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» Evolution of Community involvement in the Management Forest & Wildlife Resources, the case of Protected Areas, South-west Cameroon
Evolution of Community involvement in the Management Forest & Wildlife Resources, the case of Protected Areas, South-west Cameroon
The southwestern region, is an important conservation area in cameroon.
It host protected areas (PA) which are
the hotspot of flagship, endemics and high vulnerable animal
species like Elephante, Drill, Chimpanzee, Preuss’s red colobus monkey,
Picathartes. However, PAs are surrounded by riparian villages, which therefore
depend directly and/or indirectly on the forests, for their subsistence and
their household’s revenue. With time, the population of class A species have dramaticaly
decreased, due to huge poaching, the growing of bushmeat demand and the
destruction of native habitat for wildlife, associated with encroachment and
disapearance of plants and trees playing an ecological function for the
restauration of the habitat and feeding of animals. Thus, a plateform between
the park service and riparian communities for the sustainable management of
natural resources (MNR) become a necessity.

First world summit on environment and
sustainable development took place in Rio de Janeiro 1992 is an Historic
reference for community participation in NRM concept mainstreaming. Cameroon
officially represented by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, was signatory
of the Rio Convention (Cameroon NGOs participated), which is the starting point
for integration of community participation and NR benefit sharing in national
policies and laws. So, Cameroon adopted a new forestry policy (1993) in
compliance with the Rio World Summit recommendations to institutionalize
participatory management of natural resources (2nd objective). The new forestry
policy is enforced by the elaboration of the Cameroon 1994 forestry law and its
decree of implementation 1995, which enshrined user right, village forest
management committee, community and communal forest.
A “new paradigm” for protected areas has been
evolving for decades in which indigenous peoples and local communities are
recognized as land and resource owners and managers, with positive results for
both human rights and conservation. Thus, the importance of collaborative
management to enhance biodiversity protection has become critical for the
long-term success of PAs
It is based on this appraisal that the Program
for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, South West Region
(PSMNR-SWR) has been conceived in order to consolidate existing legal instruments
and support the introduction of mechanisms and tools to foster the effective
participation of communities in the management of the park. The PSMNR-SWR
intervention is guided by a Collaborative management approach in which park
services and villagers are seen as partners seeking collaboration, in order to
ensure protection of the national park for the benefit of all. The
collaborative management approach initiated in 2011 intends to enhance
community participation in the management of Protected Areas (PAs).
It has been introduced in 04 PAs (Korup NP,
Mont Cameroon NP, Takamanda NP, Banyang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary), and with the
consistent support of German Cooperation and conservation partners (WWF, WCS,
GIZ/ProPFE, GFA). Co-Management approach is adopted through the negociation and
elaboration of Conservation Development Agreements (CDA), signed by many
villages closely to the park which consists of establishing long term
partnership arrangements between the Park and communities.
The Cameroon Forestry Law and decrees of
application acknowledge the primordial role of local communities in the
management of forest and wildlife resources. The legal regulatory framework
promotes their active involvement at all levels including access to resources,
benefit sharing and participation in decision making. Community participation
and involvement is foreseen in the legal instruments guiding both the creation
and management of Protected Areas in Cameroon. To date, real appropriation of
conservation issues by communities is insufficient and most of PAs are still
struggling to promote and generate long term sustainable financial mechanism.
By
TANEBANG Cyrille
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