AN OKEHAMPTON woman who has settled in Cameroon has seen a tree growing scheme she helped to start just four years ago to help local people, become an immense success.

But Penny Fraser fears the great strides made by the project could be lost if more funding for it is not secured.

Four years ago, Penny encouraged a local chieftain in Cameroon to support the ?Tree for Life? scheme in a northern region of the poor African state.

Thousands of saplings have already been planted, but the project has lost its local sponsor, putting a planned expansion programme to contribute towards environmental improvement in jeopardy.

Penny was born and brought up in Okehampton and attended Okehampton Primary School and comprehensive. Her travelling began after her O-levels when she went to live in America on a year-long cultural exchange programme.

Penny?s career as a university ecologist has taken her to Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia, Zambia and the Philippines, working better to understand the rainforests, plants and trees of the tropics.

The Tree for Life project aims to supplement natural resources and educate the people of Cameroon about the importance of trees.

Penny says: ?The project addresses the problem of desertification, which is a very real threat to people?s lives in the North of Cameroon.?

Desertification means the spread of desert onto previous fertile land, and is the result of a vicious circle of environmental, social and economic issues. The felling of trees for fuel wood plays a major part in desertification in the region.

Penny says Cameroon?s diversity makes it a fascinating country. ?Its coastline in the south is bordered by tropical rain forest, while the north is dry and sub-Saharan desert,? she said.

Encouraged by Penny and workers with other Cameroon-based NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) the Lamido ? the traditional chief of Garoua ? began addressing the need to plant trees to replace those being lost, and in 2001 set up a tree nursery in the town. The nursery produced 10,000 trees in 2002 and 100,000 trees last year.

This next year was to be the start of a two-year phase to make the tree nursery, which is central to the project, self-financing.

As part of the project, regional market research showed a demand for citrus and mango trees. The profit from these trees, grown by the local nursery staff, covers the production of the seedlings of the less exotic indigenous species, such as eucalyptus, nim, baobab and tamarind, that can then be donated for community planting.

Special training on planting and care of the trees is given by nursery staff to the local volunteers who take part in the planting programme. ?These people are the key stakeholders in the fight against desertification,? says Penny.

Cameroon is probably best known outside Africa for football ? it was the first African country to reach the World Cup quarter-finals at the Italia ?90 championships, and achieved the double of becoming Olympic football gold medalists and African Nations Champions four years ago. All of the national team are based and play in Europe.

The modern state of Cameroon was created in 1961, after the unification of former French and British colonies. It has a population of about 16 million, and the majority are employed in agriculture or forestry.

Penny said: ?A nurseryman?s wage is £20 a week. It costs £10 to grow and establish 100 saplings. Every penny contributed goes directly to the nursery.

?With £7,000, the project will be able to support itself within two years. It would be so sad if such hard work and high hopes are wasted when success is nearly within grasp.?

For further details about the Tree for Life project e-mail: [email protected]">[email protected]