Forests for People

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industries on development and poverty alleviation of rural

communities have not yet been achieved.

Turning the national forest law into action

The German government has supported the relevant

Cameroonian ministries since 2001 in their efforts

to develop and implement ProPSFE. It was finally

launched in 2006 with the vision of promoting the

sustainable use of forest resources and the equitable

distribution of associated benefits.

Shaping the legislative framework:

German Development Cooperation’s consist-

ent support for the Ministry of Forest and Wildlife

(MINFOF) since 2005 has facilitated the negotiation

of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law

Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA-FLEGT)

between Cameroon and the European Union. The

agreement was signed on 6 May 2010 and in June

2011 the National Assembly of Cameroon officially

authorized the President to ratify it. The agreement

requires that timber traceability and legality verifica-

tion systems are to be developed and enforced in order

to foster sustainable timber exploitation in Cameroon.

Three committees will be established during the

next months: the National Monitoring Committee,

which provides a platform for stakeholder consulta-

tion; the Joint Monitoring Committee; and the Joint

Implementation Council. The latter two committees

are bilateral mechanisms involving the EU, MINFOF

and representatives of stakeholders of the forest sector

in Cameroon. They will supervise the implementation

of the VPA at technical and decision level, respectively.

showing most of these features, is the Forest and Environment Sector

Programme (ProPSFE) in Cameroon.

Meeting the sector challenge:

making policies work in the forestry sector

The vast tropical forests of Cameroon (estimated at over 17 million

hectares) represent one of the country’s most important economic

resources. Export revenues from tropical timber and wood prod-

ucts account for 8 per cent of GDP. Moreover, the commercial use

of forest products is an important source of revenue for the rural

population and the national economy. Because of its extraordinary

significance with regard to biodiversity and its importance as a CO

sink, the Congo River Basin forest is of global importance and is

earmarked for protection and sustainable use.

The National Forest Law of 1994 provides the necessary policy

framework for the sustainable use of forest resources. However, a

report commissioned by the World Bank in 2003 on the implemen-

tation of forestry policies notes a “growing discrepancy between

the announced political will and the real ability of the authorities

to implement this policy”. The report cites insufficient involve-

ment of regional and district level ministerial delegations in budget

preparation, weak budget execution by the ministries involved,

and a low level of implementation of forestry and environment

regulations in general. Assessments show that local communi-

ties have benefited very little from forest resources: their lack of

organizational capacities have denied them access to viable infor-

mation about their rights and restricted them from articulating

their concerns.

Finally, despite legislation geared at sustainable and participatory use

of forest resources, the increasing pressures from agricultural expan-

sion, illegal logging and poaching has led to an alarming depletion of the

ecological, social and economic value of Cameroon’s forests. Moreover,

due to high levels of corruption, the potential positive impacts of forest

The forests in the Congo River Basin form a crucial CO

sink

Legislation aimed at improving participatory use of forests is

not yet fully implemented

Image: Viora Weber