What will this forest look like in 30 years?

While working on a project to establish oil palm plantations near Korup National Park in Cameroon, Dr Seraphine Mokake realized something was wrong. Years of field research had taught her to recognize the signs of a healthy, biodiverse forest – one worth protecting. Rather than support the conversion, she stood by the evidence and resigned. Her assessment later aligned with growing civil society and NGO opposition, and the plantation project was ultimately cancelled.

Looking back, she describes the experience as a turning point in her understanding of the power of science to shape the future of forests. Now a senior lecturer in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Douala in Cameroon and an FSC member since 2018, Dr Mokake says, 

“My research helped me defend what I could see. That is when I realized how collecting data can influence decisions.” 

Dr Mokake spent years documenting how forests change over time, especially due to human activity. Often working in remote areas for weeks at a time, she camped in difficult conditions, navigated challenging terrain, and was frequently the only woman on the team. At times, colleagues warned her about entering areas where poachers were active. Yet she refused to let assumptions about what women could or could not do define her career. 

“You are a woman. You cannot do this,” 

she recalls hearing. Her answer was always the same: 

“Just give me the chance.”

That determination stems from a simple belief: someone has to do the hard work of understanding forests from the ground up. Her research has helped reveal how forests recover after logging and what can be done to support that recovery, demonstrating that restoration cannot be taken for granted. In Central Africa, forestry laws require logged forests to be left to regenerate for at least 30 years before they can be harvested again, making it essential to understand the conditions that allow forests to recover and thrive during that period. While the research tools have evolved, field data remains crucial. “You might have satellite images, you might have remote sensing technologies,” she says, “but you need ground-truthing to confirm what those images show.”

For Dr Mokake, collecting forest data is only part of the job. She also works closely with communities, raising awareness about climate change and the importance of protecting forests. She believes science is most valuable when it helps communities make better decisions about their future. 

“Human activity is the main cause of forest loss, but forests can recover with the right community forest management practices.”