International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) Volume 4 Issue 3, April 2020 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470 @ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD30437 | Volume – 4 | Issue – 3 | March-April 2020 Page 310 Urban Natural Space Conservation: Challenges and Perspectives in Bamenda North West Region of Cameroon Gilbert Zechia Mofor 1 , Gideon Samba 1 , Ghislain Piebeng Kougoum 2 1 Department of Geography, HTTC, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon 2 Department of Biological Science, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon ABSTRACT Natural spaces constitutes a foremost environmental resource for humans. Its values have often been rooted in ‘intrinsic’ and ‘instrumental’ conservation stances. The plight and the growing prevalence of urban planning programmes draw attention to the question of its conservation and the outcomes. Over the last decade, the urban conservation challenge has increased tremendously owing to urbanisation. Conservation bodies have the potential to contribute to natural conservation governance. Although much of the current focus is in Africa, socio economic hitches pose challenges where much of the present attention is on opportunities that urbanisation can deliver for structural transformation. This paper seeks to investigate the nature of and challenges behind the conservation of natural spaces and management drives in an expanding urban environment. From this ground, we provide a synthesis of conservation strategies of natural and artificial landmark spaces on which urban population ultimately depends. The combination of field observations, formal discussions and socio-economic questionnaires show that there are natural expanses in Bamenda town with varied functional objectives and management challenges. Institutional management drives and socio-cultural challenges compel the researcher to think about the state and far reaching effects that surround these areas. Field results indicate that there are natural expanses including green spaces, sacred forests, shrines, water catchments, and wetlands. The challenges considered as hindrances to protection and conservation of natural spaces go beyond rapid urbanisation due to the lack of priority regarding to these natural landmarks, minimal conservation awareness, and uncooperative attitudes of citizens. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to strengthen conservation areas and recreational values through synergies between conservation and human attachment in Bamenda town. KEYWORDS: Natural space, Conservation, Urbanisation, Intrinsic, Bamenda How to cite this paper: Gilbert Zechia Mofor | Gideon Samba | Ghislain Piebeng Kougoum "Urban Natural Space Conservation: Challenges and Perspectives in Bamenda North West Region of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456- 6470, Volume-4 | Issue-3, April 2020, pp.310-315, URL: www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd30437.pdf Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development Journal. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0) 1. INTRODUCTION Urban growth and development in the world are leading to immense environmental concerns that may result in a global phenomenon. The pressures on urban areas engendered by modern urban planning have been of concern to the conservation community since the mid-1960s (Ibrahim 2017). Given the foregoing scenario, if the underlying values of natural spaces and conservation initiatives are not clearly stated, there is a danger that urban natural areas may lose their appetite for conservation contrary to the sustainable development goal (SDG) Number 11. More importantly, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), places concerns on the issue of biodiversity loss in the tropics and efforts for sustainable management. However, the concept of nature/the natural is the most contested term that means different things to different persons in different places. The concept of natural spaces here capture monuments of nature that dispose the integral biological and cultural inheritance of many peoples. Within this framework, the existing protected areas of exploration is based on both intrinsic and instrumental values. Like cities in developing countries, Cameroonian cities display diverse form of landmarks on which humans depend. Thus, human values are both the inspiration for conservation and how it always influences the science and practice of conservation. The integration of social-economic, environmental and urban governance as three pillars of sustainability, social development, economic development and environmental management could promote the sustainability of cities (EU, 2009). This new view focuses on how policymakers, practitioners, and the public can begin to think about natural areas as valuable contributors to larger urban policy objectives, such as income opportunities, cultural values, and physical monuments. As cities expand, and as we continue to value these spaces: challenges are emerging and missing links set in partly catalysed by deep institutional and regulatory lapses. The changes from natural land to urban land use are one of the core environmental issues in developing countries. The entire earth depends on the environment for survival. That is why these changes were discussed at the international level in 1972 in Stockholm during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. The most recent instances are the United Nations Climate Change conferences held in Indonesia in December 2007 and Paris in December 2015, respectively. This broadens the scope of IJTSRD30437