WildAid Africa 147d ago

When the forest began to fall silent, Danièle Tjomb knew something vital was being lost. Danièle is a water, forest, and hunting engineer at Cameroon’s National School of Water and Forestry, and a champion for the forests that shape her country’s culture, identity, and future. She has always felt a deep connection to and responsibility for the forest and its animals. However, returning to her hometown to visit, she noticed something troubling. The forests that were once alive with the calls of monkeys and other animals had fallen silent. That silence tells a story of deforestation and loss. For Danièle, protecting forests is about more than biodiversity — it’s about preserving who Cameroonians are. “To me, there is a connection between nature, animals, and traditions, so we can’t dissociate nature, animals, and Cameroonian culture,” she says. “If it happens that our forests disappear, we are going to lose our cultural identity.” In her role at the National School of Water and Forestry, Danièle is both a teacher and a leader. She oversees eco-guards and leads the operational unit for capacity building in forest management, helping strengthen the skills needed to protect Cameroon’s forests and wildlife. She finds purpose in this work because safeguarding the forest means thinking beyond today and toward future generations, including her own children.