Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
motivated to manage the forest). The project has helped to rebuild the
traditional authority of the
fon
and
kwifon
within a parallel and integrated
system of management and control by community-based institutions of
users (FMIs). However, experience shows that government support is still
essential as a back-up and endorsement of FMIs and traditional authority
rules, especially where powerful outside (and internal) interests threaten
to destabilize the situation. For example, the valuable bark of
Prunus
africana
is illegally exploited by outside gangs that are often armed, and
illegal livestock graziers in the forest enter with the backing of wealthy
and inl uential livestock owners. This experience suggests that a three-
pronged approach (FMIs-traditional authorities-government) may be the
most ef ective combination, and that each group has its role to play in an
ef ective overall protection system.
Productive potential of dif erent habitats is taken into account
The project
has made ef orts to assess the sustainable levels of of take for key forest
products - those studies examined harvesting and production of fuel
wood, honey and small mammals (mainly rodents), and future work
will attempt to assess the sustainable of take for
Prunus africana
bark.
These studies suggest that the forest is already exploited at levels equal
to or exceeding its productive potential. For resources such as mammals
this is self-evident - it is very rare now to see duikers, monkeys or other
mammals in the forest, and most hunters have resorted to trapping a
range of small rodent species. Although the reproductive potential of these
species is probably very high, their detailed biology in this respect is not
known and in most cases studies have not been carried out. Since rodents
are likely to be key seed dispersers for some tree species the long-term
impact of over-harvesting on ecosystem functioning could be severe. The
project's approach of integrating conservation and development aimed
to address this issue, by i nding alternatives (supplements) to harvest of
products from the forest.
A sustainable end point is dei ned
The main projects in the Bamenda
Highlands lasted for 17 years and cost a total of over US$3m with the
objective of conserving montane forests with a total area of about 30 000
ha. In its very early stages the project was 'i re-i ghting' - its priority was
to try to halt the rapid encroachment of farmland into the forest. The
strategy then shifted to education and awareness and building sustainabil-
ity of local livelihoods through support to agricultural development and
income-generating activities linked to the forest. However, it is now recog-
nized that the conservation of the forest is a long-term enterprise, and that
to be sustainable key elements are going to be strong institutions to carry
