DOCSLIB.ORG

Sustainability and Governance of Palm Oil Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Cameroon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sustainability and Governance of Palm Oil Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Cameroon Sustainability and Governance of Palm Oil Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Cameroon by Steffi Hamann A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and International Development Studies Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Steffi Hamann, May 2017 ABSTRACT SUSTAINABILITY AND GOVERNANCE OF PALM OIL DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EVIDENCE FROM CAMEROON Steffi Hamann Advisor: University of Guelph, 2017 Professor Adam Sneyd This doctoral dissertation contributes to the academic literature on the politics of agrarian change by exploring effects of agro-industrialization processes on rural livelihoods and food security. In the African context, debates about the local impacts of different modes of agricultural production are wrought with controversy. Powerful stakeholders in support of large-scale farming favour economies of scale and private investments as pathways to rural development. Those who are critical of this development orthodoxy emphasize the socio- economic and environmental limits of capital-intensive monoculture plantations. To address these conflicting arguments, this research presents an in-depth study of the Republic of Cameroon. It focuses on the country’s palm oil sector – one of the major drivers of agribusiness investments and agro-industrialization in tropical Africa. The study details the historical evolution and contemporary politics that envelop efforts to govern the sector. It assesses the impacts of different modes of agricultural production through an empirical study, conducted in the oil palm basin of Cameroon’s Sanaga-Maritime Division. The multi- dimensional research design combines the complementary strengths of semi-structured key-informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a comprehensive survey of four hundred households. The comparison and analysis of the livelihoods and food security situation of rural smallholders and salaried workers generate novel insights into local realities within the palm-oil-producing sector. Findings indicate that the average smallholder enjoys a higher standard of living than the average worker in a commercial plantation. Salaried workers are faced with food access challenges, and the majority of plantation employees engages in food cultivation as a coping mechanism to ensure their food security. In light of the research results, this study questions the dominant growth- driven paradigm of agrarian change and discusses governance implications for the sustainable development of the palm oil sector in sub-Saharan Africa. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This endeavor began with a phone call from Dr. Craig Johnson, that I received while working with the German development agency, GIZ, in Berlin. Craig made it possible for me to pursue my studies in Canada, by successfully nominating me for the prestigious Ontario Trillium Scholarship. This generous source of funding, along with a number of awards allocated both by the Political Science Department and the International Development Studies Program, enabled me to execute an elaborate PhD project. Craig became a member of my supervisory committee, and his scholarly reflections on the evolution of development theory have awed and inspired me. My principal supervisor, Dr. Adam Sneyd, has opened the door to Cameroon for me. He helped me explore the world of commodities – be it by discussing theories in the picturesque Nkol-Bisson neighbourhood, or by encouraging his wife Lauren to feed me a delicious bowl of crickets. To express his unwavering support for me, Adam has moved (bureaucratic) mountains. Dr. Evan Fraser completed my advisory committee. I value his remarkable expertise on global food security and his constructive feedback on my dissertation drafts. The final thesis defense was made possible with the support of Dr. Troy Riddell and Dr. Jordi Díez, and I consider myself fortunate because the brilliant Dr. Jennifer Clapp agreed to serve as my external examiner. My PhD research would not have been a success without the help of many friends and collaborators in Cameroon. I am grateful to the staff at CIFOR, including Denis Sonwa and Florence Munoh. I especially would like to thank Patrice Levang for his open mind and invaluable research inputs, Dr. Raymond Nkongho for welcoming me warmly into the Cameroonian community of researchers, and Dr. Thomas Eric Ndjogui for establishing the crucial connections in the Sanaga-Maritime Division. My fantastic team of interviewers – Erna Keky, Jacques Nkomha, Michel Lipenda and Albert Ngangue – conducted the bulk of the empirical fieldwork for this project. Their cleverness, loyalty, and perseverance was the glue that held the most adventurous part of this research endeavour together. I also want to thank the hundreds of families who let us into their homes and shared their stories with us; and my key informants, who granted me precious time to meet with them in business offices, ministerial agencies and NGO headquarters. This includes the wise Samuel Nguiffo and his team at the CED, and Jaff Bamenjo and his colleagues at RELUFA – they all provide immensely important advocacy work, and give a voice to the many voiceless in Cameroon. I want to thank all those who have read my work and helped me improve it, including Dr. Edward Koning and Jill Kelsall. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Brendan Schwartz, who has worked his unparalleled networking powers for me long before we met in person. Since then, we have spent many hours braving the Cameroonian bush together. I admire his idealism and uncompromising integrity and strive to be a bit more like Brendan every day. Thank you to my family. Pia-Kallas-Harvey and Dr. Harold Harvey, who provided me with sustenance for long days in the library, and Indiana Harvey, who ensured my mental wellbeing throughout the writing process. I am infinitely grateful to Kersti Harvey, my most loyal cheerleader, for her patience and constant encouragements. Finally, I would not be where I am today without the never-ending love and support of my parents. Papa, thank you for equipping me with a sense of adventure, and Mutti, thank you for giving me both roots and wings. I dedicate this work to my mother, Birgit Wegner. iii CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................................................... viii List of Images ............................................................................................................................................................................ ix List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2: Perspectives on Agrarian Transformation and Rural Development ............................ 4 2.1 Rural Development and Theories of Change ............................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Ontologies of Development .............................................................................................................. 7 2.1.2 Conflicting Theories of Change and Contemporary Approaches to Rural Development ...................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2 The Research Puzzle: Modes of Production, Livelihoods and Food Security ........................... 21 2.2.1 Impacts of Agro-Industrialization on Livelihoods and Food Security ......................... 21 2.2.2 Empirical Research Lenses ............................................................................................................ 28 2.3 Palm Oil on the Rise .......................................................................................................................................... 36 2.3.1 Oil Palm Botany .................................................................................................................................. 36 2.3.2 Palm Oil Controversy ....................................................................................................................... 38 2.3.3 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil .......................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 3: Case Study: Cameroon .......................................................................................................................... 44 3.1 Geographic Setting and Demography ........................................................................................................ 44 3.2 Critical Junctures: A Brief History of Cameroon ..................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gastropod Fauna of the Cameroonian Coasts
    Helgol Mar Res (1999) 53:129–140 © Springer-Verlag and AWI 1999 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Klaus Bandel · Thorsten Kowalke Gastropod fauna of the Cameroonian coasts Received: 15 January 1999 / Accepted: 26 July 1999 Abstract Eighteen species of gastropods were encoun- flats become exposed. During high tide, most of the tered living near and within the large coastal swamps, mangrove is flooded up to the point where the influence mangrove forests, intertidal flats and the rocky shore of of salty water ends, and the flora is that of a freshwater the Cameroonian coast of the Atlantic Ocean. These re- regime. present members of the subclasses Neritimorpha, With the influence of brackish water, the number of Caenogastropoda, and Heterostropha. Within the Neriti- individuals of gastropod fauna increases as well as the morpha, representatives of the genera Nerita, Neritina, number of species, and changes in composition occur. and Neritilia could be distinguished by their radula Upstream of Douala harbour and on the flats that lead anatomy and ecology. Within the Caenogastropoda, rep- to the mangrove forest next to Douala airport the beach resentatives of the families Potamididae with Tympano- is covered with much driftwood and rubbish that lies on tonos and Planaxidae with Angiola are characterized by the landward side of the mangrove forest. Here, Me- their early ontogeny and ecology. The Pachymelaniidae lampus liberianus and Neritina rubricata are found as are recognized as an independent group and are intro- well as the Pachymelania fusca variety with granulated duced as a new family within the Cerithioidea. Littorini- sculpture that closely resembles Melanoides tubercu- morpha with Littorina, Assiminea and Potamopyrgus lata in shell shape.
    [Show full text]
  • Douala (1884-1914)
    DISEGNARECON volume 13/ n. 25 - December 2020 TRAVELING FROM THE ORIENT TO THE WEST AND RETURN. CITIES, ARCHITECTURE AND RESTORATION. WRITINGS IN MEMORY OF PAOLO CUNEO ISSN 1828-5961 Gerardo Doti Architect and PhD, he is As- sociate Professor of History of Contemporary Architecture at the University of Camerino (Italy), School of Architecture and Design (SAAD), Campus of Ascoli Piceno. He carries out research activities in the field of the architectural and urban history, both locally and on a continental scale between the 19th and 20th century. Douala (1884-1914). Urban history of a sub-Saharian city under the German Protectorate. This study will attempt to reconstruct the fea- carried out by Europeans on the continent. These tures and characters of the economic capital processes, which can be viewed through a clear of Cameroon, in the period between the 1884 timeframe, have left clear traces in the landscape, treaty, which turned the country into a German probably more marked than the changes that protectorate, and 1914, the year the allied con- occurred in the system of interhuman relations. tingent of English, French and Belgian troops oc- Only a study conducted in a historical perspective cupied Douala, seizing the capital and the main can convey the richness of elements that contrib- port of the colony from the Reich. uted to the formation of the image of the city, Douala, as a colonial phenomenon, is not a univo- eliciting the structural invariants, typical of the cal and objective reality, even if as an urban reality colonisation processes, and clarifying the general – defined by irreconcilable contrasts and juxtaposi- context that favoured its preservation over time.
    [Show full text]
  • French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: a Natural Experiment in Cameroon
    French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: A Natural Experiment in Cameroon Yannick Dupraz∗ 2015 most recent version: http://www.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/IMG/pdf/ jobmarket-paper-dupraz-pse.pdf Abstract. | Does colonial history matter for development? In Sub-Saharan Africa, economists have argued that the British colonial legacy was more growth-inducing than others, especially through its effect on education. This paper uses the division of German Kamerun between the British and the French after WWI as a natural experiment to identify the causal effect of colonizer identity on education. Using exhaustive geolocated census data, I estimate a border discontinuity for various cohorts over the 20th century: the British effect on education is positive for individuals of school age in the 1920s and 1930s; it quickly fades away in the late colonial period and eventually becomes negative, favoring the French side. In the most recent cohorts, I find no border discontinuity in primary education, but I do find a positive British effect in secondary school completion | likely explained by a higher rate of grade repetition in the francophone system. I also find a strong, positive British effect on the percentage of Christians for all cohorts. I argue that my results are best explained by supply factors: before WWII, the British colonial government provided incentives for missions to supply formal education and allowed local governments to open public schools, but the British effect was quickly smoothed away by an increase in French education investments in the late colonial period. Though the divergence in human capital did not persist, its effect on religion was highly persistent.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Rights and the Forest Peoples of Africa Historical, Legal and Anthropological Perspectives
    Land Rights Forest Peoples and the Forest Programme Peoples of Africa Historical, Legal and Anthropological Perspectives O. Overview: Analysis & Context 1. Burundi 2. Cameroon 3. DRC 4. Rwanda 5. Uganda 2 Land rights and the forest peoples of Africa Historical, legal and anthropological perspectives No 2 Historical and contemporary land laws and their impact on indigenous peoples’ land rights in Cameroon Samuel Nguiffo, Pierre Étienne Kenfack and Nadine Mballa January 2009 We are grateful to the European Union and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) for their financial support for this project. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union, the RRI or the Forest Peoples Programme. This report is the second country study in a series examining indigenous peoples’ land rights in the forested countries of Africa. All the reports in the series are: 0 Overview: Analysis & Context Valérie Couillard, Jérémie Gilbert, Justin Kenrick and Christopher Kidd 1 Burundi Historical developments in Burundi's land law and impacts on Batwa land ownership Jean-Pierre Amani 2 Cameroon The influence of historical and contemporary land laws on indigenous peoples’ land rights in Cameroon Samuel Nguiffo, Pierre Étienne Kenfack and Nadine Mballa 3 Democratic Republic of Congo The dispossession of indigenous land rights in the DRC: A history and future prospects Prosper Nobirabo Musafiri 4 Rwanda Historical and contemporary land laws and their impact on indigenous peoples’ land rights in Rwanda Chris Huggins 5 Uganda Historical and contemporary land laws and their impact on indigenous peoples’ land rights in Uganda: The case of the Batwa Rose Nakayi The reports are also available in French.
    [Show full text]
  • Construire-La-Ville.Pdf
    Collection « Afrique Atlantique » dirigée par Yann ALIX et Benjamin STECK La collection « Afrique Atlantique » a été créée en 2017 pour diffuser les travaux de recherche appliquée d’un collectif pluridisciplinaire majoritairement composé de jeunes universitaires francophones africains. L’avenir du continent repose sur la modernisation de solutions maritimes, portuaires et logistiques qui fécondent les territoires et accompagnent une croissance inclusive. La collection « Afrique Atlantique » héberge des expertises académiques mais aussi des travaux opérationnels issus de l’expérience des praticiens de la logistique maritime et portuaire africaine. L’histoire et la géographie, la sociologie et l’économie, le droit et les sciences de gestion : la complémentarité des analyses publiées permet d’accompagner une diffusion élargie du savoir et des savoir- faire. Universitaires, journalistes, décideurs publics et investisseurs privés constituent le lectorat d’une collection qui met en libre accès gratuit les productions via le site de l’éditeur partenaire EMS. CONSTRUIRE LA VILLE PORTUAIRE DE DEMAIN EN AFRIQUE ATLANTIQUE Dirigé par Mesmin TCHINDJANG, Benjamin STECK et Athanase BOPDA 136 boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc 14000 CAEN © Éditions EMS, 2019 ISBN : 978-2-37687-272-6 (versions numériques) SOMMAIRE Préface ................................................................................................................12 Remerciements ..................................................................................................15 Avant-propos
    [Show full text]
  • Rivers and Ports in Transport History of Cameroon, 1916-1961
    RIVERS AND PORTS IN TRANSPORT HISTORY OF CAMEROON, 1916-1961 Walter Gam Nkwi* http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/og.v13i 1.11 Abstract In direct contrast to Europe, Asia and North America, Africa has very few navigable rivers. This paper focuses on the preponderant role played by water transport in the form of rivers and ports during the colonial period. Although not blessed with much navigable rivers and natural deep ports, the Colonial administration as well as the population of Cameroon depended so much on rivers and ports for their physical mobility, transportation of bulky goods, mails migration and above all European consumer goods which came in from Europe and were head loaded into the hinterlands. Therefore rivers and ports played economic, social and political roles. Despite these important roles, the place of rivers and ports has been relegated to footnotes in historical narratives of Cameroon. This paper therefore, aims at lifting rivers and ports from the footnotes of Cameroon history into the text. It confronts the importance of such a technological system to both the colonial administration and the indigenous population. What were the type of goods that were transported via rivers and ports? More crucial to the essay is the importance of the ports in the development of the cities and the migration of people into areas where ports were found. In what ways do we linked the ports and rivers to the global mobility of goods and modernity? Introduction In Africa and the world over, water transport had been very crucial for the movements of goods and people.
    [Show full text]
  • Waterbird Census of Coastal Cameroon and Sanaga River Oiseaux Des Zones Humides Côtières Du Cameroun Et Du Fleuve Sanaga January -Marc H 2007, WIWO Report 83
    Waterbird census of coastal Cameroon and Sanaga River Oiseaux des zones humides côtières du Cameroun et du fleuve Sanaga January -Marc h 2007, WIWO report 83 by Gordon Ajonina, Chi Napoleon, Roger Skeen and Jaap van der Waarde Edited by Jaap J. van der Waarde Front cover Top: Royal Tern ( Sterna maxima) and Lesser Black-backed Gull ( Larus fuscus) , Ndian Basin (JvdW) En haute: Sterne royale (Sterna maxima) et Goéland brun (Larus fuscus), Ndian Basin (JvdW) Bottom left: Grey Pratincole ( Glareola cinerea) , Sanaga River (JvdW) En bas à gauche: Glaréole grise (Glareola cinerea), la fleuve Sanaga (JvdW) Bottom middle: Great White Pelican ( Pelecanus onocrotalus) , Ndian Basin (JvdW) En bas, centre: Pélican blanc (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Ndian Basin (JvdW) Bottom right: African Skimmer ( Rynchops flavirostris) , Sanaga River (PH) En bas, à droite : Bec-en-ciseau d'Afrique (Rynchops flavirostris), la fleuve Sanaga (PH) This report can be ordered from WIWO: www.wiwo-international.org. Waterbird census of coastal Cameroon and Sanaga river January-March 2007 Oiseaux des zones humides côtières du Cameroun et du fleuve Sanaga Janvier-Mars 2007 by Gordon Ajonina, Chi Napoleon, Roger Skeen and Jaap van der Waarde Edited by Jaap J. van der Waarde WIWO report Nr. 83 2007 Foundation Working Group International Wader and Waterfowl Research (WIWO) Rijksstraatweg 178 6573 DG BEEK-UBBERGEN The Netherlands Published by: Foundation Working Group International Wader and Waterfowl Research (WIWO), The Netherlands. Partners: Watershed Task Group (WTG), Wildlife Fund for Nature Cameroon (WWF), Cameroon Wildlife Conservation Society (CWCS), Cameroon Biodiversity Conservation Society (CBCS) and Jaap van der Waarde. Project participants: Gordon Ajonina, Taku Awa II, Innocent Ndong Bass, Chi Napoleon, Niba Develine, Paul Higson, Ngalim Julliet, Nasina Efanja Philip, Usongo Robert, Roger Skeen, Luther Tchakep and Jaap van der Waarde.
    [Show full text]
  • Middlemen of the Cameroons Rivers the Duala and Their Hinterland, C
    job:LAY00 30-10-1998 page:1 colour:1 black±text Middlemen of the Cameroons Rivers The Duala and their Hinterland, c. 1600–c. 1960 The Duala people entered the international scene as merchant-brokers for precolonial trade in ivory, slaves and palm products. Under colonial rule they used the advantages gained from earlier riverain trade to develop cocoa plantations and provide their children with exceptional levels of European education. At the same time they came into early conXict with both German and French regimes and played a leading – if ultimately unsuccessful – role in anti-colonial politics. In tracing these changing economic and political roles, this book also examines the grow- ing consciousness of the Duala as an ethnic group and uses their history to shed new light on the history of ‘‘middleman’’ communities in sur- rounding regions of West and Central Africa. The authors draw upon a wide range of written and oral sources, including indigenous accounts of the past which conXict with their own Wndings but illuminate local conceptions of social hierarchy and their relationship to spiritual beliefs. ralph a. austen is Professor of African History at the University of Chicago. His publications include Northwest Tanzania under German and British Rule (1969), African Economic History (1987) and The Elusive Epic: The Narrative of Jeki la Njambe in the Historical Culture of the Cameroon Coast (1996). jonathan derrick is a journalist and historian specializing in West Africa. He taught at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria in the 1970s. His book Africa’s Slaves Today was published in 1975, and he contributed a chapter to M.
    [Show full text]
  • Cms Convention on Migratory Species
    CMS CONVENTION ON Distribution: General MIGRATORY UNEP/CMS/ScC17/Inf.10 25 August 2011 SPECIES Original: English 17 TH MEETING OF THE CMS SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL Bergen, 17-18 November 2011 Agenda Item 15.1 REPORT ON THE EXPLORATORY SURVEY OF CETACEANS AND THEIR STATUS IN CAMEROON Prepared by Isidore Ayissi, Koen Van Waerebeek, Gabriel Segniagbeto For reasons of economy, documents are printed in a limited number, and will not be distributed at the meeting. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copy to the meeting and not to request additional copies. Exploratory Survey of Cetaceans and their Status in Cameroon Ayissi, Van Waerebeek, Segniagbeto (2011) EXPLORATORY SURVEY OF CETACEANS AND THEIR STATUS IN CAMEROON by Isidore Ayissi (1,2), Koen Van Waerebeek (3,4), Gabriel Segniagbeto (5) Prepared for: UNEP/CMS Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and The Columbus Zoo Conservation Fund August 2011 1 Association Camerounaise de Biologie Marine (ACBM), BP 52, Ayos, Cameroon 2 CERECOMA, Specialized Research Center for Marine Ecosystems, c/o Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, P.O. Box 219, Kribi, Cameroon 3 Conservation and Research of West African Aquatic Mammals (COREWAM), c/o Ecological Laboratory, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana & COREWAM-Senegal, Musée de la Mer/IFAN, Ile de Gorée, Dakar, Senegal. [email protected] 4 Centro Peruano de Estudios Cetológicos (CEPEC), Lima 20, Peru 5 Département de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Lomé, Lomé, Togo 1 Exploratory
    [Show full text]
  • Unraveling Conflicting Narratives About the Origins of the Isubu of Bimbia
    Unraveling Conflicting Narratives about the Origins of the Isubu of Bimbia By Dibussi Tande The Isubu (also known as Isuwu) like many other African peoples, have different and sometimes conflicting narratives about their origins. Although it is generally believed that the settlement of Bimbia was founded by Isuwu La Monanga, a native of Womboko, there are emerging alternative narratives which reject the Womboko connection. These alternative versions may be termed the “Duala narratives”, since they emphasize on real or imagined ancestral ties between the Duala and the Isuwu. Duala Narratives of Isubu Origins According to the first Duala narrative, which was available on Wikipedia (the largest multilingual open access encyclopedia on the internet) as of January 2006, The predominant Isubu belief tells of a man named Isuwu na Monanga who led their migration to the west bank of the Wouri estuary. When a descendant of Isuwu named Mbimbi became king, the people began to refer to their territories as Bimbia. While this narrative still has Isuwu La Monanga as the ancestor of the Isubu, it nonetheless refers to an Isubu migration to the West bank of River Wouri in Duala territory. There is a second Duala narrative which states that the Isubu trace their origins to the island of Jebale on the Wouri River, and that they first settled in Duala before moving to present-day Bimbia. In this narrative, the founder of Bimbia is Quan (Kwane) Ewonde. In this second narrative, the Isubu have no ancestral ties with the Kpe-Mboko of the Fako hinterland, and Isuwu la Monanga is merely “a descendant of forest migrants” from present-day East Africa who settled at some point in Isubu country..
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Introduction
    Cambridge University Press 0521562287 - Middlemen of the Cameroons Rivers: The Duala and their Hinterland, c. 1600-c. 1960 Ralph A. Austen and Jonathan Derrick Excerpt More information 1 Introduction This book tells the story of a community which, even by African standards, has always been rather small. The people calling themselves Duala never numbered more than 20,000. Even if one adds another 30,000 members of neighboring ethnic groups with cultural and economic ties to the Duala, the total accounts for only 1 to 3 percent of the population and territory of Cameroon, itself not one of the largest states in Africa. Why then should two non-African historians devote so much effort to studying the history of the Duala? More to the point, why should an international audience bother to read the results of our efforts? The most immediate significance of this history derives from the endur- ing position of the Duala as ‘‘middlemen’’ between the European- dominated Atlantic world and the hinterland of Cameroon. This role has been played out through a series of situations which, presented separately, would constitute rather conventional – some even old-fashioned – genres of Africanist historiography: ‘‘trade and politics on the X rivers’’; ‘‘the X-people under German and French colonial rule’’; and finally ‘‘the invention of tradition/construction of identity as a discourse of colonial- ity/postcoloniality.’’ In the Duala case it is the possibility of combining these genres which allows us to create a whole which may, perhaps, transcend the sum of its parts. The concept tying together all these episodes of Duala history is that of middlemen.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine Biomed Central
    Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine BioMed Central Research Open Access Commercial activities and subsistence utilization of mangrove forests around the Wouri estuary and the Douala-Edea reserve (Cameroon) Adolphe Nfotabong Atheull*1,2, Ndongo Din2, Simon N Longonje3, Nico Koedam3 and Farid Dahdouh-Guebas1,3 Address: 1Laboratoire de Complexité et Dynamique des Systèmes Tropicaux, Département de Biologie des Organismes, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, CP 169, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, 2The University of Douala, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, PO Box 8948 Douala, Cameroon and 3Biocomplexity Research Focus c/o Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Email: Adolphe Nfotabong Atheull* - [email protected]; Ndongo Din - [email protected]; Simon N Longonje - [email protected]; Nico Koedam - [email protected]; Farid Dahdouh-Guebas - [email protected] * Corresponding author Published: 17 November 2009 Received: 15 May 2009 Accepted: 17 November 2009 Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2009, 5:35 doi:10.1186/1746-4269-5-35 This article is available from: http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/5/1/35 © 2009 Nfotabong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: Worldwide there is growing research interest in the ethnobiology of mangrove forests. Notwithstanding that, little information has been published about ethnobiology of mangrove forests in Cameroon.
    [Show full text]