A US-based agricultural company Herakles Farms, through its subsidiary SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon Ltd (SGSOC), is developing a 73 000 hectare palm oil plantation under a 99-year land lease, despite clear community opposition, 2 court injunctions and an absence of government authorization. Local communities and environmental organizations have warned that the project will cause massive deforestation in a biodiversity hotspot and loss of livelihoods of indigenous communities. |
| Name of conflict: | Palm oil plantation in South-West Cameroon |
| Country: | Cameroon |
| State or province: | South West Cameroon |
| Location of conflict: | Ndian, Kup-Manengouba, and Manyu divisions |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Biomass and Land Conflicts (Forests, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Management) |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Intensive food production (monoculture and livestock) Plantation conflicts (incl. Pulp Deforestation Land acquisition conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Palm oil Carbon offsets |
| Project details | The project will take place over 73,100 ha of land, with 750 million dollars expected in revenue. The company is paying $0.50 to $1 per hectare per year and has a 99 year land lease. This plantation will have major impacts on up to 45,000 Indigenous Peoples in 88 villages who are dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. The plantation will also fragment and isolate the regions protected areas, including Korup National Park, Bakossi National Park, Banyang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Nta Ali Forest Reserve, and Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve. |
| Project area: | 73086 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 750 million dollars expected in revenue |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Company names or state enterprises: | SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon Ltd from Cameroon Herakles Farms/Herakles Capital from United States of America Blackstone Group All for Africa - Us based NGO set up by entrepreneurs - http://www.allforafrica.org/ |
| Relevant government actors: | Government of Cameroon, Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Governor of the South-West region, Chief of Fabe and other villages |
| International and Finance Institutions | African Development Bank (AfDB) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Struggle to Economize Future Environment (SEFE), Oakland Institute, http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/, Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org, Centre for Enviromment and Development (CED), http://www.cedcameroun.org/index.php, Reseach de Lutte Contre La Faim (RELUFA), Save Wildlife Foundation, http://www.save-wildlife.com/en |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Local scientists/professionals |
| Forms of mobilization: | Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Official complaint letters and petitions Street protest/marches Arguments for the rights of mother nature Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover Potential: Desertification/Drought, Food insecurity (crop damage), Global warming |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place Potential: Specific impacts on women |
| Project Status | Under construction |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Corruption Court decision (failure for environmental justice) Migration/displacement Repression |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | -Oakland Institute calls for a moratorium on the allocation of new agro-industrial concessions that recognizes existing land rights and customary land rights. -Support small-scale production of palm oil by smallholders with improved access to markets for production outputs. -Ensure that palm tress are combined with other crops and trees for agricultural diversification -Protect natural forests and avoid converting forested lands into plantations -SEFE calls for a new agreement that takes into consideration the sustainable management of the forest |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | Herakles has been violating Cameroonian law since 2009, without receiving the presidential decree required for its project. It also ignored 2 court injunctions against its project. Evidence collected by Greenpeace reveals that large areas of forest land have already been clear cut by the company, despite ongoing community mobilization and opposition. When an ESIA was carried out in 2012, it was found that the company had already destroyed 14.5 million trees of different species. The governments Rural Sector Development plan calls for palm oil production to triple to 45 000 tonnes annually by 2020. |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| Contributor: | Zahra Moloo |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1107 |