Cameroon gives local people more say over forests
Copyright © 2000 Reuters Limited
August 10, 2000
(Reuters) - Cameroon's government has for the first time authorized five village communities in the East Province to manage their own forests, the Ministry of Environment and Forests said on Thursday.
Lazare Mpouel Balla, the ministry's permanent secretary, was quoted by state radio as saying the decision was in line with a 1994 forestry law allowing a bigger role for local communities in the management of forestry resources as part of an initiative to fight rural poverty.
Cameroon is a major African producer of timber.
``The government wishes passionately that the forests benefit mainly the local communities,'' Balla was quoted as saying.
Tobias Mbenkum, a technical adviser with the ministry, told Reuters the new policy should aim at strengthening the local communities' bargaining power, especially in negotiations with commercial logging companies.
``Cameroon's forests have so far been managed with an external short-term exploitative objective which conflicts with the needs and objectives of the rural people,'' Mbenkum said.
``The result of this has been the degradation of the national forest estate for the benefit of third parties to the detriment of local people.''
He said the ministry was processing applications to the program from some 50 more village communities.