The Kilum-Ijim Forest is incredibly rich with native plants and animals including many species found nowhere else in the world. Years of clearing by local people for farming and grazing on the rich volcanic soil put the forest's existence at serious risk. Unfortunately, after areas of forest are cleared for agricultural production, soil dries easily and becomes unsuitable for farming. Dwindling supplies of natural resources, such as water and firewood, traditionally provided by Kilum-Ijim Forest are also an important concern for the local populations.

The Kilum-Ijim Forest Project (see main article, "In Cameroon, West Africa, GIS Aids in Reducing Forest Loss") was established based on the interest of conservationists and the needs of local communities. The major efforts at the beginning of the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project focused on maintaining the forest boundaries and reducing pressure on the ecosystem. Environmental education programs were implemented to increase awareness of the biodiversity value of the forest. Improved farming, livestock, and beekeeping techniques were introduced to help the people improve living standards without destroying the forest.

With consideration given to the high degree of dependence of adjacent communities on the forests' resources, the government of Cameroon introduced a new forestry law in 1994, its Decree of Application and the Community Forest Manual. This represented a change in the direction of community involvement in forest management. For the first time in Cameroon, the law provided a legal and administrative framework under which a community could effectively take control of the management of forests as community forests. Today the Kilum-Ijim Forest is a patchwork of community forests under the direct management of adjacent communities. Community involvement in forest management has effectively ensured convergence between community objectives for the forest and those of the government and international partners with interest in forest conservation.

The results of the study performed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom, has important social and political implications. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, analysis of satellite imagery of the area has shown that the forest began significantly regenerating in 1988, after the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project was initiated. The extent, biodiversity, and ecological processes appear to have been maintained, and the surrounding communities now sustainably use the forest. The study shows excellent performance of the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project, which is of major importance for the neighboring communities since the reserve is under their direct management.

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