East Region Of Cameroon Research Articles

Sustainable Harvesting of Alstonia boonei De Wild. (Apocynaceae) in the Community Forest of Mbeth II, East Region of Cameroon

This paper aims to analyze the traditional usages and, assess the abundance of stems and the mass of the barks of Alstonia boonei for its use as a medicinal plant in the community forest of Mbeth II, East region of Cameroon. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted among the community of Mbeth II and in city markets in Bertoua and Yaounde between January and April 2012. The management inventory was conducted in July 2012 to assess the abundance of A. boonei stems in the forest. During the inventory, samples of barks were collected from mature trees and the mass of the stem barks of A. boonei was estimated using an indirect method. A. boonei was cited by 26 informants in the village and markets in the treatment of six ailments. Malaria, typhoid fever and intestinal worms were largely cited. The stem bark is confirmed for its activity against malaria/fever. The density (number of stems/ha) of A. boonei obtained in the Community forest of Mbeth II was 0.89 stems/ha. The density of exploitable stems was therefore 0.744 stems/ha. The average volume of fresh bark for an exploitable tree is 0.0356 m3, while the average fresh mass of the bark of an exploitable tree was 34.4 kg. Considering that for all trees above 30 cm diameter at breast high (considered as a minimum exploitable diameter for the harvesting of barks), only two quarters of the bark are taken from the main stem up to the first branch, the average sustainable mass of Alstonia boonei in Mbeth II is 17.2 kg. Results discussed in this paper can be summarized, in a specific document called “the simple management plan of A. boonei as a medicinal plant in the community forest of Mbeth II”. The glaring development challenge at the back ground of what precedes is the urgent need to achieve the recommendations proposed in such a document.

East Cameroon's artisanal and small-scale mining bonanza: How long will it last?

This paper presents findings from a detailed study carried out in 24 artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities in six locations in the East Region of Cameroon, with particular emphasis on the economic aspects of activities. Decades of government neglect and poor infrastructural development has tilted the balance of the region's rural economy away from smallholder cash crop cultivation to ASM. While this study does not suggest that the region is experiencing complete de-agrarianisation, high gold prices, the absence of policies and regulations, ubiquitous land availability and the absence of large-scale mine production has fuelled the growth of ASM activities in the area. These are thought to be self-sustaining and not considered to be poverty-driven. Significant finds and high incomes from the region's activities have fuelled a “gold bonanza” but the big question is: how long will this last? Key issues such as the ability of deposits to support an increasing rate of extraction, environmental degradation and potential future conflicts with large-scale mining operations will need to be carefully managed to ensure that the ASM economy is sustained.

Growth and productivity of Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen in some forest plantations of Cameroon

Pericopsis elata is a timber tree with a high commercial value used as hardwood in the Congo basin forest. It is considered a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and classified in 1992 in the annex II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The natural regeneration of P. elata is problematic; an increase in knowledge concerning its ecology, productivity, and potentials could significantly contribute to the sustainable exploitation of the species and improve its silviculture. Despite the irregularity of silvicultural treatment, Kienke south and Ndeng ndeng plantation, respectively situated in the south and east region of Cameroon, show acceptable survival rates. These rates are estimated at 91% in parcel P75 planted at 884 stems/ha and 69% in parcel P746 with a density of 192 stems/ha. Tree mortalities were mainly attributed to edaphic and climatic factors. The best performances of tree diameter growth were observed in parcel P741 and P73 where the mean diameters at breast height of trees were 27 ± 18 cm and 24 ± 11 cm. The higher values of standard deviation showed a strong variability within tree diameter in the parcels. In P741, the mean annual growth decreased from 1.40 cm/year to 0.7 cm/year between 1979 and 2009. The tree diameter structures of the plantations are asymmetric with a very high slope before the modal class expressing the difficulties of the growth of individuals with diameter lower than 10 cm. The production of wood was estimated at 1326.6 ± 70 m3 for trees with more than 30 cm diameter. The plantations are situated out of the natural and geographical area of the species; this can justify the low performances of trees growth. The survey of these plantations and silvicultural treatments could contribute to increasing tree growth.