Baka: "The Forest People"

The Baka are often called “The Forest People.” They live in Cameroon and are one of the indigenous groups that are well known for their singing. Many musical groups have used sound clips taken from the Baka to enhance their music. Because of their exposure to modern society through their music, some of the Baka no longer like being called “pygmy” because the name is diminutive.

The Baka wholly rely on the forest for their livelihood. They harvest honey, wild mangoes, yams, medicinal plants as well as hunt in the forests of Cameroon. These indigenous forest people live in and around three national parks and make up some 30 percent of the 100,000 people living in the heart of the Congo Basin rain forest in Southeast Cameroon. These natural parks are being threatened by logging companies and poachers. Between the years 1990 and 2010, deforestation has claimed 18.1% of Cameroon's forest cover, or around 4,400,000 hectares.

This map shows the region that the Baka need for their foraging and hunting territory. This information is being used by the WWF, or the World Wildlife Fund, to propose natural resource management policies that will help preserve the cultural heritage and reinforce community identity among  the Baka and manage conflicts between local communities and administrative authorities.

A study by Olivier Niounan Tegomo, a WWF Senior Field Research Assistant, reveals that Baka pygmies are excellent nature conservationists. It is forbidden by the Baka to set up snares or hunt female animals. They discourage the habit of hoarding food and consuming large quantities of meat and encourage their kin to eat moderately. It is also prohibited to stay in the same place in the forest for too long so as not to place too much of a strain on the resources in the area. In the Baka world, resources are used based on their abundance and there are internal social control mechanisms for natural resource use. The study recommends that the Baka be given more access beyond agro-forestry zones, to be allowed to enter the park between June and September to harvest wild mangoes,  to use footpaths within the park, and unfettered access to harvest medicinal plants throughout the year.

MongaBay.com

2000 Cameroon Forest Information and Data. Electronic document,              http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Cameroon.htm, accessed November, 20 2012

WWF

2008 Protecting Baka Pygmies Access to Forest Resources in Southeast Cameroon. Electronic document,http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/cameroon/news/, accessedNovember, 20 2012.