2025, Vol. 13, Issue 2, Part B

author(s)
Tegueu Kemeni AP, Tsabang N, Kuate J, Ba’ane M, Nana ED and Borokini IT

abstract
Economic development in Africa resulting in infrastructural advancement leads to habitat loss and fragmentation. Environmental assessments are conducted to minimize negative ecological impacts of infrastructural projects, but traditional ecological knowledge is often ignored. This study documents the Traditional Ecological and Ethnobiological Knowledge (TEEK) of Baka Indigenous communities in the Dja Biosphere Reserve in south-eastern Cameroon, to justify their inclusion in environmental assessment of infrastructure projects in the region. We conducted group discussions among 17 Baka communities to characterize their indigenous knowledge, and semi-structured interviews with private construction companies’ employees, NGOs, and government officials to assess their awareness and integration of TEEK in environmental assessments. Our findings show that Baka communities hold unique traditional knowledge including plant flowering and fruiting phenology, animal population, behaviour and trophic roles, and local uses of 23 plant and 29 animal species. We highlighted barriers to integrating TEEK in environmental assessments and discussed potential solutions.