Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
to achieve in terms of key species (especially endemics and threatened
species of plant and animal), habitats and ecosystem functions (Maisels,
1998). The monitoring system then evolved to comprise a comprehensive
monitoring system designed to operate on a number of scales (Maisels
and Forboseh, 1999) and combining point counts of birds, permanent
vegetation quadrats and occasional sightings of mammals with i xed point
photography and satellite image analysis. It aimed to combine species
monitoring with 'functional' monitoring (monitoring of keystone species,
such as pollinators (sunbirds, bees) and seed dispersers (frugivorous birds
and mammals). However, this level of monitoring is very labour intensive
(and therefore costly) and proved not to be sustainable when major-donor
funding of the project came to an end in 2004. However, initial results sug-
gested some stability in forest condition (although the ef ect of 'lag' is not
known). For example, survey data from the census of Bannerman's turaco
from 1991, 1995-97 and 1999-2001 failed to detect signii cant changes
in the population of this 'l agship' species (Kilum-Ijim Forest Project,
2002).
It was recognized by the project that measurement of 'biodiversity'
rather than 'resources' is mainly of interest to conservationists (be it
MINFOF, or national or international NGOs) rather than local commu-
nities. In order to address this the project also put in place a programme
of institutional monitoring and natural resource monitoring designed to
be implemented by FMIs. Based on discussions with forest users, these
participatory measures allow FMIs to measure the state of their institu-
tion (by asking questions on certain indicators such as 'What percentage
of the population are members of the FMI', 'What proportion of FMI
members participate in collective forest management activities such as i re-
tracing?' and 'How representative is the FMI (number of women, men,
youth, elders, Fulani and so on)?)'. Another set of indicators are designed
to allow FMIs to assess and monitor the condition of the forest resources,
and the threats it faces, using measures that are relevant to them and their
livelihoods. This uses indicators such as 'number of streams l owing in
the dry season', 'annual yield from bee hives' and 'number of seedlings of
selected species (mainly species of economic importance such as food trees
and those whose timber is used for carving) that are over knee height'.
This community-based monitoring is at an early stage, and its ef ectiveness
in directing management by FMIs has not yet been assessed.
The project has also undertaken specii c (one-of ) exercises in order to
measure both the uptake of technologies introduced by the project and
the attitudes of people towards the forest and its conservation. An uptake
survey in 1999 interviewed 950 farmers in villages around the forest to
determine their uptake of technologies promoted by the project through
