Cameroon
Quelles sont les causes de la déforestation dans le bassin du Congo? Synthèse bibliographique et études de cas (What are the causes of deforestation in the Congo Basin? Bibliographic synthesis and case studies)The article presents a literature review of different factors affecting deforestation rates in the Congo (especially Cameroon and Gabon), the most devastating of which they identified as agriculture. The authors argue that the Congo Bassin is one of the most important and best preserved ecosystems on earth. Finally, the author calls for moe studies of socio-economic factors representing the different stages of degradation, so as to better inform policy.
Open access copy available |
Parcs agroforestiers sahéliens: de la conservation à l’aménagement (Agroforestry parks of the Sahel: from conservation to management)The authors describe the history of farmer managed wooded parklands in northern Cameroon. They note that a counter-productive ban on cutting from 1950-1990 provided a disinsentive for farmers to care for and plant young trees. Finally, the authors argue for implementation of farmer managed agroforestry parklands where parkland governance is mean to fall on local villages as opposed to local forestry department officers. In doing so, the authors provide suggestions for best practices in managing these wooded parklands for agroforestry.
Open access copy available |
Aménagement forestier et participation: quelles leçons tirer des forêts communales du Cameroun? (Forest management and participation: what lessons can we pull from communal forests in Cameroon?)The authors compare forest management of large concessions to that of smaller communal forests. They describe a shift in forest management from the state to a more local and participatory framework at the level of the commune. Finally, the authors speculate whether this decentralization of power over the forests will result in more sustainable management practices for Central Africa tropical forests.
Open access copy available |
Explorer la banque de graines du sol pour mieuxcomprendre la dynamique de régénération des forêtstropicales africaines (synthèse bibliographique)The authors provide a review of the current knowledge of soil seed banks in African tropical forests. They argue that increased knowledge of soil seed banks will lead to better understanding of forest regeneration and therefore more successful reforestation efforts. Finally, the authors call for better characterization of seed banks based on forest community, as this could aid reforestation and sustainable forest management efforts in African tropical forests.
Open access copy available |
Feasibility of Farmer-Managed Vegetative Propagation Nurseries in CameroonbackgroundThis article reviews farmer-managed vegetative propagation nurseries in Cameroon. The authors summarize the division of costs required to establish and operate the nurseries. Research Goals & MethodsCuttings of Dacryodes edulis, Irvingia gabonensis and Ricinodendron heudelotti were studied. All had successful rates of propagation by cutting, but only Dacryodes edulis had success with air layering. Open access copy available |
Uses, Management, and Economic Potential of Dacryodes edulis (Burseraceae) in the Humid Lowlands of CameroonbackgroundThis article discusses the economic potential of a African rainforest fruit tree, Dacryodes edulis. The fruit is locally consumed and traded, in addition to its household value for oil and medicinal bark. Available with subscription or purchase |
Uses, Management and Economic Potential of Garcinia kola and Ricinodendron heudelotii in the humid lowlands of CameroonBackgroundThis article describes two common fruit and medicinal trees (non-timber) that grow in secondary forests in the lowlands of Cameroon. The trees are found to have a mixed effect in an agroforestry environment; sometimes they improve crop production, sometimes they do not. Fruit are consumed by families and sold in markets. Open access copy available |
Restoration and Rehabilitation of Degraded Ecosystems in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. II. Case studies in Southern Tunisia, Central Chile and Northern CameroonbackgroundThis study compares non-human and human determinants of ecosystem degradation processes in three contrasted regions, as well as interventions tested in each. The three responses to ecosystem degradation under review are restoration, rehabilitation and reallocation as applied to ongoing projects in arid mediterranean region of southern Tunisia, the semi arid tropical savannas of northern Cameroon. Open access copy available |
Indigenous Trees in West African Forest Plantations: The Need for Domestication by Clonal TechniquesbackgroundThis study evaluates native species tree plantations across West Africa by summarizing existing information on the yield of those plantations, with particular focus on the Cameroon Forest Management and Regeneration Project. It considers the potential for vegetative propagation and clonal selection to increase growth rates and marketability of native species. Open access copy available |
