CAMGEW has used apiculture to fight bushfires in Kilum-Ijim forest. When community members are engaged in apiculture and own beehives in forest they no longer burn the forest but serve as ambassadors in bushfire prevention and management. This protect their beehives that gives honey and protect the forest. Bushfire is the greatest threat to conservation in Kilum-Ijim forest. CAMGEW makes sure Apiculture=honey=money=jobs=conservation. CAMGEW created a Honeyshop in Bamenda town to honey to money.
When CAMGEW started work in this forest in 2012 there were 7 bushfires that destroyed 500hectares. Communities were poor and unemployed with much inequality. CAMGEW discovered that apiculture could create jobs, raise income and protect the forest from bushfire. She then engage communities in apiculture through training and support. Community members then owned beehives in forest that created jobs and money. They then engaged to fight bushfire to protect their beehives and indirectly protecting the forest. In 2017, one bushfired occured and more than 70 community members went to forest to tackle and only about 1.5 hectare was destroyed. That year they planted trees there to have more flowers. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, no bushfire occured. Honeyshop sold honey. The Honeyshop becomes a CLIMATE SMARTSHOP because it is an opportunity cost to forgone bushfire that cause climate change.
CAMGEW from 2012 to 2019 planted 80.000 bee loving trees in the Kilum-Ijim forest and trained 1.018 bee farmers in honey production, honey and its products, quality control and bees wax extraction. She has also distributed above 1005 beehives to trained bee farmers and organized above 1017 bee farmers into 5 Oku White Honey cooperatives located around this forest. She created a CAMGEW-HONEYSHOP in Bamenda to convert bee farmers honey to money. 18 youths were trained in 2018 on entrepreneurship in honey value chain development. CAMGEW has created a Forest multi-stakeholder platform to discuss and make decisions to conserve the forest. 7 Forest Management Institutions in Kilum forest that manages community forest have been reorganized by CAMGEW with local authorities. 105 persons have been trained on soap, powder soap and candle production from bees wax and 62 persons trained on honey juice, honey wine production from honey. 772 farmers have been trained on agroforestry techniques. As of December 2018 about 1580 women had been trained on business skills and 1325 women received financial assistance about US$ 5500 monthly as alternative sources of livelihood to forest. 24 teenagers received vocational training. CAMGEW has 3 tree nurseries with 100.000 trees.
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