Enhancing sustainable forest management in Cameroon through a model forest based approach

Sustainable forest management in Cameroon is being plagued with many challenges directly related to key issues in the areas of forest law enforcement and governance. This study used questionnaires to examine the major community livelihood activities undertaken in the SBFR causing deforestation and forest degradation and to explore the localized trigger forces, and their implications for sustainable forest management in Cameroon. The authors found that the rated localized forces triggering indiscriminate human activities in the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve (SBFR) are scarcity of farmland outside the forest reserve land, population growth, poverty and the more fertile nature of the forest reserve land than the limited, overused, and degraded community farming land. In addition, the authors found that forest monitoring activities in the field by forestry officials were plagued with complicity by some corrupt forestry officials, forces of law and order, administration, local management committee leaders, and disgruntled local population in the apprehension of illegal forest exploiters, besides inadequate resources. The strategies to address the above issues have not been prioritized. Based on the results, this paper argues that the governance failure to prioritize more and better investment in modern agriculture, non-wood domestic cooking energy and reliable rural transport systems, amongst others, including building institutional capacity and physical infrastructure compromises sustainable forest management in Cameroon at both the national and local community levels. In this light, a set of holistic and comprehensive strategic programmes are recommended as the way forward to guaranteeing sustainable development in forest management in Cameroon.

This Policy Brief: (1) outlines recommendations for change and improvement; (2) describes the legal and institutional infrastructure of decentralized forest management in Cameroon; (3) describes how basic mechanisms of decentralized forest management operate in practice; and (4) summarizes the findings of five years of World Resources Institute (WRI)-Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) research on decentralized forestry policy and practice. The decentralization of forestry management in Cameroon has succeeded in providing powers to local actors and enabling them to establish community forests, council forests and communitymanaged hunting zones, and to have access to forestry fees. The impacts of this transfer of power on local democracy, equity, living standards, poverty alleviation, social vulnerability and environmental sustainability are, however, weak. There is enormous room for improvement. This brief formulates recommendations with a view to transforming the promise of decentralized forest management in Cameroon into action and positive outcomes on the ground, notably poverty reduction.

This Policy Brief: (1) outlines recommendations for change and improvement; (2) describes the legal and institutional infrastructure of decentralized forest management in Cameroon; (3) describes how basic mechanisms of decentralized forest management operate in practice; and (4) summarizes the findings of five years of World Resources Institute (WRI)-Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) research on decentralized forestry policy and practice. The decentralization of forestry management in Cameroon has succeeded in providing powers to local actors and enabling them to establish community forests, council forests and communitymanaged hunting zones, and to have access to forestry fees. The impacts of this transfer of power on local democracy, equity, living standards, poverty alleviation, social vulnerability and environmental sustainability are, however, weak. There is enormous room for improvement. This brief formulates recommendations with a view to transforming the promise of decentralized forest management in Cameroon into action and positive outcomes on the ground, notably poverty reduction.

Sheila Wertz-Kanounniko and Metta Kongphan-Apirak CIFOR CIFOR International Institute for Environment and Development Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) CIFOR advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation, and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that a ect 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 o ces in Asia, Africa and South America. CIFOR works in over 30 countries worldwide and has links with researchers in 50 international, regional and national organisations.

CIFOR CIFOR International Institute for Environment and Development Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) CIFOR advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation, and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that a ect 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 o ces in Asia, Africa and South America. CIFOR works in over 30 countries worldwide and has links with researchers in 50 international, regional and national organisations.

The humid forest zone of Cameroon is part of the biodiversity rich Congo Basin. Until the mid‐1990s, the forests of Cameroon were centrally managed, which excluded communities from accessing forest resources and gaining economic benefits from them. In the early 1990s, more participative forest management practices emerged. The new forestry legislation of 1994 – focusing on the devolution of management responsibilities to local communities – has reinforced this participatory trend. In 2003, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and its partners started the Model Forest Project in Cameroon. This project is part of the International Model Forest Network (IMFN). The goal of the IMFN is the sustainable management of forests around the world, while taking into account the needs of local communities. This paper describes the process that led the Cameroonian Government to the recognition, in 2005, of Campo‐Ma’an and Dja et Mpomo as Model Forest sites. It gives a description of the sites, the partnerships involved, stakeholders’ perspectives, the accomplishments to date and future perspectives. It concludes that, while the project provides a framework for reflection, innovation and collective learning, it is as yet too early to demonstrate concrete progress or results.

This chapter uses an historical case study approach to convey some sense of the kinds of research social scientists do at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). It describes CIFOR's work in developing criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, which led to the creation of the programme entitled 'Local People, Devolution, and Adaptive Collaborative Management of Forests'. The experience of two other CIFOR programmes are discussed: 'Underlying Causes of Deforestation' (UCD) and 'Forest Products and People' (FPP, previously 'Nontimber Forest Products'). UCD focuses on policy issues, with a nearly exclusive socioeconomic orientation. FPP's central orientation is on economic and, to a lesser extent, ecological concerns, but it too includes a considerable amount of social science. The chapter ends with a discussion on some organizational aspects of CIFOR.

Sustainability criteria and indicators for the Makiling Botanic Gardens in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines: An application of the CIFOR C&I toolbox

Nowadays new media is widely used not only for entertainment purposes, but also to raise public awareness about major environmental issues which is critical for presenting topics like climate change, global warming, and deforestation, as well as encouraging public debate and information exchange. This research aims to seek the utilization of new media in environmental communication. Environmental communication extends beyond campaign-related activities which also affects how people see themselves and the natural world around them. This research uses CIFOR (The Center for International Forestry Research) as a study case because it is recognized as an internationally non-profit scientific organization that carries out research on the most important issues in global forest and landscape management. This research benefits from Ecological Model of the Communication Process which employs qualitative research method with single instrumental case study approach. Data is gathered through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, and extensive literary study. The result demonstrates that CIFOR has been developing multiple digital channels including podcasts, videos, datasets, presentations, and datasets. This is in accordance with the Ecological Model of the Communication Process to communicate their findings. Additionally, it has been found that new media in CIFOR combines and blurs the lines between interpersonal communication and mass media communication.

This chapter reviews the history of systematic attempts to select research priorities for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), beginning with the four sets of consultative processes used to identify the initial priorities suggested for the Center at establishment, of which CIFOR's first (1996) strategy selected a subset. In 2000, CIFOR attempted to undertake a systematic priority assessment approach through application of a derivative of the Research Application Area Framework developed by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Although the approach helped to clarify trade-offs among research topics and regions, it had limited success in fostering a more clearly focused research agenda. Between 2000 and 2007, the Center relied on consultative and implicit priority assessment methods, as it developed programme strategies and regional strategies. In this context, scientists reported that they chose priorities primarily on the basis of knowledge gaps and perceived problem prevalence. During 2007, CIFOR made another attempt at more systematic priority assessment, so as to inform a new strategy for 2008-2018. This consisted of a five-step qualitative exercise, which involved defining a long list of research alternatives, elaborating on the details of research themes and impact pathways, applying a Delphi process to discuss and rank alternatives, using a structured scoring process to compare alternatives regarding specific criteria and finally selecting priority topics.

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA), led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), focuses on the sustainable management of forests, trees and agroforestry systems. Strengthening the capacity of forestry, trees and agroforestry research, policy and implementing institutions and their staff is critical to FTA’s mission and is embedded in its work. Capacity development is a long-term process whereby individuals, organizations and their networks improve their systems, resources, skills and knowledge. This becomes reflected in their capacity to perform functions and solve problems to better address national and sub-national development objectives. Capacity development enables research and development organizations, individuals, and their networks to achieve impact.This capacity needs assessment was conducted in 2018 to identify the capacity needs of World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and CIFOR to achieve the research objectives and targets specified in the FTA II proposal 2017–2021, including the amended FP2 proposal. The capacity needs assessment focused on four key areas for analysis: partnerships, networking, resource mobilization and human resource capacities. The analysis and recommendations contained within this document result from data collated from more than 70 interviews conducted with flagship and cluster leaders and key actors within the FTA II management teams and partner organizations.

Who Counts Most? Assessing Human Well-Being in Sustainable Forest Management presents a tool, ‘the Who Counts Matrix', for differentiating ‘forest actors', or people whose well-being and forest management are intimately intertwined, from other stakeholders. The authors argue for focusing formal attention on forest actors in efforts to develop sustainable forest management. They suggest seven dimensions by which forest actors can be differentiated from other stakeholders, and a simple scoring technique for use by formal managers in determining whose well-being must form an integral part of sustainable forest management in a given locale. Building on the work carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) on criteria and indicators, they present three illustrative sets of stakeholders, from Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire and the United States, and Who Counts Matrices from seven trials, in an appendix.

Who counts most? Assessing human well being in sustainable forest management presents a tool, 'the Who Counts Matrix', for differentiating 'forest actors', or people whose well-being and forest management are intimately intertwined, from other stakeholders. The authors argue for focusing formal attention on forest actors in efforts to develop sustainable forest management. They suggest seven dimensions by which forest actors can be differentiated from other stakeholders, and a simple scoring technique for use by formal managers in determining whose well being must form an integral part of sustainable forest management in a given locale. Building on the work carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research on criteria and indicators, they present three illustrative sets of stakeholders, from Indonesia, Cote d'Ivoire and the United States, and Who Counts Matrices from seven trials, in an appendix.

Who counts most? Assessing human well being in sustainable forest management presents a tool, 'the Who Counts Matrix', for differentiating 'forest actors', or people whose well-being and forest management are intimately intertwined, from other stakeholders. The authors argue for focusing formal attention on forest actors in efforts to develop sustainable forest management. They suggest seven dimensions by which forest actors can be differentiated from other stakeholders, and a simple scoring technique for use by formal managers in determining whose well being must form an integral part of sustainable forest management in a given locale. Building on the work carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research on criteria and indicators, they present three illustrative sets of stakeholders, from Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire and the United States, and Who Counts Matrices from seven trials, in an appendix.

Who counts most? Assessing human well being in sustainable forest management presents a tool, 'the Who Counts Matrix', for differentiating 'forest actors', or people whose well-being and forest management are intimately intertwined, from other stakeholders. The authors argue for focusing formal attention on forest actors in efforts to develop sustainable forest management. They suggest seven dimensions by which forest actors can be differentiated from other stakeholders, and a simple scoring technique for use by formal managers in determining whose well being must form an integral part of sustainable forest management in a given locale. Building on the work carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research on criteria and indicators, they present three illustrative sets of stakeholders, from Indonesia, Cote d'Ivoire and the United States, and Who Counts Matrices from seven trials, in an appendix.