Assessing the Efficacy of Agroecological Approaches as Adaptive Strategies to Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Conservation in Communities Adjacent to Deng Deng National Park, Cameroon.

ABSTRACT This study assesses the role of agroecological practices in enhancing climate resilience and biodiversity conservation in three park-adjacent communities; Tête d’Éléphant (40 respondents), Liguim (20 respondents), and Lom I (20 respondents), bordering Deng Deng National Park (DDNP) in eastern Cameroon. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 80 households through structured questionnaires, field observations, and Global Positioning Systems-based spatial mapping. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics, composite index construction, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), multiple regression, factor analysis, and logistic regression, complemented by qualitative interpretations. The results show that agroecological adoption is shaped significantly by educational exposure, understood as both formal schooling and indigenous ecological knowledge passed across generations. Farmers who were more exposed to farming knowledge demonstrated higher adoption scores, with education contributing an average increase of +0.9 practices compared to respondents with no schooling. Also, of all practices studied, crop rotation was the only one with a statistically significant positive effect on climate resilience (β = 0.63; p < 0.05), improving soil fertility and yield stability. In contrast, agroforestry (β = −0.12; p > 0.05) and organic fertilization (β = 0.08; p > 0.05) showed no short-term measurable effects, reflecting their long ecological maturation periods. Biodiversity perceptions were overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of respondents reporting improvements in soil health, vegetation, and ecosystem functioning. However, the Biodiversity Index displayed no variation (Min = 1; Max = 1; Mean = 1), limiting inferential analysis despite strong ecological relevance. Socio-ecological modelling through Exploratory Factor Analysis identified two latent dimensions; cultural–ecological awareness (Factor 1) and social organization (Factor 2). Logistic regression revealed that social organization was the only significant predictor of agroforestry adoption (β = −1.52; p = 0.046), indicating that weaker community cohesion substantially reduces uptake. Demographic variables showed weak influence: age (β = −0.0028; p = 0.93) and household size (β = −0.137; p = 0.11) were not significant predictors. Overall, the study demonstrates that agroecology offers substantial potential for strengthening resilience and biodiversity around protected areas, with crop rotation delivering immediate benefits and other practices requiring longer-term commitment. The findings underscore the importance of education (formal and traditional), collective institutional structures, and sustained support for long-term ecological practices. This research contributes empirical evidence to the growing body of work on agroecology as a nature-based solution for sustainable landscape management in Cameroon. Keywords: Agroecology, Climate resilience, Biodiversity conservation, Crop rotation, Social organization; farming knowledge, Cameroon.