Potentials of Protected Areas as Carbon sinks and Implication on Climate Change in Cameroon

Abstract

Cameroon has 115 000 km2 land area designated as Protected Areas (PAs), providing society with many ecosystem services including climate change mitigation. The study was aimed at examining the potentials of inland and coastal PAs as carbon sinks and implication on climate change mitigation in Cameroon between 1978 and 2014. Data for the study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques were used in the analysis of satellite imageries. The land cover change trajectory revealed a drop in the rate of conversion of dense forest within inland PAs compared to coastal PAs. Results reveaked carbon sequestration within inland PAs between 1978 and 2014 and the PAs were able to absorb166,590.73 tonnes/ha CO2 from the atmosphere and build up carbon resulting to the amelioration of the local and regional climate of the area with a positive impact on global climate change. Within the coastal PAs, there was 71,418.48 tonnes/ha CO2 emission through 1978 – 2014 with resulting negative impacts on the climate. The constraints to effective PA management identified were human and capital resource problems, hostility of the local population, delayance in law enforcement and poverty. To ensure their roles in climate moderation there should be a better forest policy implementation within PAs in Cameroon by making available more capital and human resources to PAs management to enable them cope in the face of growing anthropogenic threats.