Abstract

This study was aimed at investigating the implications and prospects of Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) exploitation in Buea subdivision, more precisely along the foot slopes of Mount Cameroon. The specific objectives of this study were; to identify the nature and types of NTFP, to investigate the causes of NTFP exploitation, to examine the implications of NTFP exploitations and to mitigate the over exploitation of NTFP in Buea sub-division. In order to achieve these objectives, data were collected from primary and secondary sources and was analysed using qualitative and quantitative statistical methods. The data were presented with the use of descriptive statistics like percentages, charts and frequency. The results revealed that there are diversified species of Non-timber forest product that are exploited from Mount Cameroon forest of the Buea subdivision such as tree-barks, leaves, fruits, flowers and others. These diversified species of Non-timber forest products have contributed enormously to the socio-economic development of the area such as increase source of income and food for the native population and medicines. However, it is increasingly being threatened due to deforestation, reduction or loss of biodiversity, climate change, and environmental degradation. From the results, the main causes of exploitation of NTFPs are due to inadequate protection of these NTFP species, high rate of unemployment, and inadequate sensitisation of the natives. It was also realized that if the rate of exploitation is not checked most plants and animal species, climatic conditions and environmental beauty will be negatively affected. From the aforementioned statements therefore, there is the need for proper management to be implemented so as to ensure the sustainable management of Non-timber forest products on the slope of mount Cameroon in the Buea subdivision. These can be achieve through proper education and sensitisation of the local population and effective protection and control of exploitation through good laws and policies.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Tivy and O’Hare (1981) defined resources as a “stock of some material of use or value to humans” – To them these materials may be organic or inorganic. According to Zimmermann (1972) resources are those things that one relies for aid, support or supply means to attain given ends. Therefore, natural resources are those things provided by nature in order to meet up ends needs (Zimmermann, 1972). Natural resources occur naturally and are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified form (Mc Nicolls, 2007). Unfortunately, the exploitation of these resources especially the forest is been done in a non-sustainable manner (Salvati and Marco, 2008) in many countries resulting in their depletion.

Natural resources are frequently classified as renewable or non-renewable. Researchers who claim that conflict outbreaks are related to resource scarcity often argue that renewable natural resources are the conflict generating resource type (Homer-Dixon, 1998). Renewable resources are defined as resources that are regenerated on a human time scale (Addeson 2001). Examples of renewable resources are water, fisheries and forests. These types of resources are often connected in ecological systems; for example, water is necessary for forest growth and fisheries. By contrast, non-renewable resources are less likely to participate in the circular flows of the ecosystem, and exploitation of one resource typically does not affect the availability of the other resources (as long as the extraction does not destroy the other resource). Non-renewable resources can be considered as a stock that has a regeneration rate of zero over a relatively long period (Addeson, 2001).

Clark (2001a) defines Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) as materials derived from forests, excluding timber, fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, leaves, twigs, tree barks, stems, spices, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, bamboo, rattans, ropes, resins, oil, dyes, mushrooms and wildlife (Clark and Sunderland, 2004; Ndah et al., 2013). The extraction NTFPs from old- and second-growth habitats includes foods, fiber, medicines, latex, and sundry other plant and fungal products (Voeks 2011). Long regarded as economically atavistic and environmentally destructive by government planners, NTFPs collection and trade by the 1990s began to be viewed by national and international entities as a potential rural development-resource conservation win-win (Hagen and Fight, 1999). Whether destined for personal consumptive or commercial ends, NTFPs can open several routes to livelihood improvement among marginalized, rural communities in the developing world (Ayiso et al. 2009).

Unlike alternative destructive forms of land use, such as logging, mining and plantation agriculture, the collection of NTFPs such as wild nuts and fruits, leaves, bark, resin, and roots affects the structure and function of forests much less than other uses. However, under favourable circumstances, NTFP extraction is capable of achieving the overarching goal of sustainable development, that is, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UN, 1997). However, there are species under threats like prunus , eru,and elephant tusk especially in the tropical rainforest.

Historically, Since the 1970s, NTFPs have emerged to take their place among the many aspects of forest use that guide natural resources decision-makers (Laurie 2004). In the 1980s, NTFPs were hailed as a potential alternative to forest uses such as logging that would lead to deforestation. Some NTFPs have strong market value; it was postulated that the long-term value accruing from the harvest of these products could override the short-term gain of converting that forest or individual tree to other uses such as timber, agriculture or plantations (Laurie 2004).  Through the harvest of NTFPs, the often marginalized forest peoples of the world might capture income, provide social benefit and contribute to the conservation of natural forests. If this were so, then developing and formalizing the NTFP sector could meet both of the often-contradictory goals of development and conservation (Laurie, 2004).

The Central African region is particularly blessed with a myriad of natural resources and a great diversity of flora and fauna. Until recently, its size, climate and socio-political history have left large sections of its natural forests intact (Vansina, 1990). Rates of change are increasing as well, with forests being converted to agriculture, plantations and roads, or modified by timber harvest, shifting agriculture and other extractive activities. Satellite imagery from the early 1990s supports estimates that the Central African rainforests extend over 1.8 million km2, and recent modelling studies suggest that secondary forest will predominate in the region by as early as 2030 (Justice, 2001).

According to Sunderland and Tako (2000), the 1997 Appendix to the 1995 Forestry Law of Equatorial Guinea makes reference to sustainable management of commercially exploited NTFPs such as Prunus africana and Piper guineensis. The causes of its decline in the wild include destructive and excessive harvesting practices and the conversion of its habitat to other uses. Meanwhile, the strong urban demand for Gnetum suggests that consumption of the leaves will continue to increase (Numfor 1997).

Over the past 30 years, Cameroon has experienced major deforestation and forest degradation resulting from a combination of factors related to agricultural expansion, population increase and rapid urbanization and general development activities (FAO, 2005). This has reduced the supply of many of its different forest products, Such as animals, leaves and fruits.  However, when the value of an NTFP and the intensity of its use are extremely high, it is highly likely that the resource is being overexploited; supplies of it may be exhausted, causing it to become locally extinct. Logging and other forest disturbances (for example, shifting and mixed agriculture) are not necessarily inimical to NTFP production (Laird, 1999).

In 1994, a survey of important NTFPs was conducted in the South-West Region of Cameroon by members of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry (MINEF) (Bokwe and Ngatoum 1994) noted that 5,296 tons of Gnetum leaves had passed through the ports of Idenau, Tiko, Limbe and Modeka between 1985 and 1994, highlighted to the central government the value of this forest product. By 1996, a permit system for wild-harvested Gnetum had been introduced and checkpoints established to control exports (Ngatoum 2000). In 1999, the MINEF created a new sub directorate for NTFPs, an indication of the increasing recognition of the value of these natural resources. It is hoped that the introduction of Gnetum into agricultural cropping systems in the region will reduce the harvesting pressure on wild populations and will also provide an important source of income for community-based rural initiatives (Sunderland, 2001). Demand for Gnetum africanum and G. buchholzianum has driven wild populations of this leafy vine to local commercial extinction of South West Region of Cameroon (Shiembo, 1999).

Also, current “sustainable” harvesting practices that partially strip bark from live trees such as Garcinia lucida, Prunus africana and Pausinystalia yohimbe expose them to ring-barking and to stem-boring insects that can cause 50–90% post-harvest tree mortality (Mahop et al.2001).Though harvesting seeds and fruits only adds to what is normally high seed mortality, and may not adversely impact plant regeneration, inappropriate harvesting techniques can put some fruit and seed NTFP species at risk. Piper guineensis fruits are widely harvested, dried and used as a spice in local dishes. Unfortunately, rather than picking the seeds from the live plant, harvesters typically uproot the plant and then strip all its seeds (Blackmore, pers. 2000). This practice is clearly unsustainable, as it both destroys the plant and reduces seed production and plant regeneration.

People worldwide and more especially in the Buea subdivison depend on NTFPs for nutritional, medicinal and cultural purposes. They also serve as a source of income, as well as ‘safety nets’ in periods of shortages or poor harvest of main crops.  NTFP forest products contribute to all aspects of rural life and economy; providing timber, wood, food, fuel, building, and craft material, medicine and other household items. So far, more than 400 species of NTFPs are recorded in the South West Region (Ngane et al., 2012).  However, there are potential threats to this forest biodiversity due to population increase, increase in demand and unemployment which is constantly on the rise in the study area. These situations have affected the sustainability of the NTFPs in the region. it is therefore against this background that this study is out to examine the implications of the exploitation of NFTPs in the Buea subdivison of the South West Region of Cameroon.

 

1.2 Problem Statement

Institutional failure or weakness has been very common in the management of NTFPs especially Protected Areas (PA) in Africa (Nelson and Hossack, 2003). Institutional failure occurs in protected areas because of the inability of protected area management systems to simultaneously enhance sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and control of deforestation. It does not also adequately integrate in its management framework the existing traditional NTFPs management systems of Africa (Nelson and Hossack, 2003). The inability of PA to deliver effective conservation and equal socio-economic outcomes has been highly contested over the last decade in most Africa countries (Adams and Infield, 2003). Moreover, inadequate information on the ecological productivity complicates management scenarios and excessive extraction of forest products is likely to impact negatively on the population dynamics of the plants being exploited, leading to changes in community structure and organization (Moegenburg and Levey, 2002).

In most of the tropical nation’s including Cameroon, the trend of biodiversity loss is above all other factors, more or less influenced by institutional weakness or failure, that is, public sector’s inability to efficiently and effectively conserve and protect biological resources (Southgate et al., 1989). Major challenges involved in the management of forests for NTFPs are: the lack of substantial knowledge on population biology, standing stocks, life cycle of plants, yields of plants species and harvesting techniques (Chamberlain et al., 2004).

According to Angelsen and Wunder, (2003), Sunderlin et al., (2005), Cameroon’s forests offer a large supply of NTFPs used for subsistence and medicinal purposes and traded in the local markets and abroad. As the World Bank (2014) had anticipated, these NTFPs are a major source of poverty reduction. Human activities such as agriculture, extraction of NTFPs and infrastructural development as a result of population increase and urban growth has been attributed as primary causes of biodiversity loss (EU, 2009). Apart from human activities, other underlying causes such as weak institutions, poor governance and inadequate law enforcement also contribute substantially to biodiversity loss (EU, 2009).Unfortunately the numerous economic importance of some of these NTFPs has given way to their over exploitation in the Buea subdivison as evidenced by the mounting pressure on their resource base. A field research conducted in the forest zone of Cameroon by Oyono et al. (2003) on access to forest resources indicate that, future generations will be confronted in a dramatic way to quantitative and qualitative scarcity of NTFP following their over exploitation by present generations.

Despite the enactment of the forestry Law No. 94\01 of 20 January 1994 of biodiversity conservation in Cameroon, there is still a great loss of biodiversity in the mount Cameroon region. The major issues of biodiversity loss in this region are poverty, inadequate law enforcement, illegal activities and ineffective engagement of the local population in biodiversity decision making process. The situation is alarming around the mount Cameroon region, characterized by the over exploitation of resources as reported by Monono et al. (2006). Meuer‟s (2007) monitoring survey on Mount Cameroon also indicates that in the blocks surveyed only 42% were sustainably debarked. Based on this background, the study is out to identify the types of natural resources, causes of exploitation, its implications and mitigation measures to address this issue of natural resource exploitation in Buea sub –division.

 

1.3. Research Questions

Based on the problem statement, this study seeks to answer the following research questions.

1. What are the nature and types of NTFPs in Buea sub-division?
2. What are the causes of NTFPs exploitation in the Buea sub-division?
3. What are the implications of NTFPs exploitation in Buea sub-division?
4. What can be done to mitigate the over exploitation of NTFPs in Buea sub-division?