UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Review of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Africa: Cameroon Ingram, V.; Schure, J. Publication date 2010 Document Version Final published version Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Ingram, V., & Schure, J. (2010). Review of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Africa: Cameroon. CIFOR/FORENET Project. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:03 Oct 2021 Establishment of a Forestry Research Network for ACP Countries (FORENET) 9 ACP RPR 91#1 CIFOR Review of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Africa CAMEROON Verina Ingram and Jolien Schure June 2010 Verina Ingram, Jolien Schure Review of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Africa, Cameroon Photos: Verina Ingram, Jaap van der Waarde, Abdon Awono, Nouhou Ndam Front cover photo: NTFP Market trader, Bamenda, Northwest region, Cameroon (Verina Ingram) 166p.+ v CIFOR Central Africa office c/o IITA Humid Tropics Regional Centre BP 2008, Messa, Yaounde Cameroon CIFOR Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede Bogor Barat 16115 Indonesia T +62 (251) 8622-622 F +62 (251) 8622-100 E [email protected] Website http://www.cifor.cgiar.org © 2010, Center for International Forestry Research. All rights reserved This study was financed as part of the ACP-FORENET 9 ACP RPR 91#1 Regional NTFP study. The draft report was presented at the ATELIER SOUS-REGIONAL SUR«L’HARMONISATION DES REVUES NATIONALES SUR LES PRODUITS FORESTIERS NON LIGNEUX (PFNL) EN AFRIQUE CENTRALE», 17-18 MAI 2010, DOUALA, CAMEROUN, organized by the ACP-FORENET Project / RFPO AFRIQUE CENTRALE , with funding from the European Union. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) CIFOR advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is one of 15 centres within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIFOR’s headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia. It also has offices in Asia, Africa and South America. Review of NTFPs, Cameroon, June 2010 Review of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Africa: Cameroon Summary This review of the current status of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Cameroon forms part of a regional study on NTFPs in Central Africa, an initiative of the Forestry Research Network for ACP countries (ACP-FORENET). Data and studies about NTFPs from 2004 to March 2010 were reviewed, filling the gap since the last national and regional studies in 1998 and 2004. Comprehensive data about nationally representative consumption, trade volumes and values exists only for some NTFPs. This absence explains why data from the 1990s are often reiterated and large gaps remain in scientific knowledge about species and the absence of sustainable consumption patterns and trade for many species. It also explains the inconsistencies in regulations and policy making. The Cameroonian 1994 Forestry Law identifies and sets out controls for ‘Special Forestry Products’, many of which are NTFPs. However it does not define NTFPs nor is there an explicit logic in the selection of products or prioritisation of NTFPs to enable sustainable management or monitoring. A comprehensive list of the status of over 487 forest plants and 82 animals which provide non-timber forest products was compiled. These were scored using five ‘’value’’ criteria to evaluate the level of consumption, extent and volume of trade, multiple use of a species and use of multiple parts of a species, and the level of vulnerability. From this long list, 45 NTFPs, shown in the table below, were identified as ‘’priority’’ or ‘’key’’, meaning that they were attributed the highest values. The valuation revealed that there are at least 129 plant based products (consisting of over 59 species), which are highly valued for their trade and economic aspects, and are also important for subsistence use, their socio-cultural relevance and in maintaining environmental integrity. Fuelwood was classed as one product but in practice is comprised of many species which together have the highest estimated economic and social value. It is however the most neglected product in terms of data available. Other key plant products are predominantly used for food and oils (67%), followed by medicinal products (60%), with 20% having strong cultural connotations, and 13% of species also used for timber. In all, 67% of these key species have multiple uses. For the animal based NTFPs, the valuation exercise indicated that 42 species were the most used and highly valued. These animals are predominately used for food and were classed together as ‘bushmeat’, comprised largely of smaller mammals, birds, snakes and a range of insects. Apiculture products produced by bees (Apis mellifera), mainly honey and wax, were also rated with a high value, due to their multiple uses. The cultural and decorative uses of animals usually animal parts, such as spines, furs and skins had a lower value rating. Priority NTFPS in Cameroon Species Annual value Forest type Value US$ score Fish (Silures & other species) 613,600,000 National 4 Fuelwood (wood, charcoal & sawdust) 378,641,309 National 4 Gnetum africanum, Gnetum bulchozium 12,197,503 Humid lowlands 4 Irvingia gabonensis, Irvingia wombulu 8,089,580 Humid lowlands 4 Prunus africana 2,874,928 Montane 4 Dacryodes edulis 989,504 Humid lowlands 4 Pausinystalia johimbe 847,182 Humid lowlands 4 Ricinodendron heudelotii 730,325 Humid lowlands 4 Voacanga africana 585,586 Humid lowlands 4 Cola nitida 430,639 Humid lowlands 4 Rattans (Laccosperma secundiflorum, L. 284,013 Humid lowlands 4 Review of NTFPs, Cameroon, June 2010 i Species Annual value Forest type Value US$ score Robustum, Eremospatha macrocarpa) Cola acuminata 269,083 Humid lowlands 4 Garcinia kola 249,938 Humid lowlands 4 Garcinia lucida 171,175 Humid lowlands 4 Baillonella toxisperma 11,868 Humid lowlands 4 Piper guineensis 78.9 Humid lowlands 4 Xylopia aethiopica no data Humid lowlands 4 Acacia senegal, Acacia polyacantha 4,040,000 Savannah 3 Bushmeat (small mammals, ungulates, 2,799,330 Humid, savannah & montane 3 reptiles, rodents) Raphia spp. 1,574,661 Humid, montane, savannah 3 Tetrapleura tetraptera 124,489 Humid lowlands 3 Rauvolfia vomitoria 94,803 Humid lowlands 3 Chinconia spp. 31,500 Humid lowlands 3 Kigelia africana 18,000 Humid, montane 3 Carpolobia lutea, Carpolobia albea 5,911 Humid & montane zone 3 Aframomum melegueta, Aframomum - Humid lowlands 3 daniellii, Aframomum citratum Alstonia boonei - Humid lowlands 3 Coula edulis - Humid lowlands 3 Garcinia mannii - Humid lowlands 3 Guibourtia tessmannii - Humid lowlands 3 Harungana madagascariensis - Humid lowlands 3 Khaya ivorensis - Humid lowlands 3 Lophira alata - Humid lowlands 3 Lovoa trichilioides - Humid lowlands 3 Megaphrynium macrostachyum - Humid lowlands 3 Milicia excelsa - Humid lowlands 3 Monodora myristica - Humid lowlands 3 Morinda lucida - Humid lowlands 3 Nauclea diderrichii - Humid lowlands 3 Poga oleosa - Humid lowlands 3 Scorodophleus zenkeri - Humid lowlands 3 Terminalia superba - Humid lowlands 3 Trichoscypha arborea - Humid lowlands 3 Vitellaria paradoxa - Savannah 3 Apiculture beeswax 244,420 Savannah, montane 3 honey 61,105 3 Within the current, ongoing consultations to revise the 1994 Forestry and Wildlife Law, there is a particular emphasis on the regulatory framework for NTFPs. This revision process provides an excellent opportunity to update the policy and regulatory framework for NTFP value chains and products, and address problems and challenges identified with the current system. This review feeds into the revision process by identifying the priority NTFPs in Cameroon in terms of both trade and consumption. It is recommended that these NTFPs should form the basis of the revised framework and list of species which require permits and monitoring. Review of NTFPs, Cameroon, June 2010 ii A monitoring network on both a national and regional level for bushmeat, the Central African Bushmeat Monitoring System (SYVBAC) has been in development since 2008 by a group of stakeholders in the bushmeat and wildlife sector and provides an excellent existing framework for animal NTFP based monitoring. However, the criteria used for listing species for monitoring and protection need to be reconsidered in the light of two aspects, the level of vulnerability (using the Red Data List) and the level of off-take for sale and consumption. Taking these two criteria into account would mean that at least seven animals currently unclassified in the 1994 Forestry and Wildlife Law’s two major protection categories (Class A and B), would be need to be included as these species are classified as vulnerable according to the Red Data List of Threatened species. The monitoring, regulatory and harmonisation frameworks already proposed in detail for Cameroon (Walter and Mbala 2006; Betti 2007b; Bonannée, Zé et al. 2007) and for Central Africana in general (Walter and Mbala 2006, Bonannée, Zé et al. 2007) and the emerging presence of the Observatoire des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OFAC), provide an excellent opportunity for the regional level coordination and monitoring among Central African states. Recommendations for enhancing the NTFP sector in Cameroon and regionally include: Plant NTFPs 1.