The overall goal of this project is to mainstream data on bee and dipteran pollinators and their forage plant species to increase knowledge, awareness, and sharing of the importance of conserving plant-pollinator networks essential to economic growth, environmental and community welfare in Cameroon. To achieve this, this project aims to: (1) build capacity for citizen science in collecting datasets in protected national parks and forest reserves located in the five agroecological zones (AEZs) of the country using INaturalist smartphone apps, (2) build citizen capacity in pollinator health and ecology, sorting and curating specimens for data records in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) for Cameroon and the Pollinator Information Network for Sub- Saharan Two-Winged Insects (PINDIP), (3) authenticate and georeference existing data in publications and photographic evidence on bees and their forage plant species datasets from the University of Maroua, Ngaoundéré and Bamenda to strengthen GBIF-Cameroon; and (4) document indigenous knowledge on the socio-cultural values of the identified pollinators-foraged plant species by interviewing the local communities. The project will promote the collection and sharing of plant-pollinator specimens among Cameroonians, generate digital taxonomic keys for these insect pollinators, and produce species distribution lists for these pollinators, their foraged plant species, as well as the socio-cultural benefits of these forage plant species to local people in different regions to increase awareness of insect pollinators in environmental and community health and welfare. Results will be shared in Cameroon and the wider biodiversity community through peer-reviewed publications, workshops, and mass TV media.

Project Video Update: Youth for Nature: Mapping Cameroon’s Biodiversity with iNaturalist

Image from Youth for Nature: Mapping Cameroon’s Biodiversity with iNaturalist (video credit: icipe)

The main goal of the proposed project is to mainstream data on bees and dipterans, and their forage plant species in order to increase knowledge, sharing, and awareness of their importance in plant-pollinator networks essential to ecosystem functioning in Cameroon.

The indicators of the project’s success are:

• Education and training: This project will train and inspire university and conservation staff, government officials at IRAD, 5 MSc. students, 200 farmers and 200 children (that is 40 per AEZ) to engage in biodiversity research through the use of smartphone INaturalist apps for data collection, identification, sharing, curation and sorting of specimens. Additionally, Dr. Nganso will sensitize these groups on aspects of pollinator health and ecology to increase awareness and understanding of their crucial role in fostering the country’s unique
• Scientific community: This project will result in: (1) the production of country-level digital taxonomy keys for bee and dipteran pollinator species, (2) the publication of species distribution lists for pollinators, their associated plant species, and the socio-cultural benefits of these pollinator-forage plant species to the local people in different land-use conditions, (3) the publication of a review paper addressing the conservation status of the insect pollinators identified herein and their use for assessing future impacts of climate change in Cameroon; (4) deposition of project results in GBIF-Cameroon, PINDIP and on the cloud-based system managed by icipe; and (5) communication of project results through various media.

Dr. Beatrice Tchuidjang Nganso is a Research Scientist in the Environmental Health Theme at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya. She holds a PhD (2019) and MSc. (2012) in Entomology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and the University of Ghana, respectively, and a BSc in Zoology (2009) from the University of Buea, Cameroon. Before joining ICIPE, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2019–2022) at the Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Israel. Her research examines the mechanisms underlying health and biodiversity in insect pollinators as they interact with associated biotic/abiotic stressors to improve their health.