Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A situational analysis of Cameroon’s Technical Operation Units (TOUs) in the context of the landscape approach: critical issues and perspectives

  • Review
  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The integrated landscape approach is re-emerging in the global agenda as an approach which can give a fair deal to landscape functions such as climate change response, biodiversity conservation, food security, poverty reduction and economic growth. However, transformational change might be required to enable landscapes respond to these different functions. This is due to the sensitive nature of landscapes to local, national and global economic, social and political drivers. Based on national policy instruments, this paper presents a situational analysis of the landscape concept in Cameroon, operationalized as Technical Operation Units (TOUs) and in the context of the present institutional, social, economic and political features, it examines the rationale for a landscape approach in Cameroon. We notice potential trade-offs, indicating that the landscape approach is an opportunity for TOUs in Cameroon. Firstly, TOUs are characterized by multiple resource regimes with overlapping claims each having a legal land allocation and management plan. Secondly, TOUs are characterized by different stakeholders, with different land-use interests and motives, each controlling key components in the landscapes. Thirdly, the interests and motives of stakeholders overlap spatially and are connected to different sectoral policies at the national level. This setting might threaten decision making and the sustainability potentials of landscapes. Nonetheless, we propose areas for in-depth studies to generate knowledge and information to orientate win–win policy construction for landscapes. This is relevant for the social, ecological and economic objectives that underpin the sustainable development goals proposed in the post-2015 development agenda.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arnold, M., Powell, B., Shanley, P., & Sunderland, T. C. H. (2011). Editorial: Forests, biodiversity and food security. International Forestry Review, 13, 259–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castella, J.-C., Douangsavanh, L., Messerli, P., & Weyerhaeuser, H. (2009). Global agendas versus local realities. Bonn: Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Changes Meeting.

    Google Scholar 

  • CBFP. (2006). The forests of the Congo basin—State of the forest 2006, Congo Basin Forest partnership. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • CBFP. (2008). The forests of the Congo basin—State of the forest 2008, Congo Basin Forest partnership. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Blas, E., Ruiz-Pérez, M., & Vermeulen, C. (2011). Management conflicts in Cameroonian community forests. Ecology and Society, 1, 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eba’a Atyi, R., Lescuyer, G., Ngouhouo, P. J., & Moulendè., F. T. (2013). Étude de l’importance économique et sociale du secteur forestier et faunique au Cameroun—Rapport final. CIFOR.

  • Endamana, D., Boedhihartono, A. K., Bokoto, B., Defo, L., Eyebe, A., Ndikumagenge, C., & Sayer, J. A. (2010). A framework for assessing conservation and development in a Congo Basin Forest landscape. Tropical Conservation Science, 3, 262–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Funoh, K. N. (2014). The impacts of artisanal gold mining on local livelihoods and the environment in the forested areas of Cameroon. CIFOR working paper no. 150. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia.

  • German, L. (2012). Governance and large-scale investments in forested landscapes. ETFRN news no. 53.

  • German, L., Schoneveld, G., & Mwangi, E. (2011a). Processes of large-scale land acquisition by investors: Case studies from sub-Saharan Africa (pp. 6–8). Brighton: International Conference on Global Land Grabbing, University of Sussex.

    Google Scholar 

  • German, L., Schoneveld, G. C., & Pacheco, P. (2011b). Local social and environmental impacts of biofuels: Global comparative assessment and implications for governance. Ecology & Society, 16(4), 29. doi:10.5751/ES-04516-160429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, L., Lee, T. M., Koh, L. P., Brook, B. W., Gardner, T. A., Barlow, J., et al. (2011). Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity. Nature, 478, 378–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gignoux, J., Davies, I. D., Flint, S. R., & Zucker, J.-D. (2011). The ecosystem in practice: Interest and problems of an old definition for constructing ecological models. Ecosystems, 14, 1039–1054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GoC. (1994). Law No. 94-01 of 20 January 1994 to lay down forestry, wildlife and fisheries regulations. Yaounde: Government of Cameroon.

  • GoC. (1995). Decree No. 95-531-PM of 23 August 1995 to determine the conditions for implementation of forestry regulations. Yaounde: Goverment of Cameroon.

  • GoC. (2005). Decree No. 2005/495 of 31 December 2005 amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 2005/099 of 6 April 2005. Yaounde, Cameroon: Government of Cameroon.

  • GoC. (2013). Cameroon Vision 2035. Working Paper. Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development. Yaounde: Government of Cameroon.

  • Görg, C. (2007). Landscape governance: The “politics of scale” and the “natural” conditions of places. Geoforum, 38, 954–966.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haber, W. (2004). Landscape ecology as a bridge from ecosystems to human ecology. Ecological Research, 19, 99–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hett, C., Castella, J.-C., Heinimann, A., Messerli, P., & Pfund, J.-L. (2012). A landscape mosaics approach for characterizing swidden systems from a REDD+ perspective. Applied Geography, 32, 608–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilson, G., & Murck, B. (2000). Sustainable development in the mining industry: Clarifying the corporate perspective. Resources Policy, 26, 227–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmgren, P. (2013). Landscapes: Solutions for Sustainable Development. CIFORs Director Generals Presentation. http://www.slideshare.net/ifpri/holmgren-ifpri-washington-24-june-2013. Accessed 25 Apr. 2014.

  • Jenkins, H. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and the mining industry: Conflicts and constructs. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 11, 23–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanowski, P. (2014). To set priorities for research, ask the right questions. http://blog.cifor.org/22157/to-set-priorities-for-research-ask-the-right-questions. Accessed 24 May 2014.

  • Kitula, A. (2006). The environmental and socio-economic impacts of mining on local livelihoods in Tanzania: A case study of Geita District. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14, 405–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klooster, D., & Masera, O. (2000). Community forest management in Mexico: Carbon mitigation and biodiversity conservation through rural development. Global Environmental Change, 10, 259–272.

  • Locatelli, B., Kanninen, M., Brockhaus, M., Colfer, C. J. P., Murdiyarso, D., & Santoso, H. (2008). Facing an uncertain future: How forest and people can adapt to climate change. Indonesia, Bogor: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasi, R., Taber, A., & Van Vliet, N. (2011). Empty forests, empty stomachs? Bushmeat and livelihoods in the congo and Amazon Basins. International Forestry Review, 13, 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oyono, P. R. (2004). The social and organisational roots of ecological uncertainties in Cameroon’s forest management decentralisation model. European Journal of Development Research, 16, 174–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oyono, P. R. (2005). Profiling local-level outcomes of environmental decentralizations: The case of Cameroon’s forests in the Congo Basin. Journal of Environment and Development, 14, 317–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pacheco, P., Aguilar-Støen, M., Börner, J., Etter, A., Putzel, L., & Diaz, M. D. C. V. (2010). Landscape transformation in tropical Latin America: Assessing trends and policy implications for REDD+. Forests, 2, 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfund, J.-L. (2010). Landscape-scale research for conservation and development in the tropics: Fighting persisting challenges. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2, 117–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, M. S. (2008). Stakeholder participation for environmental management: A literature review. Biological Conservation, 10, 2417–2431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, J., Deakin, L., & Sunderland, T. (2014). What are ‘Integrated Landscape Approaches’ and how effectively have they been implemented in the tropics: A systematic map protocol. Environmental Evidence. doi:10.1186/2047-2382-4-2

  • Rodrigues, A. S. L., Ewers, R. M., Parry, L., Souza, C, Jr, Verissimo, A., & Balmford, A. (2009). Boom-and-bust development patterns across the Amazon deforestation frontier. Science, 324, 1435–1437.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sandker, M., Campbell, B. M., Nzooh, Z., Sunderland, T., Amougou, V., Defo, L., & Sayer, J. (2009). Exploring the effectiveness of integrated conservation and development interventions in a Central African forest landscape. Biodiversity and Conservation, 18, 2875–2892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, J. (2009). Reconciling conservation and development: Are landscapes the answer? Biotropica, 41, 649–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, J., & Campbell, B. M. (2004). The science of sustainable development: Local livelihoods and the global environment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, J., Margules, C., Boedhihartono, A. K., Dale, A., Sunderland, T., Supriatna, J., et al. (2014). Landscape approaches; What are the pre-conditions for success? Sustainability Science. doi:10.1007/s11625-014-0281-5

  • Sayer, J., Sunderland, T., Ghazoul, J., Pfund, J.-L., Sheil, D., Meijaard, E., et al. (2013). Ten principles for a landscape approach to reconciling agriculture, conservation, and other competing land uses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110, 8349–8356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. J., Verissimo, D., Leader-Williams, N., Cowling, R. M., & Knight, A. T. (2009). Let the locals lead. Nature, 462, 280–281.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Somorin, O. A., Visseren-Hamakers, I. J., Arts, B., Sonwa, D. J., & Tiani, A.-M. (2014). REDD+ policy strategy in Cameroon: Actors, institutions and governance. Environmental Science & Policy, 35, 87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonwa, D. J., Somorin, O. A., Jum, C., Bele, M. Y., & Nkem, J. N. (2012). Vulnerability, forest-related sectors and climate change adaptation: The case of Cameroon. Forest Policy and Economics, 23, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spittlehouse, D. L., & Stewart, R. B. (2004). Adaptation to climate change in forest management. Journal of Ecosystems and Management, 4, 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, R. E., Desai, A., & Walters, L. C. (2011). Wicked environmental problems: Managing uncertainty and conflict. Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunderland, T. C. H. (2011). Food security: Why is biodiversity important? International Forestry Review, 13, 265–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sunderland, T. C. H., Powell, B., Ickowitz, A., Foli, S., Pinedo-Vasquez, M., Nasi, R., & Padoch, C. (2013). Food security and nutrition: The role of forests. Bogor, Indonesia: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

  • Tsanga, R., Lescuyer, G., & Cerutti, P. (2014). What is the role for forest certification in improving relationships between logging companies and communities? Lessons from FSC in Cameroon. International Forestry Review, 16, 14–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The paper originates from the project proposal development process related to landscapes, within the framework of the Congo Basin Forest and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (COBAM) project, implemented by CIFOR and funded by the AfDB and CEEAC through the COMIFAC-PACEBCo program. The views expressed in this paper remain those of the authors and not of the donors or the affiliated organizations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International Research (CIFOR), Central Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box 2008, Messa Yaounde, Cameroon

    Eugene L. Chia & Richard Kankeu Sufo

Authors
  1. Eugene L. Chia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Richard Kankeu Sufo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eugene L. Chia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chia, E.L., Sufo, R.K. A situational analysis of Cameroon’s Technical Operation Units (TOUs) in the context of the landscape approach: critical issues and perspectives. Environ Dev Sustain 18, 951–964 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-015-9688-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-015-9688-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation