Description:
This paper addresses the state of illegal forest activities (IFAs) in Cameroon, with particular attention to environmental outcomes and implications for livelihoods. We provide suggestions to the government and donor community about priority areas for interventions related to IFAs, sustainability, and livelihoods. The case of Cameroon has global relevance. The country is among those at the centre of global concern about illegal logging.1 Cameroon is one of the few countries that are actively preparing for the negotiation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements. These agreements are one of the policy tools of the Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) of the European Union, the most significant international initiative against illegal logging. The Action Plan notes that in addressing illegal logging the impacts on local rural people need to be considered in terms of their justice and equity. Yet it says little about how that should be done. There is a risk therefore that the implementation of specific initiatives set out in the Action Plan will be carried out without clear understanding of their impacts on equity and justice. For this reason we give particular attention to the implications of forest policy and IFAs for rural livelihoods. Concern about the environmental impacts of illegal logging has grown considerably over the past decade and brought the issue to global attention, with international environmental NGOs at the forefront in raising awareness about the issue ...