Tropenbos International Congo Basin programme

Part I: Country strategy paper Cameroon

Wageningen, October 2008 “By making knowledge work for forests and people, Tropenbos International contributes to well-informed decision making for improved management and governance of tropical forests. Our longstanding local presence and ability to bring together local, national and international partners make us a trusted partner in sustainable development.”

Compiled by: Martinus de Kam, Verina Ingram, Bernard Foahom, Timothée Fometé Nembot and Hans Vellema Layout: Juanita Franco Printing: Digigrafi Wageningen Cover: Juanita Franco

© 2008 Tropenbos International P.O. Box 232 6700 AE Wageningen The Netherlands

Phone: +31 (0) 317 481414 Fax +31 (0) 317 481426 e: [email protected] www.tropenbos.org Contents

1 Introduction 5

2 General information about Cameroon 7

3 The forest sector in Cameroon 9 3.1 Forest resources and forest products 9 3.2 Major strategies of forest use 10 3.3 Changes in the forest estate 12 3.4 Legislative framework 13 3.4.1 Introduction 13 3.4.2National legislation 13 3.4.3 International conventions signed 13

4 Organisations and institutions in the forest sector 15 4.1 Database of organizations 15 4.2 Forest research organizations 15 4.3 Completed, current and planned projects 17

5 Strategies and priorities of the forest sector 18 5.1 Introduction 18 5.2 The Forestry and Environment Sector Programme (PSFE) 18 5.3 National research policy 21

6 External trends that affect the forest sector 23 6.1 Extra sectoral trends 23 6.2 International influences on national forest issues 24 6.3 Future directions for the Cameroon forest sector 25

7 Cameroon forest sector priorities 26 7.1 Identification of priorities 26 7.2 Conclusions on forest sector priorities 27

8 Propositions for a new TBI Cameroon programme 29 8.1 TBI: its mission, objectives, themes and tools 29 8.2 Themes to be addressed and TBI tools to tackle the problems 29 8. 2.1 The functioning of the local wood sector 29 8.2.2 The effects of new infrastructure on forests and people’s livelihoods 31 8.2.3 Support to forest management planning 31 8.2.4 Dissemination of research results; notably of the Campo-Ma’an project 31 8.2.5 Networking and capacity building 32 8.3 The regional impact of the programme 32

9 Involvement of partners and stakeholders 33

10 Considerations for the process of programme development 34

Bibliography, useful documents and websites 35

Useful abbreviations 36 Annexes (on accompanying CD)

CD annex 1 TBI consultancy report Foahom (2008) CD annex 2 TBI consultancy report Ingram (2008a) CD annex 3 Database of Cameroonian forest sector organizations (Ingram, 2008) CD annex 4 Database of Cameroonian forest projects (Ingram, 2008) CD annex 5 TBI fact finding mission April 2008. Agenda, Orientation meeting and meetings overview issues (Ingram, 2008) CD annex 6 Document de synthèse du PSFE (PSFE summary) CD annex 7 IRAD forest research programme 2008-2012, Forêts, Sols, Environnement (forests soils and the environment) CD annex 8 Forest Law 1994 concerning the management of forests, fauna and fisheries CD annex 9 CCPM List of participants CD annex 10 CCPM Behavioural Code 1 Introduction

In November 2007, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a proposal from Tropenbos International (TBI) for the development of a new programme for Cameroon and the Congo basin.

In the 90s TBI carried out a multi-funded programme in Cameroon. With funds from the same ministry TBI developed and implemented a research and capacity building programme in support of the forest sector in this country. In this period TBI further coordinated the GEF/World Bank Campo-Ma’an Biodiversity Con- servation and Management Project and two other projects funded by the EU and ITTO, respectively.

TBI’s programme in Cameroon came to an end in 2002, when the government of the Netherlands ended its bilateral development cooperation with this country.

For the development of this new Congo basin programme, TBI will start in Cameroon and later expand this programme with complementary activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries of the Congo basin.

There are two reasons for developing the programme in this stepwise manner: TBI’s understanding of the challenges of the forest sector in Cameroon and its network of governmental organizations, knowledge institutes, NGOs and the private sector gives us a lead in developing and organizing a strong and relevant programme in this country. Secondly, the prominent position of Cameroon in the region, exemplified by the fact that many international and regional organizations have their main offices in this country, would provide us with an excellent base from which to expand the programme to the region.

The purpose of this document is to present some of the major developments that have taken place in re- cent years in forest policy in Cameroon, the priority themes in the forest sector and the research agendas of national and international knowledge institutes operating in the country.

This document or programme strategy paper will guide TBI with the development of its programme in Cameroon and the region, taking into account the strategy and objectives of TBI, as formulated in its pro- gramme proposal for 2006-2010.

Table 1: list of the activities carried out in preparing the present CSP for Cameroon. Period Activity Output Preparation of the fact finding February 2008 Report (DeKam, 2008) mission (FFM) 3 local short term consultants February 2008 3 contracts contracted 1st - 11th April 2008 FFM in Yaoundé Report Ingram, 2008b Consultant 1: Analysis of forest Report Ingram, 2008a sector related organizations Consultant 2: Forest research Report Foahom, 2008 May 2008 priorities Consultant 3: The strategies and Draft Fometé, 2008 priorities of the forest sector Present document (DeKam, Ingram, April - June 2008 Preparation of the CSP Foahom, Fometé & Vellema, 2008)

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Figure 1. Cameroon

6 2 General information about Cameroon

Cameroon has been an independent state since 1960. It lies on the west coast of Africa, some 300 km north of the equator. The country is bordered by Nigeria to the north- west, Chad and the Central - African Republic to the north and east and by Congo Brazzaville, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the South. Its western coastline opens out onto the Gulf of Guinea (figure 1).

The country is divided into 10 provinces (Figure 2), each ruled by a Governor. These provinces are divided into 4 - 6 departments head- ed by a Prefect. Each department divided into districts is headed by the District Head (Sous-Prefect).

Cameroon can be divided into five agro-ecological zones (Figure 3): • The coastal area and the south are mainly covered with dense forests; • On the central plateau the tropical forests change gradually into savannas; • The west is a region with high forested mountains up to 3000 Figure 2. The 10 provinces of Cameroon metres, with the highest top being the active volcano, Mount Cameroon (4,095 m.); • To the east the mountain chain ends in the Adamoua high plains; • The North is a Sahelian savannah area which gradually changes into the Lake Chad marshes.

Six of Cameroon’s ten provinces are located in the forest zone: the Centre, East, Littoral, South, Southwest and West Provinces. Key information about the country is given in table 2.

Figure 3. Forest cover of Cameroon (source: World resource institute)

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Table 2: General information about Cameroon Land Total surface area (sq km): 475,442 2005 Agricultural land (sq km): 91,600 2004 Arable land (% agri. land): 65.1 2003 Change in agricultural land area since 1990 (%): -0.1 2003 Permanent pasture (% agri. land): 21.8 2003 Permanent crops (% agri. land): 13.1 2003 Forest area (sq km): 225,000 2008 Annual change in forest area since 1990 (%): -1.2* 2005 Population Population (1000): 16,322 2005 Annual population growth rate (%): 1.9 2005 Capital: Yaoundé. Estimated population (1000) 1,700 Official languages French % 80 English % 20 Economy GDP (million $US): 16,150 2004 Annual GDP growth rate (%): 4.7 2003 GDP per capita ($US): 1,007 2004 % GDP agriculture: 20 2004 % GDP forest: 5 2004 % GDP mining, manufacturing: 30 2004 % GDP other (mainly oil) 45 2004 Biodiversity Percentage of surface area protected for biodiversity (%): 8.9 2005 Number of threatened species: 514 2006 CO2 emissions: CO2 (million tonnes): 3,5 2003 CO2 (tonnes/capita): 0,2 2003 GHG (million tonnes CO2 eq): 165,7 1994 GHG (tonnes CO2 eq. per capita): 10,2 1994 *Reliable data not available

Table 2 shows that the surface of agricultural land has declined slightly since 1990. More than twenty percent of agricultural land is pasture land. This is mainly situated in the northern (Sahelian) part of the country. There has been only a small decline in the forested area since 1990. This is due to selective logging practices in Cameroon which, while causing considerable degradation, do not transform the forest to other land uses.

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3 The forest sector in Cameroon

3.1 Forest resources and forest products

The Congo Basin’s tropical forests cover 180 million hectares. More than 96% is lowland forest belonging to the bio-geo- graphic Guineo-Congolese forest zone. The forests are biologi- cally very rich, especially the areas along the Gulf of Guinea (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon). The forests play an important climate regulatory role, with fifty percent of the local and regional rainfall originating from local evaporation and evapo-transpiration. About 30 million people live in the forested zones of the Congo Basin. The majority are highly dependent on hunting and gathering and thus relying on natural forest resources for their livelihoods.

The forests of Cameroon are located in the humid, southern part of the country (Figure 3). With a forest area of about 22.5mil- lion hectares (47% of its territory) Cameroon possess one of the largest forest areas in Africa, second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo (Table 3). The country contains one of the widest ranges of biodiversity in Africa. It also has the highest Figure 4: In the Congo basin, millions of people depend percentage of logged forest of any African nation with a sub- on forest resources for their livelihoods. stantial amount of rain forest (Ndoye and Kaimowitz, 2000).

Table 3: Cameroon’s forest sector Total forest area 22,5 million ha 47% of the national territory Deforestation 200,000 ha 1% p.a. Production forest 7.6 million ha 34% of the forest area Forest allocated for logging 5.7 million ha (2004) Production 2,375,000 m3 (2004) Number of FMUs 74 (2008) FMUs with management plan 42 FMUs with FSC certification 1 Log production 1,372,000 m3 (2008) Exports of timber 389,000 m3 (2008) Marketable trees 300 species exploited: 55 species Wood production as % of GDP 5% Energy from wood 65% of total energy consumption Employment in the sector 67,000 people

The forestry sector is the most important export sector in terms of volume and the third most important in terms of foreign earnings. It accounts for about 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides about 67,000 jobs. Timber from Cameroon’s forests is traded on both local and international markets. Domestic processing and transformation of logs remained fairly stable between 1992 and 1997, whilst exports of logs have increased by an average of 28% p.a. over the same period. Thus a shift in the local added value and

9 Tropenbos International consumption patterns is occurring. The local market is poorly and informally organized. Many small loggers merchandize their logs in a non-transparent way to bigger companies who then commercialize them. Local small loggers normally do not export their products. Sapelli, Ayous, Azobé, Sipo and Iroko account for the bulk of log exports. However in recent years, lower quality species are also being exported to Asian countries and this new demand for other species has provided a new impetus for forest exploitation.

Sixty percent of the population uses wood as a source of energy. The FAO estimates the consumption of wood for energy to be 0.75 m3/habitant/p.a., which represents an annual demand of around 7 million m3.

Non-timber forest products Many rural dwellers in tropical regions rely on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to meet their livelihood and income needs. Local markets play an important role in enabling forest-dependent households to realize a significant part of their cash income through the sale of NTFPs. Increased urbanization (a result of rural-urban migration) is a significant factor that is increasing commercial demand for NTFPs.

In a study from 1997/98 Ndoye, Ruiz Pérez & Eyebe (1998) concluded that the value of NTFPs marketed is significant, amounting to at least US$ 1.75 million in the first half of 1995. More than 1,100 traders, mainly women, were engaged in distributing NTFPs. The marketing margins obtained by traders varied between 16 % (for Dacryodes edulis) and 30 % (for Irvingia spp.) of the value of sales. The study confirms the role of NTFPs as a source of employment and income.

Cameroonian legislation refers to NTFPs of plant origin as ‘special products’. Their exploitation is regulated by the Directorate of Forests within MINFOF (Ministry of Forests and Wildlife1) which delivers agreements and exploitation licences and is responsible for controlling these. The Directorate of Promotion and Trans- formation promotes the transformation of the raw products and controls exports. The tax on NTFPs, called the ‘regeneration tax’, is collected by MINEFI (Ministry of Economics and Finance) and is levied on the basis of the volume of harvested products. Most NTFPs are not sustainably managed largely because of insufficient knowledge about the resource. For most of these products there is not even an indication of their potential or abundance.

3.2 Major strategies of forest use

The government’s strategy for forest use is laid down in the 1994 Forest Law and has subsequently been elaborated in the Forest and Environmental Sectoral Plan (PSFE Programme Sectoriel Forêt en Environ- nement – see chapter 4.2). Cameroonian forests are divided in permanent and non-permanent forest areas (Figure 5). NATIONAL FOREST ESTATE

Permanent Forest Non-permanent forests

State forests Council forests

Production forests Council forest, Communal forests plantation Community forests Protection forests Private forest Forest plantations Council forest, Teaching and research natural forests Recreation forests Plant life sanctuaries Botanical gardens Integral ecological reserves Game reserves Hunting areas State game ranches Wildlife sanctuaries Buffer zones State zoological gardens National parks Figure 5: The national forest estate according, to the provisions of the 1994 forest law. 1 Translated from the French: Ministère des Forêts et de la Faune 10 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon

The state forests and council forests are permanent forests. Communal, community and private forests are non-permanent forests. By law, permanent forest must cover at least 30% (14 million hectares) of the national territory and represent the ecological diversity of Cameroon. The non-permanent forest domain covers the remaining forests, which amount to about six million hectares. Non-permanent forest area may be converted to non-forest uses. The non-permanent forest domain is divided into (1) national forests, which represent about 80% of the area of non-permanent forest; (2) community forests, which cover an area of about 400,000 hectares and (3) private forests, which have not been inventoried but are estimated to cover around 600,000 hectares.

The main strategies for forest use are: • exploitation of the productive forests of the permanent national estate with a 30-year rotation, while ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystem. All Forest Management Units (FMUs) should have a validated management plan, implemented in accordance with the regulations; • that the rural population takes increased responsibility in managing forests within the national estate, and the promotion of the establishment of community and communal forests; • FMUs can be accessed by neighbouring communities to collect NTFPs; • biodiversity conservation in production forests, and within a national network of managed protected areas which together cover 20% of the national territory and representing 90% of Cameroon’s biodiversity (Table 4); • development of the private sector through long-term agreements and industrialization; • land allocation as defined in the zoning plans; • improved governance: clarification and simplification of rules.

Figure 6: Campo-Ma’an, one of Cameroon’s many National Parks. The law allows for the government to grant definitive logging concessions in permanent forests, but only after MINFOF has gazetted the land. However, the Ministry has not yet been able to complete this task. This hold–up, together with the lengthy delays that occurred in approving management plans meant that, as of February 2006, there were still no logging concessions managed on the basis of definitive protocols signed by the administration (Vandenhaute and Heuse, 2006). This has led many logging companies to extend their temporary contracts to more than the legal term of three years. Strategies for forest use are further elaborated in chapter 4.

11 Tropenbos International Table 4: The protected areas of Cameroon Creation Surface Creation of Name of the Location/providence (ha) the park Reserve Waza National Park 170,000 1932 1968 Waza/Extreme-North Lobéke National park 217,854 2001 Mouloundou/East Kalamaloué National Park 4,500 1932 1968 Kousseri/Extreme North Mozogo National park 1,400 1932 1968 Mozogo/Extreme North Benoué National park 180,000 1932 1968 Benoué/North Faro National park 330,000 1984 1980 Poli/North Bouba-Ndjida National park 220,000 1932 1968 Tcholliré/North Korup National park 125,900 1961 1986 Mundemba/South West Campo-Ma’an National park 264,064 1932 2000 Campo/South Mbam & Djérem National park 416,512 2000 Yoko/Center Mbanyang-Mbo Sanctuary 66,000 1996 Nguti/SouthWest Douala-Edéa Fauna Reserve 160,000 1932 Mouanko/Littoral Dja Fauna Reserve 526,000 1950 Somalomo/East Santchou Fauna Reserve 7,000 1964 Santchou/West Kimbi Fauna Reserve 5,625 1964 Kimbi/North-West Lac Ossa Fauna Reserve 4,000 1968 Dizangué/Littoral Mbi Crater Reserve 370 1964 Bui/North-West Yaoundé Zoo 2,07 1951 Yaoundé/Centre Limbé Zoo 0,5 1885 Limbé/South-West Garoua Zoo 1,5 1966 Garoua/North (28) Hunting Zones 2,364,396 1968-1998 Provinces North & Adamaoua (11) Hunting Zones 1,213,400 2000-2002 Mouloundou/East (01) Hunting zones 75,000 2002 Yako/Centre (16) Hunting Zones/ 1,082,454 2000-2002 Mouloudou/East community - managed 7,434,479 Boumba Beck National park 238,255 Dossier transferred to PM Mouloundou/East Nki National park 309,362 Dossier transferred to PM Ngoila/East Mengame Gorilla Sanctuary 122,368 Dossier transferred to PM Mengame/south Mefou National park 1,044 Finalizing the dossier Mfou Prov/Centre Mpem and Dijm National park 100,000 Finalizing the dossier Linté/centre Lom and Panghar National park 177,480 Finalizing the dossier Bétaré Oya/East Vallée du Mbéré National park 77,760 2004 Djohong/Adamaoua Oku Plantlife Sanctuary 2005 Oku/North-West Mt Cameroon National park Finalizing the dossier Buea/South-Wesr

3.3 Changes in the forest estate

Generally, estimates of the deforestation rate in Cameroon range from 80,000 to 200,000 hectares per year (Ndoye and Kaimowitz, 2000), although the most commonly accepted figure is estimated as an annual rate of 1%. Deforestation is expected to accelerate as in recent years more production forest has been allocated to concessionaries and the local and international demand for wood and wood products is growing.

12 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon 3.4 Legislative framework

3.4.1 Introduction The state is the principle body responsible for managing Cameroon’s forests. While timber is harvested pri- vately, it is the state that defines forestry sector policy, forest management regulations and grants logging rights. Regulations for forest management (exploitation) were previously based on the 1981 law. Gazet- ted permanent production forest was almost non-existent and timber production occurred on short-term concessions of one to five years. No forest management plans were required as a prerequisite to forest exploitation. The 1994 Forest Law and subsequent forest sector reforms aimed to improve the welfare of the forest population, who now receive part of the annual forestry tax (RFA). The goal of these reforms is to make forestry: (i) a key sector in poverty reduction; and (ii) a major area for Cameroon’s industrialization and exports. The forest law of 1994 filled a large gap in forest legislation and seeks to ensure the sustainable management of forests. Moreover it also enshrines the principle that people living in and around the forested areas have the right to be involved in forest management and to use the forests.

3.4.2.National legislation • Law regulating the management of land and domains (Régime foncier et domaniale), 1974; • Law N° 94-1 regulating the management of forests, fauna and fisheries, 1994; • Decree N° 95-531-PM regulating forest management (Décret no 95-531-PM fixant les modalités d’application du régimes des forêts), 1995; • Decree N° 95-678-PM establishing guidelines for land use in the southern forest zone (Décret no 95-678-PM instituant un cadre indicative d’utilisation des terres en zone forestière méridionale); • Law N° 2004/17, 2004 on decentralization. • Law N° 2004/18, 2004 setting out the rules applicable to councils. • Law N° 2004/19, 2004 setting out the rules applicable to regions.

The 1994 Act on Forestry and Wildlife took into account the Cameroonian government’s goal of achieving sustainable management of its forests. MINFOF is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the forest laws at the provincial and local level, and employ forest guards to ensure this.

3.4.3 International conventions signed The Government of Cameroon has signed the following bilateral and multilateral conventions and agree- ments related to the management and protection of nature: • Convention on the conservation of nature and natural resources, Algiers, 1968 • Convention on wetlands of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat (the Ramsar Convention), Ramsar, 1971 • Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage (the World Heritage Convention) UNESCO, Paris 1972 • Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), Washing- ton, 1973 • Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS or Bonn Convention), Bonn, 1979 • Convention for co-operation in the protection and development of the marine and coastal environ- ment of the west and central African Region, (Abidjan Convention), Abidjan, 1981 • Accord for cooperation and consultation among central African states relating to wildlife conserva- tion, Libreville, 1983 • Convention for the protection of the ozone layer. Vienna, 2001. • Rio climate change convention, Rio de Janeiro, 1992 • Convention on biological diversity (CBD), Rio, 1992 • African-Eurasian waterbird agreement (AEWA), The Hague, 1995 • Convention on the conservation and the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in central Africa. Brazzaville, 2005.

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Cameroon has signed bi-lateral accords and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with many countries and international NGOs, including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Overall the legislative framework for realizing the sustainable management of forest resources and conser- vation is well established in Cameroon.

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4 Organisations and institutions in the forest sector

4.1 Database of organizations

Cameroon has a large number of organizations that are active in the forest sector. Annex 3 on the CD provides fuller information about these organizations, differentiated by the type of stakeholder. The main groups involved are: • Civil society organizations and networks • Research institutes and academics • Government agencies • Development agencies • Traditional authorities • Elected representatives • Projects • Consultants and service providers • The private sector (Timber and NTFPs) This annex provides details about the strategies, mandate, staff, partners, results, geographical area, funding, etc. of these different stakeholders (to the extent that such information is available). The large numbers of organizations in the sector and their level of qualification provides an excellent base to work in Cameroon.

4.2 Forest research organizations

The structure of forestry research in Cameroon is shown in figure 7. The Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation (MINRESI) is the umbrella ministry for a number of research institutes, including the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) which also carries out forestry research. Universities operate under the umbrella of the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP). Research is also being carried out by international agencies including the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and la Recherche Agronomique au service des Pays du Sud (CIRAD), and by conservation NGOs like WWF, Conservation International, etc. Research within the PSFE framework is carried out under responsibility of the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF). Tables 5, 6 and 7 list the research and training institutes operating in Cameroon in 2008.

MINOF/MINEP MINRESI MINESUP

International UNIVERSITIES

IRAD Other research institutions under MINRESI (IRGM, FACULTIES IMPM, CNE…)

5 divisions including SCFSE

Programmes Others Projects

IRGM: Geology and Mineral research institute IMPM: Medical Research Institute and Medicinal plant study CNE: National Eductaion centre

Figure 7: Research organisations with special reference to forestry research 15 Tropenbos International

Table 5. Research institutions Institution Area of Competence International ICRAF Tree (NTFPs) domestication, marketing. Forest ecosystems, socio-economy of NTFPs, environment (Climatic change), anthropology, CIFOR Forest governance, decentralisation. IITA Agro-systems. CIRAD Wood technology, forest economy, forest governance. World Fish Centre Aquatic et marine fauna, marine protected areas. National Agro-ecological systems, sustainable forest management, biodiversity, botany and ethno- botany, wildlife domestication, EIA, forest inventory, soils management and degradation, CIRAD silviculture, tree (NTFP) domestication, agroforestry, environment, farming systems, forest protection, aquaculture. INC Cartography IMPM Medicinal plants IRD Anthropology, sociology, hydrology, human health. IRGM Hydrology

IRAD: Institute of Agricultural Research for Development; ICRAF: World Agroforestry Centre; CIFOR : Centre for International Forestry Research; IITA: International Institute for Tropical Agriculture; CIRAD: Institut français de la Recherche Agronomique au service des Pays du Sud; INC: Na- tional Institute for Cartography; IMPM: Medical Research Institute and Medicinal Plant Study; IRD: Institute du recherche pour le développement ;IRGM: Geology and Mineral Research Institute

Table 6. Training institutes Structures Area of Competence University of Yaoundé I (UY1):ENSP (*) Agroforestry, biotechnology, seed technology, environment, EIA, natural and Faculty of Sciences resource managements, botany, wood technology UY1 Faculty of Arts Sociology, anthropology University of Dschang (FASA, Forestry Natural resource management, forest inventory, wildlife and hunting, Department, CRESA, Faculty of Sci- wood technology, agroforestry, agro business. ences) University of Douala Mangrove ecosystems. University of Buéa Mountainous and evergreen forest ecosystems. University of Ngaoundéré Sudanian and sudano-sahelian ecosystems, protected areas, inventory. (Faculty of Sciences) University of Yaoundé II (Faculties of Juridical and economic aspects of forest management management and law) Catholic University of Central Africa Juridical and economic aspects, including forest sector Conservation, inventory, forest management, silviculture, forest resource ENEF Mbalmayo management, agroforestry, aquaculture

ENSP: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique; FASA: Faculté d’Agronomie et de Sciences Agricoles; CRESA: Centre Regional d’Esignement en Agriculture Forest Bois

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Table. 7 Conservation and development organizations Institution Area of Competence Birdlife International Conservation, protected areas, birdlife. GTZ (Germany) Conservation, ecotourism, protected areas, governance, co-management. Limbe Botanical Garden Ex situ conservation, gene banks, protected areas, cartography, environment. SNV Governance, ecotourism, protected areas, socio-economy, NTFP IUCN Conservation, protected areas, wildlife, governance, co-management, environment. Global Forest Watch Conservation, forest mapping WWF Conservation, protected areas, wildlife, co-management, environment.

SNV: the Netherlands Development Organization; GTZ Gessellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Development Cooperation)

The universities do not have dedicated forest research programmes. Research activities in universities are mainly carried out in the framework of MSc courses and PhD theses. PhD and MSc students often align their field studies with the programmes of national or international research institutes. A detailed report about forest research in Cameroon has been provided by Foahom (CD Annex 1).

4.3 Completed, current and planned projects

The project database (CD Annex 4) provides details of about 50 current and recently completed projects that are of possible relevance for the TBI Cameroon programme. It provides details about the objectives, results, geographical area, funding etc. of these projects (where this information was available). The list allows for making comparisons and also identifying any gaps that may exist, especially in relation to human resource development, institutional capacity building and policy development, all areas where TBI might potentially become involved. TBI would seek to avoid overlap with organizations working in these fields by establishing partnerships and collaboration with appropriate national and international players. Figure 8 shows the approximate locations of projects and programmes and de facto, indicates where TBI might be able to fill in gaps (also on CD Annex 2).

Figure 8: Location current forest projects and programmes.

17 5 Strategies and priorities of the forest sector

5.1 Introduction

Cameroon’s forest sector strategy gives priority to poverty reduction as formulated in the Poverty Reduc- tion Strategy Paper (PRSP) (Government of Cameroon, 2003), which in turn is linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The PRSP focuses on seven strategic pillars, namely: 1. promotion of a stable macroeconomic framework, 2. diversification of the economy, 3. development of the private sector as the main engine of growth, 4. development of basic infrastructure and natural resources, together with protection of the environ- ment, 5. acceleration of regional integration in the framework of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, 6. capacity building and strengthening of human resources, and 7. improvement of the institutional framework and fostering good governance.

The PRSP addresses cross-cutting issues, including the environment and several external partners have aligned their strategies with it. Cameroon’s main external partners are France, Germany, the World Bank, the EC and the African Development Bank, who between them account for approximately 85% of Official Development Assistance in Cameroon (2003-04 figures). Capacity building is being conducted by external partners increasingly in a coordinated manner. In the forest sector, external partners provide technical assistance through a multi-donor basket fund, jointly managed by MINFOF and the GTZ. There is a discussion group of the partners of MINFOF and MINEP (Fr.: Cercle de Concertation des Partenaires du MINFOF et du MINEP; CCPM) an informal group consisting of donors and other international organizations supporting the ministries. In monthly meetings they try to optimize and harmonize their support to the forest administration.

5.2 The Forestry and Environment Sector Programme (PSFE)

Over the past twenty years, Cameroon’s forestry sector has undergone far-reaching institutional and legal reforms. These include, in particular, the creation of a ministry responsible for the environment and forests in 1992, the drafting of a new forestry policy, published in 1995, the adoption of a new forest law in 1994 (CD Annex 8), and of an environment code in 1996. In 1999, with the help of the international community, the Government of Cameroon set up the Forestry and Environment Sector Programme (PSFE) to support the implementation of its policy for the sustain- able and participatory management of the country’s forest and wildlife resources. The main objective of the programme is to establish a coherent framework for all operations that relate to the objectives of this policy, whose central aim is the conservation, management and sustainable exploitation of forest eco- systems in order to meet the local, national, regional and global needs of present and future generations. Its development objective is to secure lasting improvement in local people’s living conditions through the sustainable improvement of forest ecosystems. From the outset, the PSFE has benefited from assistance from the following development partners: the World Bank, the African Development Bank and has worked with the co-operation and development agencies of: the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands as well as the FAO, WWF and IUCN. A major objective of many of these partnerships is to link the forestry sector, strengthened by the PSFE, to Cameroon’s broader rural development strategy, and particularly the overall development agenda, based on macro-economic stability, decentralization, poverty alleviation, improved governance and the develop- ment of the private sector.

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The PSFE, adopted in 2003 has become Cameroon’s main vehicle for implementing its forestry policy. It is a sector-based development plan which is implemented within the framework of a Structural Adjustment Credit (SAC II). The objectives of the SAC are: promotion of forestry development, institutional reform, tax reform and improved governance. Embedded within this SAC the PSFE needs to take these broader objectives into account and create a consistent framework for a large number of pre-existing activities and projects, including those coming from the National Forestry Action Plan the National Environmental Management Plan and the Emergency Action Plan

The national priorities of Cameroon in the forest sector are summarized within the PSFE (CD Annex 6), and in subsequent programmes in the area of forest governance (AFLEG, FLEGT), sustainable forest manage- ment and certification.

These forestry and environment policies establish a political and strategic framework based on the follow- ing themes: • Sustainable forest management: the exploitation of the productive forests of the permanent national estate within the framework of management plans which ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem through a 30-year rotation. • Contribution to economic growth and poverty alleviation: the production of tax revenues, part of which are passed back to local councils and communities, job creation in the wood sub-sector and the establishment of community forests directly managed by the communities. • Participatory management, with the involvement of all the stakeholders: consultation with civil society and the private sector in the decision-making process, increased responsibility for rural populations in managing forests of the national estate, openness to permanent dialogue with the international community. • Biodiversity conservation within a national network of managed protected areas and in production forests. • Capacity-strengthening for the public sector in its basic functions. • The establishment of a regulatory framework favourable to the development of the private sector: through long-term agreements and industrialization. • The establishment of coherence within the land ownership system: allocation of land to priority uses through the definition of a zoning plan. • Improved governance: clarification and simplification of rules, controls on corruption, increased transparency, systematic public information.

The assessment of the forestry sector, conducted while the PSFE was being prepared, highlighted the following shortcoming that the PSFE needs to address: • The absence of basic tools to sustainably manage the forest estate, the need to establish a monitor- ing and evaluation system for threatened species of flora and fauna, to consolidate the statistics concerning forestry, wildlife and the environment, and harmonize environmental information systems. • A striking discrepancy was observed between the aspirations of the regulatory framework and recent reforms and the realities in the field. Forestry institutions, public, private, civic and NGOs, do not have the adequate capacity to implement the new regulations effectively. • The government continues to create protected areas, but these need effective management methods in order to be sustainable. New funding mechanisms need to be developed so as to man- age these protected areas effectively.

Following this analysis, a number of objectives for the PSFE were identified: • Improving the professional management skills of staff within MINFOF/MINEP (both central and external services) in order to make the best use of the skills available. • Increasing the involvement of all stakeholders (civil society and local communities) in actions aimed at protecting and developing forestry and wildlife resources. • Establishing a coherent control strategy for all forestry activities. • Classifying forest management units (FMUs) and protected areas, defining their boundaries, and

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establishing and approving their management plans. • Adopting and implementing a bold policy for valorising non-timber forest products. • Adopting and implementing an industrialization strategy that is compatible with the sustainable management of timber resources. • Establishing a strategy of environmental control for the forestry sector.

The PSFE consists of five components, briefly described below.

COMPONENT I: Knowledge of resources and environmental governance.

The aim is to update existing ecological maps with the help of satellite imaging and recent aerial pho- tographs and to proceed with the zoning of these areas so as to be able to maintain permanent forest coverage of at least 30% of the national territory, in accordance with the goals of Cameroon forestry policy. Zoning the parts of the national territory that are not already covered by the 1995 zoning plan. And estab- lishing an information system and ecological monitoring The objectives of this component are to fill the information gap that exists within the Cameroonian forest and environment sector so as to provide reliable technical statistics and data that are accessible and easily usable for planning activities and sustainably managing forest and wildlife resources. This component will therefore also contribute to better environmental governance of forest ecosystems.

Four sub-components have been identified to address the issues mentioned above: • Monitoring and evaluation of environmental impacts in the forest sector • Environmental regulation and monitoring in the forest sector • Environmental information and sensitization • Financing to develop alternative energy sources and disaster management strategies for the forest sector.

COMPONENT 2: Managing production forests within the permanent forest area and improving forest products.

It is expected that component 2 of the FESP should enable the classification and the supervision of all the forestry concessions that have been granted, the adoption of a consistent strategy for monitoring a suit- able industrial network and a controlled and sustainable managed network for NTFPs. This component includes 4 sub-components: (i) managing production forests; (ii) industrialization, (iii) forestry monitoring and fiscal follow-up and, (iv) improving use of NTFPs.

COMPONENT 3: Conserving bio-diversity and valorising forest wildlife products

The activities of component 3 will be carried out through 7 sub-components, detailed below: • Sustaining bio-diversity through a representative network of protected areas. • Improving knowledge about resources: building up and managing data banks and establishing an operational ecological monitoring system. • Ensuring the involvement of local populations in the management of forest resources. • Drafting and implementing, in a participatory manner, the tools to sustainably manage protected areas. • Improving the contribution that forest products and protected areas make to the economy. • Instituting a legal and institutional framework that guarantees a consistent and joint management. • Establishing a sustainable financing mechanism to ensure the protection of wildlife and protected areas in Cameroon.

COMPONENT 4: Community management of forest and wildlife resources.

Since 1995 Cameroon’s forest policy has enshrined the principle of involving local communities in the man- agement of the country’s forests. However, the implementation of this principle in practice has been beset

20 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon with problems. In theory more involvement by communities in forestry activities should foster the sustainable development of forest species and improve the management of forests and their resources. The participation should also generate revenues that contribute to the fight against poverty (as outlined in the PRSP) and improve the living standards and conditions of communities living in and around Cameroon’s forests. The activities of this component are broken down in sub-components: • Community access to forests and involvement in the management of forest resources. • Reafforestation and regeneration of forest resources through promoting private and community reafforestation - a priority goal of the PSFE. This objective will be supported by the establishment of a National Agency for Forest Development (ANAFOR – see below) and a special fund for the develop- ment of plantations, to be set up by the government. • Community management of fuel wood resources: this intervention will be focused in the north of Cameroon, with the objective of curbing the depletion of forest resources and fighting against poverty. • Effective management of the royalty quotas earmarked for local populations under the annual forestry taxes (RFA): this sub component will: (i) facilitate the use of RFA for local development; (ii) help to safeguard and consolidate the redistribution mechanisms of forest and wildlife revenue.

COMPONENT 5: Institutional capacity-building

Four subcomponents have been identified to fill the institutional gaps within in the forest-environment sector and together they constitute the more strategic aspects for institutionally reforming the sector: • Establishing ANAFOR, a new national agency which will delivery the state’s objectives for plantation development. • Reinforcing MINFOF and MINEP: this will be the most important sub component in this section and will help build the two ministries into strong, efficient structures capable of meeting their state duties. • Involvement of stakeholders: this sub-component involves developing the appropriate mechanisms to encourage the participation of non-state actors in policy choices, their implementation and moni- toring: a key factor for the success of forestry policy. • Building the capacities of the national training and research structures involved in forestry and wild- life.

5.3 National research policy

One important current development is the preparation of the PDR - a strategic plan for scientific research and innovation in Cameroon (‘Plan Directeur de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation au Cameroun’) by MINRESI (for details see Foahom, CD Annex 1). The policy document, which is currently in its draft stages, identifies the main areas for future scientific research. While it does not give any details about developing specific sectors, it does give guidelines on the main general priorities. The PDR identifies the following shortcomings of research activities within Cameroon at present: • Lack of coherent animation, monitoring and evaluation of research activities; • Research programmes lack strategic vision; • Lack of a critical mass of scientific and qualified personnel (senior researchers, engineers, research technicians) to support an efficient and development-oriented research system; • Weak synergy between national research institutions; • Lack of adequate means (funds, equipment, laboratories, etc.); • Lack of an appropriate and long-term research funding mechanism.

The PDR has identified the following priority axes: A. Energy and mining B. Raw material processing (including forest resources) C. Agriculture and food security D. Social science and development

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E. Health F. Environment G. Biotechnology H. New information and communication technologies I. Increasing the use of local material.

These axes clearly relate to the forestry sector in terms of the following issues: B. wood processing and NTFPs; C. improving the contribution that NTFPs make to income generation for local populations; D. issues related to sharing benefits, governance and improving people’s awareness about environ- ment protection; E. the potential for making good use of medicinal plants, many collected from the natural forest; F. conserving biodiversity, water and soil resources: climate change; G. applying modern communication technologies to enhance information sharing; H. increasing the use of NTFPs, such as rattan, and of timber for construction.

The next stage of the process aims to stimulate and trigger dialogue between research institutions and other stakeholders (‘problem owners’) with the aim of improving the contribution that research makes in enhancing the country’s socioeconomic development.

At present the contribution that research makes to socioeconomic development is limited by a number of factors including insufficient trained scientific personnel and unsustainable and insufficient funding. Consequently, enhancing capacity building, and diversifying and expanding the sources of funding are both necessary and need to be accompanied by the integration of research components within the devel- opment strategy for different sectors.

The chapter on forestry research within the present PSFE is poorly developed. However, the draft PDR does provide some useful guidelines that indicate how to identify future priorities for forest research, and goes some of the way in filling this gap. For example the draft PDR gives priority to research on NTFPs, but not (as yet) to forest management, and conservation, which is the core concern of the PSFE. Equally the PSFE offers some funding opportunities to further develop a programme of forest research and capacity build- ing.

22 6 External trends that affect the forest sector

A number of national and international developments are having or are likely to have major impact on Cameroon’s forest sector in the near future.

6.1 Extra sectoral trends a) Demography Cameroon’s population is increasing at a rate of 1.9% per year. This puts extra pressure on forest resources because of the additional demands for fuel wood, construction wood and sustainable exploitation of NTFP. Expansion of the area of agricultural land is also to be expected and some of this at least is expected to be taken from forestry, with the conversion of forests into agricultural land speeding up in the coming decade. b) Decentralization policy Prior to July 2004, the functions of local government organizations were largely restricted to social functions such as formalizing marriages and providing birth and death certificates. With the transfer of powers for local development under the 2004 laws, local authorities are now responsible for economic development, social, health, educational, and cultural and sporting activities. While decentralization is to be welcomed in principle there is evidence that many local government organizations lack the capacity to adequately meet these new challenges and much training is required for them to properly manage these new powers. A clear effort is required in building organizations and in human and institutional capacity building. In spite of this skills and capacity gap, the present trend towards decentralization appears to be irreversible and is likely to continue (Cheka, 2007). As a result ways of effectively involving local government and local communities in managing forest resources is likely to remain a challenge for the coming period. c) Mining Cameroon’s main commodity is petroleum, which provides about 50% of the country’s export earnings. Extensive bauxite reserves are located in the remote northern parts of the country. A Chinese corporation has intentions to develop a deposit to provide bauxite to Cameroon’s aluminium smelter at Edea in the south west, which currently obtains bauxite from Equatorial Guinea. Considerable volumes of natural gas are available in several of the country’s river basins, notably in the Douala and Kribi regions. Other mineral reserves include iron, gold and tin. In recent years, the mining sector has become a priority within Cameroon’s development strategy. In a number of cases the mining industry is laying claim to land in the permanent forest zone. Thus it is very likely that the pressure of mining industries on the permanent forest zone will increase. d) Infrastructural works The drive for economic development is giving rise to several large infrastructural projects, which partly will be located in forest zones. There are plans to build major roads, railroads and power plants and to enlarge harbours. These will have an impact on forests and on people depending on forest products for their live- lihoods. While these projects aim to contribute to economic development, they will also have negative consequences for the forests and for the people who rely on it. e) Agriculture and industrial plantations The agricultural sector contributed 22% of national GDP in 2004. The actual cultivated area is estimated at around 12,000 km2, some 13% of the potential cultivatable area (Bennet, 2003). Increasing exports of banana, rubber and cotton is compensating for the decreases in the exports of coffee and cacao. Agriculture, and particularly industrial plantations such as rubber, palm oil and cacao, do not seem to con- stitute an immediate threat to the forest cover in the Cameroon’s humid zone. Slash and burn agriculture is quite widely practised but in recent decades the agricultural area has barely increased in the scarcely popu- lated forest provinces. Due to low market prices a number of cacao plantations have been abandoned and 23 Tropenbos International

Figure 9: : Palm oil plantations in the southwest. The demand for agricultural land and industrial plantations is expected to increase. there has been little increase in the palm oil and rubber areas (Figure 9). Forest degradation seems mostly related to demand for wood and not so much by clearances for industrial plantations or subsistence agri- culture. Nevertheless, it is expected that agriculture will claim more land in the future due to the increasing population and high food prices. f) Climate change and CO2 emissions Cameroon’s economy is predominantly agrarian and the exploitation of natural resources remains the driving force for the country’s economic development. Next to other physical factors, such as soil fertility, climate has a major influence on tree growth. The effects of deforestation on the region’s climate are visible, although still largely unquantifiable, as are their effects on the CO2 cycle. Research efforts on these issues are expected to intensify.

6.2 International influences on national forest issues

Cameroon’s forestry sector and its policy are, and will continue to be, increasingly influenced by global issues like climate change and the CO2 agenda. Cameroon is willing to reduce emissions and to participate in the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) programme. The demand for wood and wood products will increase, as will the call for sustainable forest management and international demand for wood products from sustainable managed forests. Cameroon has reacted to these developments, with the help of international donors and partners, by formulating new forest poli- cies. It has proved difficult to fully implement these in the Cameroonian context, but they are a prerequisite for sustainable forest management. One example of the willingness of the Cameroonian government to improve its forest management is their entering into negotiations for a voluntary partnership with the EU in the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) framework. However, FLEGT is mainly concerned with international trade and regulations for export, and pays less attention to the local market, which may constitute 50% of total forest exploitation in Cameroon. Moreover, not all forest companies pay much heed to these international rules. The acquisition of large forest areas for exploitation by newly-arriv- ing international exploiters, (notably Chinese companies) in the Congo Basin, should be closely observed in terms of whether they respect the regulations for sustainable forest management including, particularly, the rights and involvement of forest-dependent communities. 24 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon

6.3 Future directions for the Cameroon forest sector

The topics discussed in section 5 and 6 will determine Cameroonian forest policy in the next decade. Local and international pressure on forest resources will increase, as will international pressure for its sustainable management. The international call for conservation and the sustainable use of forests cannot be ignored by the countries of the Congo Basin, especially not by countries with other important resources, like Cameroon. The export of logs will diminish in favour of local wood transformation and this may lead to increased employment in the wood sector. The growth of the population and higher food prices are likely to lead to an expansion of the agricultural land surface at the expense of forest land. The planned expansion of the mining industry will not reduce the pressure to exploit the forests, even though the forest sector contributes only modestly to the national economy. On the contrary, mining will claim land in the permanent forest zone. In this respect the urgency of institutionally strengthening MINFOF and MINEP is obvious. The production of biofuels in the Congo Basin may also lead to the expan- sion of palm oil production. This development will put further pressure on the rainforests of the Congo Basin which, for obvious reasons, need to be maintained. Cameroon’s decentralization policy requires an increased focus on capacity building for natural resource management at the provincial and community levels. A large gap still exists between the government’s objectives for forest management, as formulated in laws and regulations, and the reality in the field. Law enforcement is frustrated by inadequate human resources, e.g. skilled and well trained (and well paid) people, poverty and corruption and by insufficient funding. Building the capacity of the human resource base and tapping into funding mechanisms need to rank high on the priority list.

25 7 Cameroon forest sector priorities

7.1 Identification of priorities

The process of developing priorities for the forest sector in Cameroon is broadly illustrated in figure 10.

The priorities for Cameroon’s forest sector are derived from the Forest Law of 1994, the international conven- Legislation tions to which Cameroon is a party and a number of • National laws strategy papers. The most important of the latter are: • International conventions signed • Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) adopted by the government in 2003. The reforms proposed in the PRSP are intended to significantly reduce poverty, which is to be Policy development: achieved through sustainable economic growth, • Min. of Forests and Fauna increased efficiency of public expenditure, more • Min. of Environment and Nature Protection effective targeting of poverty reduction policies • Min. of Scientific Research and Innovation and improvement of overall governance (Gov- • Min. of Higher Education ernment of Cameroon, 2003). • National Programme for Participatory Develop- Stakeholder consultation ment (PNDP). • Strategic Document for Poverty Alleviation (DSRP). • Rural Development Strategy Programme (RDSP). Strategies: • PSFE (see paragraph 5.2), which provides the • Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper framework for all interventions relating to the • National Programme for Participatory Development national forestry and wildlife policy objectives, • Strategic Plan for Scientific Research and and which therefore is the main document used Innovation for identifying future priorities for the forest • Forest and Environment Sectoral Programme sector. (PSFE) • COMIFAC Convergence Plan • Cameroon’s national forest priorities are described in Others detail in the reports of Foahom and Ingram (CD Annex 1, 2). Foahom’s documents sets out the current nation- Stakeholder consultation al research policy, IRAD’s forest research programme, and current research projects being carried out by in- ternational partners. The national research strategy is currently being elaborated by MINRESI, while the forest research component is being jointly elaborated Priorities addressed in: • PSFE components by MINFOF, MINRESI and MINESUP, with support by • COMIFAC Convergence Plan components international donors, following the strategies set out • IRAD/Univ. research and training programmes within the PSFE. • Programmes of donors and international NGOs

Priorities for research and capacity building were further identified during the TBI’s fact finding mission Fig 10: Policy making and implementation in Cameroon’s forest sector in April, 2008 and these are summarized by Ingram (CD Annex 5). To obtain an overall picture of forest sector priorities, we also sought the opinions of other stakeholders. In 2007 the Forest Governance Facility (FGF) facilitated an extensive stakeholder analysis in Cameroon (summarized by Ingram - CD Annex 2). FGF consulted five groups of stakeholders from across the whole country; government and donors, civil and social organizations, the private sector, media and research organizations and, traditional and elected authorities. This extensive analysis brought out the 26 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon following priorities on forest and environmental governance (For details cf. Ingram, 2008): 1. Information: provide information to communities, other forest users and the government on the state of natural resources, and how to manage them sustainably. 2. Knowledge of legislation and policy: provide knowledge of forestry, environmental legislation and policies to all stakeholders. 3. Sustainable natural resource management: build the awareness and skills of stakeholders (especially communities, users, local administrations, elected and traditional authorities) to promote the sus- tainable exploitation and management of natural resources (particularly timber, NTFPs and wildlife) 4. Capacity: capacity building of all stakeholders and government in policy development and imple- mentation; especially focusing on the skills and techniques necessary for sustainable resource management and exploitation. 5. Context of regulation: adapt forestry and environmental laws and policies to international norms, local contexts and actual situations and disseminate these more widely. 6. Corruption: the issues of corruption and non-accountability in forest and environmental resource exploitation and revenue management need addressing. 7. Transparency in resource revenues: stakeholders need to participate more in decision making over the allocation of revenues from natural resources (forests, timber & NTFPs). Information about how these funds are allocated needs to be more widely disseminated. 8. Legislation: effective implementation of existing forestry and environment laws, which need moni- toring, control and enforcement, with a special emphasis on clamping down on illegal resource ex- ploitation. 9. The role of government: this is currently a lack of clarity about the role of government, particularly the roles of MINFOF and MINEP at all levels with a duplication of tasks and responsibilities. 10. Stakeholder participation in natural resource management: there is a need for more clarity of the role of stakeholder participation (especially from civil and social organizations, local communities, media and research, elected and traditional authorities) in policy development and the implementation of natural resource management, especially in forestry. 11. Community forests: the legal, technical and financial procedures for creating and implementing CFs, needs to be strengthened as does the awareness of stakeholders of these procedures and their roles and duties. 12. Protected areas: there is a need for greater involvement of communities in the management of protected areas. 13. Financial and material resources: all stakeholders face problems because of a lack of materials and finances for and the frequent logistical problems in accessing these.

7.2 Conclusions on forest sector priorities

While this review shows that many issues can be earmarked as priorities, there is evidence of a clear con- sensus about what these priorities should be. These priorities were also vocalized during the fact finding mission in April 2008 (Ingram, 2008. Annex 5)

The sustainable management and exploitation of forest resources, including timber, NTFPs and conserva- tion areas is the core objective of the PSFE. This is a priority of all stakeholders. Forest regeneration is another key issue, together with the need to improve knowledge about forest resources, particularly NTFPs. Knowledge of the silvicultural parameters for forest management, such as growth rates, ways of reducing the impact of logging, etc. are also considered important.

The PSFE document recognizes the importance of the internal wood market and the issues related to it, particularly questions about the quality of forest management by small title holders. Very little is known about how the internal wood market functions and there is very little data available on the contribution that small title holders make to local development or the impacts on biodiversity. It is thought that local wood transformation and processing is highly inefficient.

The plans for large infrastructural works and the claims that mining companies are making on forest land

27 Tropenbos International are both expected to have major effects on the nation’s forest resources and the people who depend upon them for their livelihoods in the near future. These threats to forests and people were stressed by repre- sentatives of the World Bank during TBI’s fact finding mission.

Dissemination of research results: it is claimed that research results are rarely adequately circulated. Often research results are not made available to users that could benefit from the work and the research is not sufficiently problem oriented. TBI considers the dissemination of research results from the Campo-Ma’an project to be a high priority. Use, ownership and control of forest resources: all stakeholders recognize the importance of increasing the involvement of local people in the management of forest resources. Since the promulgation of the de- centralization laws in 2004 this has been an official national objective. This raises the issues of land tenure, access and benefit sharing. Lack of information and the need for training to make use of information, is widely mentioned by local communities. One of the main issues currently frustrating the implementation of decentralization is the lack of human capacity.

All the stakeholders agree that forest revenues and taxes are not fairly shared, that the management of these funds is not transparent and not enough of them goes into local development. There are also unan- swered questions about the effects of forest certification on the livelihoods of the local population.

Civil servants and researchers consider that it is important to improve collaboration between government ministries and research institutions at both national and regional levels. Aside from insufficient highly quali- fied researchers and insufficient funding the lack of collaboration between institutions is also an obstacle.

Finally, institutional capacity building is required so that research institutions are more oriented towards addressing constraints to development and become more responsive to the research needs identified in the PSFE.

28 8 Propositions for a new TBI Cameroon programme

The information presented in the previous sections allows us to identify a new TBI programme that is well adapted to the Cameroonian context. The thematic direction of this programme is determined by two premises: TBI’s mission and objectives and the priorities of Cameroon’s forest sector.

8.1 TBI: its mission, objectives, themes and tools

TBI’s mission is to improve forest management in the tropics for the benefit of people, conservation and sustainable development. Its main objective is that forest-sector actors in the partner countries have access to adequate information and develop appropriate policies to manage tropical forests sustainably and that forest management contributes to socioeconomic development.

The major foci of TBI’s work are: • forest utilization and trade • conservation and non-traditional forest use values • forest-dependent livelihoods

The specific tools that TBI uses to reach these objectives are: • research • human capacity building • institutional strengthening • dialogue and communication • linking national and international agendas

8.2 Themes to be addressed and TBI tools to tackle the problems

The priorities discussed in section 7 allow us to propose a number of avenues through which TBI could become active in Cameroon and the Congo Basin. These issues are summarized in Table 8, and described in more detail below. Section 9 provides a list of appropriate potential partners for each activity.

8. 2.1 The functioning of the local wood sector

Priorities addressed: Sustainable forest management Local wood market Illegal cutting and trade Participatory resource management Decentralization Ownership, land tenure, access, benefit sharing, livelihoods

During the fact finding mission the issues most frequently raised by the stakeholders, were related to: forest use, ownership and control, land tenure, forest access and benefit sharing. These issues are all direct- ly related with the policies for sustainable forest management and decentralization, which aims to involve the local population more in the management of natural resources. These issues are especially relevant in terms of promoting community forestry where the local population is directly involved, but also play a prominent role in the management of the permanent forest zone. These issues are more closely related to the local wood market than to the export market. Very little is known about this market, in spite of the fact that it nearly constitutes half of the annual timber production. It is largely dominated by small title holders (who are not required to follow an approved management plan) and by the illegal sector. Part of this wood will illegally reach the export market, in conflict with FLEGT

29 Tropenbos International wood (main theme) sector Functioning of the local and people developments on forest Effects of infrastructures management planning to forestSupport results Dissemination of research building and capacity Networking Table 8: Proposal forand how they match activities with TBI’s themes and instruments. Activities utilization and Forest trade X X X X non traditional Conservation/ TBI themes forest use values X X X X dependent livelihoods Forest X X X X X Research +++ +++ +++ Capacity Capacity Building +++ +++ +++ ++ TBI Instruments strengthening Institutional Institutional ++ ++ ++ ++ Communication Dialogue/ +++ ++ ++ ++ + agendas Linking Linking +++ ++ + + +

30 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon agreements. One reason that so little is known about the local wood sector and why its boundaries with the export sector can be blurred, is the lack of policy towards it and a lack of regulations and law enforce- ment. There has been no in-depth study on the functioning of the local wood market or of its effects on social economic development and few, if any, studies are in progress. Such a study would lend itself well to simultaneously addressing a number of different priorities (see above) and the results may contribute to the development of policy for the management of small FMUs.

8.2.2 The effects of new infrastructure on forests and people’s livelihoods

Priorities addressed: Impact of mining developments on forest landscapes The impact of industrialization on the livelihoods of forest dependent communities

The rapidly developing mining sector (particularly for bauxite, iron, natural gas) and the planned infrastruc- tural works such as roads, railroads and waterways over the coming decade will both increase claims on forest land and have a considerable impact on those who depend on the forests for their livelihoods. The Kribi and Campo-Ma’an areas are expected to be particularly heavily affected by these developments. TBI was active in these areas from 1992 to 2003 and, with its partners, has carried out extensive socioeco- nomic studies. The new programme is an opportunity for TBI to compare the data from those studies with similar data to be collected during the new programme and in this way study the impacts of these infra- structures on forest and people.

8.2.3 Support to forest management planning

Priorities addressed: Forest resource management Contribution to improving and implementing management plans for FMUs Identification of the maximum allowable cut

Several stakeholders mentioned that one of the obstacles to achieving sustainable management is inad- equate knowledge of the growth and yield of Cameroonian forests. TBI worked extensively in this area during its previous programme and on returning to Cameroon intends to follow-up on some long-term data collection activities that were initiated in the 1990s, which were abandoned when the programme ended. In particular it is hoped that the established permanent sample plots may provide valuable ad- ditional information about the regeneration and growth of tree species and that this information may contribute to identifying the maximum allowable cut.

8.2.4 Dissemination of research results; notably of the Campo-Ma’an project

Priorities addressed: Dissemination of research results Biodiversity conservation

During the fact finding mission, many stakeholders mentioned the improved dissemination of existing research results as a priority. Research results are not always properly published, and when published, are often not translated for, or distributed to the target groups, so that results do not contribute to develop- ment. TBI’s return to Cameroon provides an opportunity to disseminate research results from the Campo-Ma’an project, which ran from 1998 to 2003. Due the unexpected ending of the project many results from it were never published in the public domain. These documents contain detailed data on biodiversity in the Campo-Ma’an management unit, as well as a detailed socioeconomic study of the area. However, the programme activities should be extended to the more general issue of how to disseminate forestry research results in Cameroon and how to make them appropriate and accessible to target groups. In the longer term this problem needs to be traced back to the process of selecting research projects, so that they are problem-relevant. TBI should assist research institutions to identify projects that are develop-

31 Tropenbos International ment and policy goals and make sure that the results are adequately published and accessible.

8.2.5 Networking and capacity building

A priority issue is how to improve the poor collaboration between national research institutes, and between national and regional research institutions. The Forest Department of IRAD operates under the umbrella of MINRESI, the universities under MINESUP, while the forest research users are mainly under MINFOF as well as in civil and private organizations. The Secretary General of MINFOF sees a clear role for TBI in taking the initiative in promoting networking and collaboration between local (and regional) research institutions and the ministries. The activities proposed in paragraphs 8.2.1 – 8.2.4 will be used by TBI to promote collaboration and networking by stimulating multi-disciplinary research projects. They will involve organizing national and regional seminars and the provision of training to students from different universities in the region, jointly working on the same project. TBI will have the full support of MINFOF, who have signed a MOU with MINRE- SI and MINESUP for a joint research and capacity building programme within the framework of the PSFE.

8.3 The regional impact of the programme

The research results from the activities proposed in this new Cameroon programme will also be highly relevant to the wider Congo Basin, which faces a similar range of problems. It is our intention to limit field work to Cameroon, but to extend our capacity building and networking activities to other countries in the Congo Basin. This can be realized by recruiting PhD and MSc students from these countries to participate in the programme, and organizing regional seminars, which would at the same time promote international collaboration in the forest sector.

32 9 Involvement of partners and stakeholders

Different partners will be enlisted to work on different aspects of the programme. More partnerships are likely to be established as the programme continues to develop. a. For the study on the functioning of the local wood sector: • MINFOF and its decentralized services at the relevant provincial and departmental levels. Responsi- ble for law enforcement, they have all the information about forest activities in the study area and can provide access to dossiers and to forest areas, including FMUs and community and communal forests. • IRAD which is responsible for implementing the national forest research programmes and therefore should have a key role in this research. • Provincial, departmental and district governors, viz. the Provincial Governor, the Prefect, Sous-pre- fects, traditional authorities and the population of the study area. • A strategic partnership should be considered with FGF and/or SNV who both have long term experi- ence in facilitating stakeholder analyses among local communities and have information on community forestry and local wood transformation. • Coordination with CIFOR is necessary as they have worked extensively in this study field. • Coordination with donor agencies and projects active in the study zone, including DfID, GTZ, and AFD. b. For the study on the effects of infrastructural development on people and forests: • Same partners as in (a). • The World Bank, for information and support. • If the study area is Kribi and Campo-Ma’an: the WWF, which is managing the Campo-Ma’an National Park and its buffer zones. • Industrial companies - to be identified. c. Dissemination of the research results from Campo-Ma’an • The support of MINFOF is needed, especially for the publication of the strategic plan of the Campo- Ma’an management unit. MINFOF has also a number of papers about Campo-Ma’an available to be published. • WWF, national and Campo-Ma’an offices. • ERE-Développement has carried out an extensive socioeconomic study in the Campo-Ma’an area (financed by the SNV). • Other former partners who have developed papers worthy of publication. d. Support to forest management planning • MINFOF and its decentralized services. • IRAD, our strategic partner during the previous TBI Cameroon programme. • Local governors and authorities. e. Networking, capacity building, institutional strengthening • MINFOF, MINRESI and MINESUP. TBI will investigate the ways in which it can help improve collabora- tion between these ministries when implementing their MOU in the framework of the PSFE programme. • IRAD and universities. The partnership of IRAD needs in particular to be considered. • Research institutes and universities in Cameroon and of other countries in the Congo Basin who can provide students or researchers to work on the TBI programme, take part in seminars and participate in trainings set up as part of the TBI programme.

33 10 Considerations for the process of programme development

It is not yet clear what the best approach is for establishing the TBI programme in Cameroon. During the fact finding mission we received different advice about the best way to proceed. It will be necessary to sign an MOU with MINFOF, although it is not yet clear whether this will be sufficient, or whether TBI will need to sign MOUs with other ministries to ensure that we can work efficiently, have tax exemptions, visa facilities, import the goods needed for the project, access to land, etc.

From the outset it is important to establish good connections with MINFOF, which is one of the main stake- holders, and also an important client, whose policy development goals TBI wishes to contribute to through its research activities. To facilitate liaison with the Ministry, it is advisable to have the Programme Team Leader’s (PTL) office in Yaoundé, preferably in or around Colbissan, where IRAD, CIFOR, CIRAD and ICRAF have locations.

For the study on the functioning of the local wood market, a field office with a small staff, equipment and means of transport will be needed. It should either be located in the South, Centre or East Province, and the preferred location should be discussed with the strategic partners of this project.

The study on impact of infrastructural development is likely to be located in Kribi or Campo, with SNV and WWF as the partners. A field office also needs to be established there, and this will be also a base for study- ing permanent sample plots to support forest management. It is quite possible that this field station will also be used by the ‘wood market team’, if their activities come to cover more than one province.

The publication results from the Campo-Ma’an project can be done by the PTL and the Wageningen office, with support from the former Campo-Ma’an team leader (if required). This activity will only need to be dis- cussed between the PTL and MINFOF and thus can start with immediate effect.

It is both expected and advisable to start the programme up in phases. The market study and the infra- structure study will require extensive prior consultation with all stakeholders in order to avoid frustrations during their implementation phases. Once again, good collaboration with MINFOF and local civil and tra- ditional authorities will be crucial for success. Local and international NGOs are also likely to be important partners in these projects and are still to be identified.

34 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon

Bibliography, useful documents and websites

Cerutti, Paolo Omar and Luca Tacconi. Forests, illegality, and livelihoods in Cameroon Working paper 35. Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor. http://www.cifor.cgiar.org

COMIFAC. Plan de Convergence, 2007. http://www.comifac.org/plandeconvergence/comifac2/doc-comif/ docs-inst/plan_de_convergence__francais__11_07_04.pdf

Cheka, C. 2007. The State of the Process of Decentralization in Cameroon. Africa Development, Vol. XXXII, No. 2, 2007, pp. 181–196. http://www.codesria.org/Links/Publications/ad2-07/cheka.pdf

DeKam, M., 2008. Document for the preparation of a fact finding mission. Cameroon programme Tropen bos International.

Foahom, B. 2001. Paper. International workshop ‘Integration of Biodiversity in National Forestry Planning Programme’. CIFOR, Bogor, August 2001.

Gbetnkom, D. 2004. Deforestation in Cameroon, and poverty in the rural zone. Worldbank paper. http:// www.csae.ox.ac.uk/conferences/2004-GPRaHDiA/papers/2p-Gbetnkom-CSAE2004.pdf

Global Forest Watch/World Resources Institute, 2005. Interactive Forest Atlas of Cameroon. http://www.globalforestwatch.org/english/interactive.maps/cameroon_v2b.htm

Govt of Cameroon, 2003. Poverty reduction strategy paper Cameroon (2003) http://poverty2.forumone. com/files/Cameroon_-_PRSP1.pdf

Ministry of Forests and Fauna (MINFOF) 2005b. Foresterie communautaires et communale au Cameoun- bilan des initiatives en cours. MINFOF-SDFC, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

United Nations Statistics Division. 2007. http://unstats.un.org/UNSD/environment/envpdf/Country Sanpsohts_apr2007/Cameroon.pdf

Vandenhaute, M. and Heuse, E. 2006. Aménagement forestier, traçabilite du bois et certification: etat de lieux des progrès enregistrés au Cameroun. German Development Cooperation (GTZ), Yaoundé.

35 Tropenbos International Abbreviations

ANAFOR Agence Nationale d’Aménagement Forestie/ National Agency for Forest Development AFLEG African Forest Law Enforcement and Governance/Application des lois forestières et la Gouvernance en Afrique C2D Contra endettement développement (French Coopération Programme) CARPE Programme Régional d’Afrique Centrale pour l’Environnement - WWF/ Central African Regional Program for the Environment CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCD Convention on the fight against desertification CCPM Cercle du Concertation du Partenaires de MINFoF & MinEP / Discussion group for the part- ners of MINFOF and MINEP CCU Central Control Unit - law enforcement unit in MinFOF CDM Clean Development Mechanism CEFDHA Conférence sur les Ecosystèmes des Forêts Dense et Humides d’Afrique Centrale / Confer- ence of the dense forest and huimd ecosystems of Central Africa CEMAC Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale / Economic and monetary community of Central africa CF Community Forest CIG Common Initiative Group - registered association involved in a commercial activity CILSS Comite Inter Etats de Lutte Contra la Sécheresse au Sahel / Inter-states committee against drought in the Sahel CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIFOR Centre for International Forestry Research CIRAD La Recherche Agronomique au service des Pays du Sud CNC Centre National Cartographique / National Cartographic Centre COMIFAC Conférence des Ministres en charge des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale / Conference of Minis ters Responsible for the Forests of Central Africa CRE Comité Régionaux de l’Environnement / Regional committee CRESA Centre Regional d’Esignement en Agriculture Foret Bois –University de Dschang CRPMT Centre de Recherche Médicinales en plants et Médecines Traditionnelles / Research cen- tre for medicine plants and traditional medicine CSO Civil Society organisation DF10 Documentation detailing volume, species and diameter of wood extracted from forest for a valid title DfID Department of International Development (UK) DGIS Department of International Cooperation (NL.) DSRP Document de Stratégie pour la Réduction de la Pauvreté (EN= PRSP) EBR Equivalent bois rond EIE Etude d’limpact Environnementale FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FASA Faculté d’Agronomie et de Sciences Agricoles/ Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sci ence, Université of Dschang FC Foret Communautaire / Communal forest FDI Fines, damages, interventions (fiscal penalties against infractors) FEM Fonds pour l’Environnement Mondial (PNUD) FGF Forest Governance Facility FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade FMU Forest Management Unit FRSP Forest Revenue Securement Program FSC Forest Stewardship Council GEF Global Environmental Facility (UNDP) GIS Geographic Information System GTZ Gessellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Development Cooperation)

36 CSP Tropenbos International Cameroon

HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Countries IFGM Institute for Mining and Hydrology IMF International Monetary Fund IMPN Institute de Recherche Médicales et études des Plantes Médicinaux / Institute for Medical Research and Studies of Medicinal Plants IRAD Institute for Agricultural Research for Development / Institute de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement MINADER Ministère de l’Agriculture & Développement Rurale / Ministry for Agriculture and Rural development MINEE Ministère de l’Energie et de l’eau / Ministry for Energy and Water MINEFI Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances / Ministry for Economics and Finance MINEP Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Protection de la Nature / Ministry for the Environ- ment and protection of nature MINEPIA Ministère de l’Élevage, des Pêches et des Industries Animales / Ministry for cattle, fish and industrial animals MINFOF Ministère des Forêts et de la Faune / Ministry of Forests and Animals MINPAT Ministère du Plan et de l’Aménagement du Territoire / Ministry for planning and order of the territory MINRESI Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation / Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation MINREX Ministère de Relations Extérieur/Ministry of Foreign Affairs NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NESDA-CA Network for Environmental & Sustainable Development – Central Africa NTFP Non timber forest products ONG Organisation Non Gouvernementale OSO Official Statement of Offence – statement registering infraction PADC Programme d’Appui a au Développement Communautaire PAFN Programme d’Action Forestier Nationale PAFRA Programme d ‘Appui a la Foresterie rurale et d’Agroforesterie PAN/LCD Plan de Action National de Lutte Contra Désertification PFBC Partenariat pour les Forêts du Basin du Congo PFNL Produits forestier non ligneux PIB Produit intérieur brut PNDP Programme National de Développement Participatif PNG Programme Nationale du Gouvernance PNGE Plan national gestion de l’environnement PNUD Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement PPTE Pays Pauvres Très Endettés (HIPIC PRGIE Programme Régionale de Gestion de l’Information Environnementale ProPSFE Support for PSFE (GTZ Programme PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper PSFE Programme Sectoriel Forêt en Environnement PTL Programme Team Leader RCA République Centrafricaine RDC République démocratique du Congo RFA Redevance Forestière Annuelle/Annual Forest taxes RIFFEAC Réseau des Institutions de Formation Forestière et Environnementale d’Afrique Centrale REDD Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) SDFIM Sub-direction of Forest Inventories and Management (MinFoF) SIGICOF System d’Informatique de Gestion d’Information et de Suivi de Contentieux Forestières – tracking system built in 2004-5 by Independent Observer for MINFoF SIGIF System d’Informatique de Gestion d’Informations Forestieres/digitised info system devel oped under Program for Sustainable Management of Cameroon Forest

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SNV Netherlands Development Organisation TBS Tri-national Parcs de la Sangha (TNS) entre le Cameroun, la RCA et le Congo TRA/TRSA Timber Recovery Authorisation TRIDOM Tri-national parcs Dja Minkebe-Odzala impliquant le Cameroun, le Gabon, et le Congo TRP Timber Recovery Permit TVA Taxe sur la Valeur ajoutée (Dutch: BTW) UE Union Européenne UFA Unité Forestière d’Aménagement UICN Union Mondiale pour la Conservation de la Nature / Intenational Union for the Conserva tion of Nature WWF Word Wildlife Fund ZICGC Zones d’intérêt cynégétique à gestion communautaire

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