ESIA and ESMF for the Boumba Bek-Nki-Ngoyla-Mintom Landscape

The Boumba Bek-Nki-Ngoyla-Mintom landscape is a complex of protected areas that are part of the Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkebe (TRIDOM) umbrella landscape, which spans across the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon. WWF provides technical advice and financial support to the Cameroon government to implement its policy on biodiversity conservation and natural resource management in the Boumba Bek and Nki National Parks and the Ngoyla Wildlife Reserve across the Southern and Eastern regions of Cameroon. Although WWF interventions in the landscape are expected to yield positive environmental and social outcomes, the implementation of some activities have the potential to result in unintended negative environmental and/or social impacts. AAE, along with Cameroon-based Green Services & Consulting, is preparing an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and an Environmental and Social Mitigation Framework (ESMF) for the Boumba Bek-Nki-Ngoyla-Mintom Landscape to ensure that all WWF interventions and activities within the area are aligned with WWF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF).

Main tasks:

• Stakeholder analysis, field visits and stakeholder consultation;
• Identification of risks, impacts and mitigation measures;
• An analysis of existing Policies, Laws and Regulations (PLR) in the context of applicable safeguards requirements;
• Development of the ESIA and ESMF, as well as annexes (see main outputs), with gender considerations mainstreamed throughout.

Main outputs:

• A Scoping Report presenting a consolidated summary of the environmental and social risks;
• A Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement Plan;
• An ESIA covering risks, impacts and mitigation measures;
• An ESMF that includes a project-specific Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and all necessary annexes, such as Stakeholder Engagement Framework;
• Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework;
• Process Framework dealing with access restrictions;

The international experts on the team have extensive knowledge of safeguards and of ESIA and ESMF development in general. The local experts have experience in Indigenous Peoples’ issues and Cameroon’ PLRs, as well as knowledge of the Boumba Bek-Nki-Ngoyla-Mintom Landscape, its socio-economic context, history and challenges.