

An industrial rubber project in Cameroon is now being condemned for causing the largest single rainforest destruction in Central Africa, according to Rainforest Foundation UK._ In a statement released in November 2018, the representatives from 21 surrounding villages denounced the effects of the Sud-Cameroun Hevea (Sudcam) project on the rights and livelihoods. Established in 2008, Sudcam was granted nearly 60,000 hectares of forest without conducting an environmental impact assessment or consulting the numerous communities affected. Such extensive land clearing has severely affected local and indigenous Baka communities. Approximately 30 communities rely on the area granted to Sudcam for hunting, fishing, farming, and collecting forest products. Large-scale rainforest destruction in the area therefore poses a significant threat to local livelihoods. In addition, in 2015, three indigenous Baka communities living in the forest were forcibly evicted to make way for the plantation. Around 120 people were forced to seek shelter in neighbouring Bantu villages, where they now live in poor conditions and face severe discrimination and human rights abuses. To date, none of these individuals have received any compensation for their lost livelihoods.