Kilum Mountain Forest Cards

Supporting small industries that encourage conservation of the forest resources.

Part of a practical solution to conservation.

A selection of cards printed with traditional designs on hand made paper. The cards are produced by a small co-operative from the area of Mt. Kilum (or Oku) in the North-West province of Cameroon.

Your own selection of five cards, with envelopes and a woven wallet.

Additional cards available

Postage free in the U.K.

The Kilum/Ijim Mountain Forest Project, situated in the mountainous North-West Province of Cameroon, is an innovative programme funded by Birdlife International. It integrates forest conservation with rural development as a means of protecting a major remnant of Afromontane forest around Mount Oku, or Kilum, which is the second highest peak in West Africa. This forest is rich in bird and plant species, many endemic to the area.

A view over Lake Oku

In 1989, paper making based on the bark of a forest edge tree (Lasiosiphon glaucus) was suggested as an income generating activity, helping to reduce the need for forest clearance for farming. The paper making techniques were developed by two expatriate volunteers and cards with designs by local artists started to be produced.

It was soon realised that production of paper from the bark was not sustainable as the bark did not re-grow, so experiments were made and today the paper is made from elephant grass stems, corn stalks and assorted grass species.

In 1994 Chimtom Solomon Kebhu and Yango John Yancho, who had been managing the paper making project, set up a co-operative and became entirely independent of the Kilum Mountain Forest Project, with their own workshops and bank account. They do all their own marketing and, as the market for 'luxury' items such as cards is fairly small within Cameroon, they rely on making some sales abroad.

John and Solomon in the early days
of the paper making co-operative

The card making process involves many sectors of the community - the artists, the weavers of the wallets, the papermakers, the printers and those who colour in the designs by hand. Each may only earn a small sum but this can go to help purchase vital medicines or school supplies.

Cards feature local birds and animals, traditional designs, local people in everyday activities and traditional objects such as dance masks. By purchasing them we can show our interest in an area still rich in traditional culture as well as our concern for the environment and for the welfare of the local people. The cards and paper making projects were assessed by WWF in 1993 and were approved as being 'fairly traded'.

The cards are imported into the U.K. by Rowena Quantrill, wife of Bill Quantrill who was the British Ambassador to Cameroon in 1991-1993. Bill and Rowena got to know the Kilum/Ijim Mountain Forest Project well during their time in Cameroon, visiting a number of times. Their son, Toby, worked there for 18 months.

Realising that the paper makers needed an overseas outlet for the cards, Rowena imported 1000 on their return to the U.K. and sold them to friends and at charity events. They proved popular and she has aimed to bring in fresh supplies every 18 months. She pays for them on receipt and aims to sell them at a price that covers her costs but not to make a personal profit.