Forest ecosystem service provisioning - combining livelihoods, forests and sustainable production and biodiversity in Cameroon

Ing. Georges Herbert Chekuimo Tagne, M.Sc.

Doctoral thesis

Vlastní téma

Abstract:

Forest area is a core variable in national monitoring for biodiversity conservation in general. Cameroon, covering an area of 475 442 km2, is usually described as a microcosm of Tropical Africa, mainly as regards of its vegetation, which is a rich condensation of the whole of Africa’s intertropical vegetation. According to the FAO, 42.1% or about 19 916 000 ha of Cameroon is forested, although other estimates put forest cover at up to 48%. The total forest cover, with different types of forests ranging from evergreen forest to forest-savannah mosaic, is estimated to be 22.5 million hectares (i.e., 45% of the national territory), of which 16.5 million are dense humid forests with high potential for logging. The country has the continent’s second-highest concentration of biodiversity. Forests are rich in biodiversity, with more than 8,300 plant species, nearly 300 mammal species, and 848 bird species (ITTO, 2006) of which 30 mammals, 13 birds, 47 amphibians, and 249 plants are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable on IUCN’s red list of threatened species and are found in production forests These forests play an important role in maintaining the ecosystems vitality and human livelihoods (through ecological functions, by regulating the climate and water resources and by serving as habitats for plants and animals, providing a wide range of essential goods such as wood, food, fodder and medicines, in addition to opportunities for recreation, employment, spiritual renewal and other services directly and indirectly to local communities and city dwellers alike). Cameroon’s forests are managed for both production and conservation. They account for more than 6% of the nation’s GDP. Areas under forest management for timber extraction make up 40% of the national forest area, while protected areas including national parks, forests reserves, and hunting zones currently cover 20% of the national forest area. The adoption of a new forest law, a comprehensive national forest policy framework was laid down in 1994 directly linking the concepts of sustainable forest management with the preparation of Forest Management Plans (FMPs) for all productive forests. These forests are subject to a growing number of international agreements, conventions and regimes.

Keywords

Keywords

sustainable management, deforestation, conservation strategies, biodiversity, Cameroon

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 14. 9. 2020

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Dr. Ing. Jindřich Pavliš

Mendel University in Brno

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology

Doctoral programme / field:
Botany / Forest Phytology