Personal testimonies and case histories

Country: CAMEROON, Central Africa
Name: Louis N Nkembi
Date of Birth: 1967
Home address: P.O. Box 189 Buea ; P.O.Box 102 Menji,
Lebialem Division, South West Cameroon
EMail: lnkembi@yahoo.com; erudef@yahoo.com
Tel: (237) 738 74 53

Founder and President/CEO of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation. Resource economist with over 10 years of experience in conservation, rural development and community-based project development and management. Research and field experience areas include social aspects of biodiversity conservation, proposal writing and fund-raising, anthropology, agricultural development, project development, planning, monitoring and evaluation, community-based forestry management, forestry governance and environmental policy, socio-economic surveys and livelihood development, participatory methodologies, strategic planning, production and marketing economics, facilitation of workshops, protected area management, social forestry, on-farm diagnostic surveys, conservation management, conservation education, capacity building and institutional strengthening as well as administrative and financial management.

Management Experience
Project Development and Management include project design, development of funding proposals, budgets and project planning, supervision, evaluation, and training of staff, technical, financial and administrative management.

Organizational development involving project conception and design, strategic planning, team building, development and training of staff, networking at national and international levels, capacity building and institutional strengthening, advocacy and lobby

Development Cooperation ranging from the ability to work with a broad spectrum of stakeholders including people of different ethic origins and races, the government, NGOs/CBOs, local communities, partners and donors.

Research Interests
Social aspects of biodiversity conservation, community-based forestry management, forestry policy and governance, project evaluation and monitoring, socio-economics and natural resources conservation model development, sustainable livelihood systems, evaluation research, cost/benefit studies and rural policy.

Research and Fieldwork
- The critical evaluation of the survey administration of OCISCA project, Western Highlands of Cameroon (1991)
- Research assistant, International Potato Centre (CIP) Bamenda, Cameroon(1990-1991)
- The production and marketing of potatoes in the Lebialem Division, Cameroon (1992)
- The marketing of potatoes in the South West province, CIP/IRAD, Bamenda, (1992-93)
- Participatory on-farm surveys in the South West Province of Cameroon (1995-96)
- World Bank Mid-term review of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Project, South West Province, 1996
- Monitoring and evaluation surveys of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Project, South West Province, Cameroon (1995-96)
- Agro-ecological survey of the Lebialem Division, Cameroon (1997-98)
- Survey of non-timber forest products, Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, South West Cameroon, (1999-2000)
- The design and elaboration of the Banyang-Mbo Community-based Conservation Model, Cameroon. (2001-2004)
- Primates surveys in Lebialem Highlands, Cameroon (2004-present)
- Coordination of the Community-based conservation at the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project, Cameroon (2001-present)
- Coordination of the Lebialem Highlands Forest Project, Cameroon. (2002-present)
- Coordination of the Western Cameroon Forest Programme, 2004 to present.
- Fund raising for implementation of field projects: 2003 to present

Work History

Coordinator, Western Cameroon Forest Programme: 2004-present
The Environment and Rural Development Foundation, Cameroon

Head, Community-based Conservation Programme: 2001 to June 2005. Wildlife Conservation Society/Cameroon Programme/Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project, Nguti, Cameroon.

President/CEO: 1999- present
The Environment and Rural Development Foundation, Cameroon.

Secretary, Marketing and Fund-raising Officer: 2004-present
Nature Cameroon

Principal Social Scientist: 1998 - 2001
Wildlife Conservation Society/Cameroon Programme/Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project, Nguti, Cameroon.

Regional Coordinator and Chief Agricultural Officer: 1996-1998
Northern Agricultural Region, Mamfe, Ministry of Agriculture, Cameroon.

Head, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: 1994-1996
National Agricultural Extension and Research Project, Ministry of Agriculture

Research Assistant: 1992-1993
International Potato Centre, Bamenda, Cameroon.

Intern: 1990-91
OCISCA/ORSTOM Project, Dschang University Centre, Cameroon.

Skills
Software and Operating systems
ArcVIEW-GIS, SPSS, Excel, MS Word, MS Powerpoint, MS Explorer, MS Publisher, Internet, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Millenium 2000.

Other software skills
Internet fund-raising and networking

Languages
- English: Very fluent in reading, speaking and writing
- French: very fluent in reading and speaking. Fair in writing.

Education
Ingenieur Agronome in Agro-economics and rural extension: 1987-1993, National Advanced School of Agronomy (ENSA), Dschang, Cameroon.

Diploma Biology, 1985-1987, University of Yaounde, Cameroon.

Short Courses
Project management and Donor Development, October 2005. Wildlife Conservation Network. Los Altos, California USA
Fund-raising and proposal writing, 2004. Pan African Institute for Development West Africa, Buea, Cameroon.

Regional Course on Projects, Risk and Disaster Management, Buea, Cameroon, 2004. Pan African Institute for Development West Africa.

International Course on Protected Area Management 2003, University of Montana, USA

Fund-raising and proposal writing, 2003. The Foundation Centre, Washington, D.C. USA.

Community forestry development. March-December 2002. DFID/Community Forestry Development Project. Yaounde, Cameroon.

Environmental Leaders Forum Training, 2001. Centre for Environmental Research and Conservation, University of Columbia, New York, USA.

Introductory Computer Training Course on MS Windows, Excel and ArcView GIS, 2000. Nguti. Wildlife Conservation Society/Cameroon Biodiversity Programme.

Participatory Approach to Community Action Training Course, 1999. Yaounde. Peace Corps Cameroon.

Participatory Forest Management Economics, 2001, Forestry Research Institute, Ghana.

Planning and Management of National Agricultural Extension and Research Projects, Cameroon, Yaounde, 1997. Ministry of Agriculture

Human Resource Administration in Project Management, Yaounde, Cameroon, 1996. Ministry of Agriculture

Monitoring and Evaluation of National Agricultural Extension and Research Projects, Yaounde, Cameroon,1996. Ministry of Agriculture

Research Projects' Formulation, 1996. Tropical Disease Research/Institute de Formation et de Recherche Demographic, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Ecological Agriculture Training Course, 1995, IITA/Plant Health Division, Ibadan.

Writing of Research Proposals, Yaounde, 1993. International Foundation for Science, Sweden.

Statistical Applications in Social Science Research, 1992, University Centre of Buea/Institute of Agronomic Research for Development, Ekona, Cameroon.

Memberships
- International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE), USA
- International Network of Forest and Communities, Canada
- African Bird Club, UK
- Global Community-based Forest Management Caucus
- World Rainforest Movement, Uruguay
- Cameroon Society of Agronomists, Yaounde
- South West Association of Agricultural Engineers, Buea

Personal Details
Date of Birth: 1967
Nationality: Cameroonian
Marital status: Married
Country of residence: Cameroon

Supervision, Training and Coordination Experiences
- Supervision of graduate students from Cameroon Universities. 2002 to present.
- Project Management and Apiculture, 1996, Local Government Training Centre, Buea
- Training of Subject Matter Specialists, National Agricultural Extension and Research Project, Ministry of Agriculture, Buea, Cameroon. 1994-1998.
- Coordination of the beekeeping training programme, Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary project area, 2003.
- Coordination of biodiversity surveys (primates, birds, plants, etc) and conservation across Western Cameroon, 2004- present.

Regional Planning
- The preparation of the Environmental Management Master Plan for the South West Province, Cameroon. 1994-95.
- The preparation of the South West agricultural extension development and funding plan for the World Bank, 1995-96.

WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES

i. April 1992: Seminaire sur l'Ajustement Structurel au Cameroon: Confrontation du Local et National. OCISCA Project. University Center of Dschang, Cameroon.
ii. June/July 1994: Techniques of Communication, NAERP Kumba, Cameroon.
iii. February 1995: Management and Organisation of Technological Review Workshops, Training Course, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
iv. May 1996: Participatory Diagnostic On-Farm Appraisal Training Workshop. NAERP, Nkongsamba, Cameroon.
v. November 1996: Participatory Rural Appraisal Training Workshop, KORUP Project, Mundemba Cameroon.
vi. June 1996: National Seminar on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Extension Projects, Yaounde, Cameroon
vii. June 1997: Management of Training and Human Resources Development: Training of Trainers Seminar/Workshop, NAERP Yaounde, Cameroon.
viii. May 1998: Participatory Rural Appraisal Workshop. WCS/Cameroon Biodiversity Programme, Nguti, Cameroon.
ix. February 2000: Diversification of on-farm agroforestry practices in smallholders' exploitations. ICRAF, Yaounde, Cameroon.
x. July 2000: NTFP Workshop for Central African Region: Results Presentation, CARPE, Limbe, Cameroon. Presentation of a poster on forest products management in Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary
xi. October 2000: 'Community-based management of tropical rain-forest through the non-timber forests resources: Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project experience, South West Cameroon'. A paper prepared for the International Conference on Ethno botany, University of Georgia, USA.
xii. May 2001: 'Biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes'. A paper presented at the Environmental Leaders' Forum, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, New York, USA.
xiii. May 2001: Biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes'. A poster presented at the UNESCO/Columbia University conference on Biodiversity and Society, Columbia University USA.
xiv. September 2001: Community-based Management of NTFP in the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project Area, South West Cameroon: Economics and Implications on Gender. A paper prepared for the SEAN on NTFP Conference, 16-19 September. Philippines
xv. March 2002 - December 2002. Training course on Community Forestry Management in Cameroon: Planning, Communication, Development, Inventory, Financing, Marketing and Management. DFID/Community Forestry Development Project, Yaoundé. Cameroon.
xvi. August 2003. Wildlife and protected area management in Cameroon: Issues, challenges and perspectives. Paper presented at the International Seminar on Protected Area Management. Consortium for International Protected Area Management. University of Montana, USA
v. November 2003. Development of a collaborative management model for the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Cameroon. Paper presented at the West and Central African Regional Meeting for Wildlife Conservation Society. Limbe, Cameroon.
x. January 2004. Building community-based institutions for wildlife conservation and sustainable livelihood development in the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Cameroon. Paper presented at the annual conference of Volunteers Service Organisation, Bamenda, Cameroon.
y. March 2004. Decentralisation and natural resources management in Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary: A new case Model. Paper presented at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's Banyang-Mbo Sanctuary Steering Committee Meeting, Yaounde, Cameroon.
z. October 2005. Project Management and Donor Development, California , Wildlife Conservation Network, USA

ACADEMIC PAPERS AND PUBLICATIONS

1. NKEMBI Louis, 1991. A Critical Analysis of OCISCA Survey Administration in Bafou, Dschang. OCISCA Project. Final Survey Report. University Center of Dschang, Cameroon.

2. NKEMBI Louis., 1993. Economic Analysis of Potato Production and Marketing in Lebialem Division, South West Province of Cameroon.Dissertation, Ingenieur Agronome, ENSA, University Center of Dschang, Cameroon.

3. NKEMBI Louis and Adhiambo O.,1993. Potato Marketing in the South West Province of Cameroon. Centre for International Potato Research, Bamenda, Cameroon.

4. NKEMBI Louis et al., 1994. Assessment of Farmers' Production Needs through Participatory Rural On-Farm Appraisal in the South West Province of Cameroon. NAERP, Buea. Unpublished

5. NKEMBI Louis., 1995. Women in Potato Production: Case Study of the Potato Highlands of Lebialem, South West Province of Cameroon. Unpublished.

6. NKEMBI Louis et al., 1996. Farmers' Priority Setting in the South West of Cameroon. Unpublished

7. NKEMBI Louis., (1994). Gender Productivity in the Potato Highlands of the South West of Cameroon Unpublished

8. NKEMBI Louis, TATAW Christine and Takem Marceline, 2001. NTFP from the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Project Area, South West Cameroon: Household use, Economics, Processing and Conservation Status. Survey Report to WCS Cameroon. Unpublished

9. NKEMBI Louis, 2001. A Participatory Survey of the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary Villages: An Approach to Building a Community-based Conservation Project. WCS/Cameroon Biodiversity Programme. Nguti. Cameroon. Unpublished

10. NKEMBI Louis and Ayompe Clara. 2003. Comparative Study of Community and Government (MINEF)-led Patrols in Enhancing Sustainable Wildlife Conservation in Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Cameroon. Unpublished.