Kew is working with local people to help save rainforests in Cameroon

By providing scientific support of international standing, Kew is helping local communities to protect their natural heritage.

View on map: Cameroon,

11 Aug 2009

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Helen Nsume showing off a teaching garden to Martin Etuge, a Cameroonian plant collector

Local inspirations

Kew always works with local partners. By providing scientific support of international standing, we help them win resources and local support to protect their own natural heritage. Knowledge from 80 years of fieldwork is shared with partners like Helen, and a new generation of Cameroon biologists keen to continue conserving their extraordinary rainforest heritage.

Discovered in a waterfall

The great rainforests of Africa are some of the most species-rich natural habitats in the world. Kew’s work with partners in Cameroon has lead to the creation of a National Park in the Bakossi mountains. This is a major step towards long-term conservation in this internationally important area.

We identified many new and exciting plants on our recent expedition to Cameroon, including the mint Plectranthus cataractarum which only grows on waterfalls. We also found a stunning orchid not seen for 30 years (Ossiculum aurantiacum), which had been rescued from a tree felled by loggers.