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Rural Development Rural Development Forestry Network Forestry Network network paper 25e The Law, Communities and Wildlife Management in Cameroon July 2001 Samuel E. Egbe A Community Wildlife Management Model from Mount Cameroon Kristin B. Olsen, Henry Ekwoge, Rose M. Ongie, James Acworth, Ebwekoh M. O’Kah and Charles Tako Gorilla-based Tourism: a Realistic Source of Community Income in Cameroon? Case DFID study of the villages of Goungoulou and Karagoua Elias Djoh and Mark van der Wal Community Hunting Zones: First Steps in the Decentralisation of Wildlife Management. Observations from the Village of Djaposten, Cameroon Mark van der Wal and Elias Djoh CONTENTS PAGE 25e(i) The Law, Communities and Wildlife Management in Cameroon 1 Samuel E. Egbe 25e(ii) A Community Wildlife Management Model from Mount Cameroon 13 Kristin B. Olsen, Henry Ekwoge, Rose M. Ongie, James Acworth, Ebwekoh M. O’kah and Charles Tako 25e(iii) Gorilla-based Tourism: a Realistic Source of Community Income in 31 Cameroon? Case Study of the Villages of Koungoulou and Karagoua Elias Djoh and Mark van der Wal 25e(iv) Community Hunting Zones: First Steps in the Decentralisation of 38 Wildlife Management. Observations from the Village of Djaposten, Cameroon Mark van der Wal and Elias Djoh ABOUT THE AUTHORS Samuel E. Egbe is a Researcher and Lecturer in the Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Yaoundé II – Soa, and a researcher and consultant in environmental law. He can be contacted at: [email protected] Kristin Olsen, DFID APO for Community Resource Management, is seeking to integrate participatory monitoring and evaluation into the framework of community-based management initiatives. Henry Ekwoge, Area Manager for the Onge Mokoko area, is working to develop a Participatory Management Plan for a State Forest Reserve and adjacent forests. Rose Ongie, Area Manager for West Coast area, is working to develop and implement participatory approaches to sustainable wildlife management. James Acworth, DFID Forest Management and Conservation Adviser, provides advice on the process of developing sustainable, community-based resource management models, broader forest management systems, land use strategies to ensure long-term maintenance of biodiversity, and support to local livelihoods. Ebwekoh M. O’kah, GEF MCP wildlife unit, is responsible for collection of baseline information (on all forms of wildlife) on which to base management decisions, as well as providing advice on methods of participatory wildlife management and training to build local capacity. Charles Tako is the former area manager for the West Coast. The authors work for the Mount Cameroon Project (Limbe). This is a Ministry of Environment and Forests project funded by the UK Department for International Development and implemented under contract by LTS International, Scotland. The authors can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected]. Elias Djoh is Director of the Lomié-based non-governmental organisation, CIAD (Centre International d’Appui au Développement), and can be contacted at: CIAD, P.O. Box 24 Lomié, Cameroon. Email: [email protected]. Mark van der Wal is a Consultant for the SNV-SDDL project. He can be contacted at: SNV Cameroon, P.O. Box 1239, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Email: [email protected] ISSN 0 85003 536 8 RDFN paper 25e(ii) – July 2001 A COMMUNITY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT MODEL FROM MOUNT CAMEROON Kristin B. Olsen, Henry Ekwoge, Rose M. Ongie, James Acworth, Ebwekoh M. O’kah and Charles Tako SUMMARY of Environment and Forests, some aspects of the model are not catered for within existing The forest areas surrounding Mount Cameroon legislation. It is hoped that the model will serve A community wildlife management model from Mount Cameroon host some of the highest biodiversity in West to influence policy changes at national level so Africa including many rare and endemic species that realistic community management of wildlife of plants and animals. Wildlife populations are can be achieved throughout Cameroon. in decline, due to an increasing trade in bushmeat, as well as problems of forest encroachment from INTRODUCTION farmers and large-scale plantation development. The Mount Cameroon Project (MCP)1 is a In collaboration with forest authorities, the conservation project with a mandate from the Mount Cameroon Project (MCP) has adopted Ministry of Environment and Forests a “participatory biodiversity conservation” (MINEF) to develop and test participatory approach to wildlife management. It is working biodiversity conservation approaches to with local communities in two forest areas to sustainable forest management. The project develop a viable model for participatory and aims to “establish the means by which sustainable wildlife management appropriate biodiversity on Mount Cameroon can be to local needs in terms of use, capacity and maintained and the livelihoods of local resource resources. This has involved organising local users improved” through a participatory groups and working with communities and biodiversity conservation strategy (PBCS). In government to develop systems for local the Mokoko and West Coast project areas, the wildlife management: hunting licenses, wildlife resource has provided an entry point developing and allocating sustainable quotas, to achieve wider resource management. This sanctions, monitoring and control. Other resource management groups are now seeking 1 MCP started in 1994 with support from the to emulate this model and to collaborate on a Governments of Germany and UK, building regional level to ensure effective control. on the latter’s support to the Limbe Botanic Although developed together with the Ministry Garden 13 RDFN paper 25e(ii) – July 2001 Table 1 Environmental and socio-economic setting of the two case studies paper documents the “sustainable wildlife Box 1 Key principles of the PBCS West Coast and Mount Etinde Mokoko-Onge and Boa Plains management model” for the Mount Cameroon Natural resource base Natural resource base region based on the experiences of the • Conservation of scientific and locally community groups, MINEF and MCP over important biodiversity through a balance • 7,700 ha high biodiversity lowland evergreen • 27,000 ha high conservation value lowland forest rainforest and sub-montane forest with globally (of which 4,000 ha flooded forest) the last 5 years, and discusses the way forward. of protection and sustainable use of resources unique vegetation • 9,000 ha under CDC leasehold and 9,700 ha in the • Sustainable forest and land management 6,400 ha under CDC leasehold and 1,300 ha Mokoko River Forest Reserve (State owned Participatory Biodiversity Conservation • communal forest production forest) The PBCS is a strategy and plan of action to for a sustained production of forest Wildlife species of high biodiversity importance include Land use divided between natural, largely undisturbed secure the long-term conservation of the rich products through community-based • • the regional endemics, drill, Preuss guenon, red eared forest, secondary (logged) forest, small-scale shifting but fast dwindling biodiversity of Mount management and use systems, based on guenon, and Mount Cameroon francolin, and also agriculture and plantation agriculture Cameroon. It is centred around an approach agreed, viable and legally authorised chimpanzee, Ogilby’s duiker, bare headed rock fowl, High densities of endangered drill, red-eared guenon for integrating the management of biological management plans where the benefits • and the African forest elephant and chimpanzee. Seasonally flooded areas are valued and social factors to support mutually beneficial derived from them are ecologically development and conservation initiatives. sustainable and equitably distributed • Key bushmeat species include primates, duikers for bush pig, antelope and crocodiles • Support for livelihood options that are rodents, porcupine and river fish • Key bushmeat species include all primates, blue complementary to biodiversity • Important timber and fuelwood species include duiker, bushbuck, reptiles and porcupine In line with the principles of the PBCS, MCP A community wildlife management model from Mount Cameroon Berlinia bracteosa, Pycnanthus angolensis Ironwood (Lophira alata), iroko (Milicia excelsa), aims to develop viable and replicable models conservation • (ilomba), Hymenostegia afzeli, and Alstonia doussie (Afzelia bipindensis) and ilomba are for participatory natural resource management • Empowerment of resource users and boonei common timber species for all project areas. The models aim to provide communities adjacent to forest areas The area is rich in NTFPs such as chewstick, Important NTFPs are rattan, bush mango, njansang, a prescription of the management system • Encouragement of resource users to join • • spices, medicinal plants and fruits and eru (methods of exploitation, regeneration and together in organised institutions in order monitoring) and agreements between to benefit from organisational capacity Socio-economic environment Socio-economic environment government and the community on rights and building and information exchange • Administered within Fako Division • Administered in Ndian Division responsibilities of the local community • Policy influence on the basis of field • Estimated population of 20,000 inhabitants fluctuates • Estimated population of 9,000 inhabitants towards sustainable natural resource realities and the PBCS over the year due to seasonality of economic activities • Culturally diverse region with four clans