{"id":210,"date":"2019-12-12T23:47:07","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T17:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revues.scienceafrique.org\/ngabandibolel\/?post_type=chapter&p=210"},"modified":"2021-06-25T13:19:50","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T11:19:50","slug":"tassah_et_atemkeng2019","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/www.revues.scienceafrique.org\/ngabandibolel\/texte\/tassah_et_atemkeng2019\/","title":{"rendered":"An assessment of participatory management of forest resources by communities neighbouring the mount Cameroon forest reserve"},"content":{"raw":"

The success or failure to manage conflicts arising from the exploitation of natural resources is determined by changes through a sequence of historical events and the rights of indigenous communities in natural resources management (Ngwasiri, 2001). The colonization experience of African States brought severe socio-economic and political challenges resulting from rules and policies instituted by colonial powers. In Cameroon, the divide-and-rule policy<\/em> of colonial powers was expressed through indirect rule of the former British Southern Cameroons, assimilation and \u201cassociation\u201d with French Cameroon contributed significantly in distorting the ways in which \u201cindigenous\u201d traditional Cameroonian communities handled natural resources management. This resulted in conflicts. According to studies by Ngwasiri (2001), the colonial policies of natural resources management were intended to guarantee the regular supply of agricultural and forestry resources to Europe. These policies generated conflicts and smouldering hostilities from the indigenous populations as exemplified by the Bakweri land problem (Ngwasiri\u00a01995; Tumnde\u00a02001; Mbuagbaw and Lambi\u00a02003).<\/p>\r\n

After independence, the national land laws in Cameroon were developed using the German concept of herrenlos <\/em>land<\/em>, which means land without an occupant, which is declared as crown land vested in the German Empire. According to Tamasang (2019), the public trust theory of natural resource management requires that the State hold natural or environmental resources in trust for the benefit of the public and is not subject to private ownership. Since 1974, Ordinance No. 74-1<\/em> designated the Cameroon government as the custodian of all land within the Cameroonian territory. In this framework, the state has the legal responsibility to ensure the well-being of its citizens through the rational and efficient use of land and its resources.<\/p>\r\n

Contemporary dynamics in the exploitation and use of natural resources requires sustainability measures to curb the challenges of global warming - a concept that is rooted in the Rio Conference of 1992 and the Paris Agreement of 2015 on climate change. Looking forward, the sustainable exploitation of natural resources requires that countries prioritize Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which must take into consideration the rights of indigenous communities whose livelihoods depend on the sustainability of these resources.<\/p>\r\n

The rights of indigenous people in the management of natural resources becomes complex in Cameroon given that the question of who is an indigenous person is debated. According to studies by Mbarga (2019), there is no internationally accepted definition of the term indigenous peoples. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly on the 13th of September 2007 does not define the term, on the premise that, there is no comprehensive definition that encompasses the diversity of cultures and history of indigenous peoples in the world. In order to address this question, Mbarga (2019) noted that the African Commission on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights observed all Africans as indigenous, predicated on the premise that they have always lived in the territory. Based on this supposition, the exploitation and use of natural resources becomes a fundamental right for all Africans.<\/p>\r\n

According to Mouangue Bonam Kobila, (2009), the view of the African Commission on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights on indigenous populations has been greeted with fanfare in the preamble of Cameroon\u2019s constitutions. This document recognizes the existence of indigenous people in all the ten regions of the country by stating that all people are indigenous to their land. This assertion therefore makes it difficult for the effective management and sustainable use of natural resources in Cameroon. This is particularly true in the case of the Mount Cameroon forest reserve where the constitution gives legal rights for all Cameroonians to settle anywhere within the national territory.<\/p>\r\n

Cameroon\u2019s protection of forest resources and the mechanisms to share benefits of forests among \u00a0neighbouring communities requires us to ask the question: \u201cwho is an indigenous person within the community?\u201d The politics of recognition among communities adjacent to the Mount Cameroon forest reserve has resulted in the expression, \u201ccame no go, <\/em>graffee<\/em>\u00a0.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This view has deprived some of the locals adjacent to the forest resources from royalties, making it difficult to claim effective management of the forest. These shortcomings have compounded implications on climate change mitigation, with particular mention of the Mount Cameroon forest reserve in Buea Subdivision.<\/p>\r\n

Despite several studies, the success of Cameroon Forestry policy to conserve this area has been limited in resolving forest exploitation and creating alternative income-generating activities. This could be attributed to the fact that Government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have paid very little attention to the mechanisms of benefit sharing within local communities that ensure effective participation. This has made it difficult for the effective implementation of policies and management of the forest to the detriment of climate change mitigation. In this context, the Mt. Cameroon forest area remains prone to fire damage, illegal poaching and exploitation of Timber and Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs). According to the 2010 \u2013 2020 Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP), despite the increase in protected forest areas, between 2001 and 2008 the rate of environmental degradation increased by 82%. This situation is largely the result of an increase in the population of non-natives whose livelihoods depend on the Mount Cameroon forest reserve.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Context<\/h2>\r\n

The natural forest environment has falsely been considered by many as an unlimited reserve of wealth (Tassah, 2018) and this is the reason why humanity continues to exploit it for food and their livelihood. This has resulted in unintended negative effects on the natural ecosystems and the environment and a corresponding decrease in the products and services provided. Increased deforestation and land degradation has led to loss of water drainage basins, destruction of habitat for species including monkeys and birds, while increasing soil erosion, loss of soil nutrients and disruption in natural climatic cycles. The implications have been a fall in agricultural productivity and the extinction of some flora species like Prunus Africana, cola suboppositifolia, Mbibabdon<\/em> and fauna such as drill, preuss monkey, and <\/em>Mt. Cameroon Speirops<\/em> (FAO, 1999, FAO, 2001a). Sustainable resource management is important because communities depend on them for food and subsistence.<\/p>\r\n

This challenge places human at a defining moment in history, where we must trace our origin, culture and indigenous knowledge in relation to the environment. Mountain forests hold key resources including their recreational importance to humans and the ecological services. They are essential to the resilience in a rapidly changing global ecosystem. This is particularly important when addressing climate change. Human populations face widespread poverty and loss of indigenous knowledge among mountain inhabitants. As a result, most global mountain areas are experiencing rapid environmental degradation, reducing their potentials to mitigate global climate change by absorbing carbon through photosynthesis. According to the African Journal of Plant Sciences, about 10% of the world\u2019s population depends on mountain resources for food and medicinal products. A much larger percentage draws on other mountain resources including honey, fodder, and charcoal. Special emphasis should be placed on water. As mountains remain a sanctuary for biological diversity and many endangered species, the proper management of mountain forest resources and the socio-economic development of mountain communities requires urgent attention.<\/p>\r\n

Mountain areas accommodate a large diversity of ecological systems. There is, however, very limited knowledge on mountain forest ecosystems as these resources feed, treats, educates (through indigenous knowledge) and clothes communities. They also provide humans with housing, medicines and spiritual nourishment. The current decline in biodiversity is largely the result of human activities and represents a serious threat to human development. Despite mounting efforts over the past years, trends in loss of the world\u2019s biological diversity continue. This is mainly due to habitat destruction for medicinal and food purposes, over-harvesting, consumption, and pollution due to clear cut forestry for agriculture. This threatens forest resources that constitute a capital asset with great potential for yielding sustainable benefits (AGENDA21, 1992). According to studies by FAO (1995), forests and trees have an important role to play in poverty reduction and the stabilization of the natural climatic cycles. Humanity exploits forests for timber and other non-timber products. It is important to underline that forest in the past have been the main source of subsistence for communities living in or near them. They depended on the forest for basic goods including food, shelter, healthcare, clothing, energy and a source of income (Okafor, 1995; 1998; Kabuye, 1998; Neumann, 2000 and FAO, 2001b).<\/p>\r\n

We must keep in mind that poverty remains a complex, multidimensional problem which originates from both the local and national domains. The eradication of poverty and hunger, greater equity in income distribution and human resource development constitute major challenges everywhere. This is one of the major reasons why it is important to understand how people reliant on the forest can make a living (AGENDA\u00a021, 1992).<\/p>\r\n

Poverty and environmental degradation are closely interrelated. While poverty results in environmental stress, the major cause of continued deterioration of the global environment and forest destruction has been unsustainable patterns of human consumerism. Therefore, the efficient use of forest resources should be consistent with the goal of minimizing depletion, reducing pollution and modifying trends of consumerism. In order to meet the challenges of the environment and development, states decided to establish a New Global Partnership (NGP). This partnership commits all states to engage in a continuous and constructive dialogue on conserving forest resources that increases their capacity as carbon sinks and improved biodiversity protection. This view is inspired by the need to achieve a more efficient and more equitable world economy (I U N, 1994). It is for these reasons that the management of forest resources has risen to the top of the global political agenda with an increasing presence of institutions. In our\u00a0 study, this includes the World Bank, the World Conservation Union, World Resources Institute, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP), German\u2013Cameroon Cooperation (GIZ), Environmental Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF), Green Cameroon, Pro Climate International and the Mount Cameroon Ecotourism Organization (Mt.CEO). These organizations usage of Mt. Cameroon National Park (MCNP) in the South West Region of Cameroon is vital for launching programs contributing to the sustainable development of mountain ecosystems in the Buea Subdivision.<\/p>\r\n

Cameroon is endowed with both a variety and abundance of living organisms, which is referred to as biodiversity. The rapid degradation of forest resources for food and traditional medicine has become a central concern with natural and social scientists (WWF and IUCN, 1994, Mboh, 2001). The exact rate of forest resources loss in the Mt. Cameroon Area through animal, natural plant consumption and overexploitation at the local, national and international level is unknown, but its direct causes include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n