “Contribute to the Plan”. A banner celebrating the theme has already been deployed.

54th Earth Day

Today, April 22, marks the 54th edition of Earth Day, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of nature and the need to preserve our planet. It’s a crucial moment to remind everyone on Earth of the urgency of protecting our ecosystems and taking action to counter the environmental challenges we face.

The objectives of this day, according to the United Nations, are clear: to recognize that the Earth and its ecosystems are our common home, and that it is imperative to protect them in order to improve people’s living conditions, combat climate change and halt the loss of biodiversity. Issues such as deforestation, soil and water pollution, intensive agriculture and illegal wildlife trafficking underline the urgency of raising awareness of the need to preserve our planet. It is therefore essential that the UN and governments around the world make tangible commitments to protect the climate and biodiversity.

On this International Earth Day, it is vital to promote a transition to a more sustainable economy, one that promotes the well-being of both humanity and the planet. It’s no longer just a wish, but an absolute necessity that we live in harmony with nature and the Earth.

It’s essential to mark this date and to carry out strong actions in the future to shine by example, to continue to raise awareness in the future to act in favor of our environment. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the fight to preserve our planet for future generations.

World Clean-up Day

On Saturday 16 September 2023, to mark World Clean-up Day, GREEN CONNEXION and 12 other organisations with a shared vision (protecting the environment) took part in a campaign to collect plastic waste. The event was organised jointly by the Let’s do it Camerooon consortium, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the municipality of Yde 3.

In addition to those mentioned above, the event brought together a number of other associations, including the Association des jeunes volontaires de Ngoaekelle, Touproprecamer, Water for life cameroon, AJACCGF, Clean environment for Africa, Mboa hub, CNEDD, Gic agro-solution, CONAPRODD and Les Petits bambous.

The initiative was inspired by the theme for 2023: “Let’s get involved in the fight against plastic waste pollution”.

 

At the end of the collection, the waste collected was given to Eco green, a recycling company, for processing.

solutions to plastic pollution

On Sunday 04 June 2023, on the occasion of World Environment Day, which is celebrated every 05 June, Green Connexion and the African Environmental Network, with a shared vision (the protection of the environment), conducted a campaign to collect plastic waste in the city of Yaounde.

The campaign took place in the commune of Yaounde 6. The first collection area was Chapelle Obili, the second Carrefour Kameni, the third Ecole de Source, the fourth Lycée de Biyem-assi and finally the Accacia district.

At the end of the collection, the waste collected was handed over to Name Recycling for processing.

world environment day 2023

Green Connexion and the environmental impact of urban disorder

World Environment Day, which is celebrated every 05 June, has as its theme this year: “Solutions to plastic pollution”, and is directly in line with the current concerns of Green Connexion, whose aim is to study the environmental impact of urban disorder in Cameroon.

Cameroon’s political capital, like other cities around the world, is experiencing strong population growth, resulting in anarchic construction that stands out for its insalubrity.

Household waste dumped near a faulty septic tank

This urban disorder is reflected not only in the deterioration of transport infrastructure, but also in the uncontrolled dumping of plastic waste and various effluents.

The large-scale contribution of urban disorder to climate change is a detail that is often unknown or overlooked by political and economic decision-makers. Indeed, “CO2 emissions vary according to the state of the road and the state of our environment”. These two aspects may seem trivial, but in a context such as that of the city of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, for example, where sanitation services are not regular and road infrastructure is mostly in poor condition, the increase in GHG emissions is necessarily tenfold.

So we need to do something about it. It starts with each and every one of us:

I’m responsible for the waste I produce, so I recycle it. This would also contribute to the development of the green economy.

The theme for 2023, “Solutions to plastic pollution”, is one that Green Connexion fully supports and on which we are actively working.

 

World Biodiversity Day 2023

Theme
From agreement to action: rebuilding biodiversity

Green Connexion is heavily involved in the process of rebuilding biodiversity through the effort to change the status of threatened species. This involves a gradual and long-term process of multiplying sub-populations and increasing their size.

This is the case for threatened species such as:

Eremospatha barendii (CR) ; Cola hypochrysea (EN) ; Trichoscypha hallei (EN) and Hypolytrum unispicatum (EN).

 

Green Connexion succeeds in its first generative translocation of podostemacae

Podostemacae are enigmatic freshwater plants because they grow directly on the surface of rocks in fast water.

Their natural reproduction is still poorly understood. Also, their translocation is still largely in the experimental phase.

This is why the fact that the Green Connexion team, led by Dr GHOGUE Jean Paul, has just succeeded in translocating it is a novelty for science.

IUCN National Committee meeting Cameroon March 2023

On the 28th of March 2023, a meeting of the members of the IUCN Cameroon National Committee was held at the headquarters of the IUCN National Office – Cameroon. Green Connexion was represented at this meeting. The objective of the said meeting was to review the activities of the Cameroon committee so far and to define the main orientations of future actions to be carried out for the good functioning of this committee.

As planned in the agenda, the meeting started with a word from the IUCN Director for Central Africa, Mr Kennet ANGU ANGU, who welcomed the participants and urged the members to continue the noble cause of protecting our dear Biodiversity; he also invited the members to work more in synergy for more efficiency. Before retiring, he wished that the activities would be carried out in good conditions and that everyone would return home smoothly.

After this welcome, the President of the National Committee of IUCN members, Prof. Roger Ngoufo, made a speech which was essentially based on the need and importance of this meeting. He ended his speech by inviting each representative to introduce himself and his organisation as well as its main activities.

After the presentation phase, the regional facilitator, Ms Eva MOUZONG, took the floor to briefly present IUCN at the global, regional and national levels. Overall, we can note that :

  • IUCN currently has more than 1450 members, 6 specialised commissions and 7 ecoregions

  • The Central and Western Africa Regional Programme (PACO) has about 103 members

  • The election of the committees’ officers is done every 4 years

  • The current focus is on the organisation of the forum and the question is whether to organise a single forum for the African region or forums in sub-regions

  • Reflections on the organisation of the next forum in Cameroon are underway but the chances are slim in view of the security conditions

  • The members of the national committee office are not very active

  • Green Connexion is not up to date with its dues

  • She congratulated the presence of younger and younger focal points, which proves the will of the members to prepare the next generation; moreover, it would be important to keep the same faces to ensure that all are always on the same wavelength at national, regional and international meetings.

After this session, the president took the floor to inform the participants about the history and the state of affairs of the Cameroon Committee:

  • At its creation, the objective of the national committee was among others to facilitate cooperation between members and IUCN in Cameroon, develop strategies to increase membership, capitalize on the expertise and experience of its members, encourage capacity building of its members, and put in place joint projects and initiatives in order to achieve the strategic objectives of IUCN
  • To achieve these objectives, several activities were carried out, such as meetings among members (at Green Connexion on 18 September 2019) to strengthen cohesion, advocacy and mobilisation actions such as the case of the national forum PSFE-CEFDHAC and the organisation of the World Environment Day at ENEF under the initiative of Green Connexion, participation in the process of revising the forestry law etc.
  • The national committee has participated in 4 congresses since its establishment (2008, 2012, 2016, 2021)
    In the future it will be interesting to strengthen the functioning of the national committee by creating full members and honorary members.

Proposal of the new bureau:

  • President: CEW

  • Vice President 1: CAFER

  • Vice President 2: CamEco

  • Treasurer: ONED

  • SG: CARFAD

Communication officer and in charge of relations with specialised commissions: Green Connexion

Other perspectives

  • Strengthening the network

  • Advocacy with the State of Cameroon and other member states of the sub-region

  • Organise at least one media event per year

  • Review and operationalise the 2021-2024 programme

  • Prepare the next congress

  • Seek support

After this phase, the word was given to the administrations who made the recommendation that IUCN should seek to meet with the different Ministers to present their action plans in order to obtain the requested support.

The exchanges were closed at around 2pm with a family photo.

 

International Water Day

Theme “Accelerating Change

In 2019, WHO and UNICEF agreed that 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe and continuous drinking water. Cameroon is among the countries with the most critical situation with 34% of the population without access to safe drinking water.

Therefore, on this day, GREEN CONNEXION advocates for increased budgetary allocations in the water, hygiene and sanitation sector, for better access for all and to better respond to the health shocks we experience every day.

It is also an opportunity to advocate for the acceleration of projects aimed at the sustainable management of this natural resource.

 

International Forest Day 2023

“Forests and Health”.

Still called the green lung of the planet, the forest in one way or another is linked to our daily life. Among its many ecological benefits, it is important to remember on this day that forests contribute to water and air quality through their role in preserving and purifying the environment.
It is therefore mandatory to act in favour of forests because healthy forests are necessary for healthy populations.