↘Social work

The socio-economic context of the African forest puts the companies in the timber industry in Cameroon in a position to play a key role in the nation’s economic and social development. Describing the isolation of employees and the local and indigenous populations living in the areas allocated under forest concessions to businesses helps us to understand the relative importance of the sector in the region and to appreciate its impact.

Grumcam promotes the creation of economic activities that enable local people to generate income. This approach involves setting up financial support budgets dedicated to the development of participative management methods, micro-projects, training of local populations, and the creation of infrastructures for the well-being of society. Another objective of Grumcam’s policy in favour of local  communities is to reconcile logging activities with the preservation of the rights, customs and traditional know-how of the communities living in these areas. The guiding principle of cooperation with local populations is to keep open the lines of communication between company representatives in the field and village heads, with the aim of resolving and anticipating potential conflicts. To ensure and consolidate social relations, Grumcam relies on local associations and NGOs.

↘Wildlife and biodiversity

The fight against poaching and illegal logging remains focal points for Grumcam as it strives to preserve wildlife habitat. Regular access controls and patrols by our teams, in collaboration with Cameroonian public bodies, on the one hand, and NGOs on the other, ensure that our forests continue to provide shelter for large populations of protected mammals such as elephants, gorillas and chimpanzees.

Around 5,800 ha has been classified as High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF) within our concessions and are an integral part of major certification schemes.The HCV forests contain a very high level of biodiversity and rare and fragile ecosystems that are important for protecting animal populations.

To complement its sustainable development actions, Grumcam is implementing a strategy of,

↘ Raising awareness among employees and the local and indigenous populations,

↘ Development of partnerships with wildlife management organizations,

↘ Teaching about the environment at public schools.

↘Reforestation and research

Another of the company’s strategies for responsible forest management is the implementation of regeneration and reforestation actions, applying appropriate procedures for the enrichment of degraded areas. Reforestation programs are undertaken to ensure the perpetuity of forests. Each year, reforestation is carried out at specific times.

Today, Grumcam has a nursery that produces 60,000 plants every year and aims to increase its output every year. Also, Grumcam is collaborating with international associations that provide scientific support for a better understanding of the dynamics of forestry in our forests, through the implementation of permanent study plots and phenology trails. All this has enabled Grumcam to pursue an effective reforestation policy.