Ecotourism for sustainable development : economic valuation of recreational potentials of protected areas in the Congo Basin.

This study was designed to capture the complexity of man-to-forest relationships in the endangered, world-renowned tropical rain forests of the Congo Basin in Africa. Their biological complexity and integrity have been challenged by human development and new knowledge is urgently needed to save these forests and the people dependent on them. The scope of the study was enormous because of the complexity of the resource, the diversity of forest-dependent people and actors. The major benefit of this research was in accessing and exposing new and quantitative information in remote settlements of the region by applying innovative methodologies and analytical techniques. These included: 1. The definition of forest-dependency based on detailed annual inventories of sources of households’ incomes, their statistical ranking and interpretation with logistic regressions, and the Kuznets ratio and Gini coefficients as introduced by the World Bank; 2. critical appraisal of the international parks in the region based on auto-financing principles and tested with contingent valuation and tax maximization techniques, such as Laffer’s curves, and leading to the development of new conservation models of financial self-sufficiency and a new formula for practical park management; 3. the critique of poaching by explaining and exposing food insecurities, especially deficient supplies of animal protein and associated malnutrition among the rural poor; 4. assessment of housing inadequacy among forest dwellers and its impact on forest regeneration and resources; 5. clarification of the impacts of timber logging by accessing detailed unpublished information from timber companies; 6. the introduction of survey-based valuation techniques as essential prerequisites to policy formulation and the sustainable management of forests; 7. proposing a flow chart that embraced the resources and stakeholders through the flow of market values and services for further exploration. Contrary to traditional beliefs; the results showed that both poor and wealthy households are equally dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods with no significant difference in consumed forest products between the 25% higher income earners and the 25% lower income households. Forests contribute over 57% of wage income in the region and forest-derived income is of a higher total value than any other source, including agriculture. Among forest foods, wild fruit and bushmeat are by far the most important. Therefore, the clearing of forests for agriculture or instituting conservation policies that completely keep local people away from forests will result in constrained access to resources of immense importance to local livelihoods. However, the findings contradict the commonly propagated views that timber harvesting in the region is directly responsible for deforestation, the loss of forest structure and biodiversity. It was shown that the harvesting of saplings and poles for housing may endanger forest regeneration and species composition of forests neighbouring the villages. The desired financing of national parks should be through internally generated revenues, requiring deliberate investments in facilities and infrastructure. The necessity to satisfy the basic needs of the forest-dependent people remains urgent. The complexity of man-to-forest relationships is beyond one study and needs to be further expanded on, in our quest to sustainable forest management based on participatory principles. Such management needs to provide for and be supported by various stakeholders including the local communities, state agencies, donors, NGOs, and commercial conglomerates. Moreover, the need to understand forest values beyond market principles is required in order to translate the concept of sustainable forest management from a theoretical concept in the Congo Basin to one that can reduce conflicts, deforestation, poverty and famine.Thesis (PhD.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008

Economic sustainability of national parks in the Congo Basin : a case study of the Sangha Tri-national Park

The second largest complex of tropical rain forest is located in the Congo Basin. This forest is renowned for its biodiversity, harbouring thousands of rare species of plants and animals and providing environmental services at a global level. At the same time these forests are of critical importance to the people of the region. The local economies depend on timber harvesting, while the forest dwellers support their subsistence with forest products on daily basis. The dilema faced by policy makers, conservationists and the local communities is in merging the various ideals, objectives and needs at a local, national and global level in order to sustain the forests, their fauna and the people. Examples from Southern and Eastern Africa have shown that, with the right management in place, natural ecosystems managed jointly for ecotourism, conservation and recreation, can yield appreciable benfits at minimum environmental destruction. Therefore it is believed that well-organized tourism can become the best way to use the Congo Basin’s forests for creating economic opportunities without destroying the resources. The challenge therefore, is in convincing decision-makers that conservation of forests can provide for sustainable economic development. However in the Congo Basin this potential has not been demonstrated thus far. Deliberate policy initiatives to cost recovery, profit making or generation of local business are woefully lacking. Not only are the protected forests maintained with marginal funds, but the management systems in place are also ineffective, especially regarding poor financial management resulting in losses of 2/3 of the expected revenue. The centralized collection and distribution of funding by government agencies prevents local initiatives from achieving financial sustainability. It also remains unclear how the fees paid by tourists visiting the parks are related to the operational costs and if these fee structures do in fact approximate tourists’ willingness-to-pay (WTP). In this study the factors of (i) tourists’ WTP higher entrance fees and (ii) duration of stay, were evaluated in two protected areas of the 28000 km2 Sangha Tri-National Park shared by Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. It was found that if park facilities were improved the potential entry fee in the Lobeke National Park could be increased by an additional US$10 per visitor. At the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, foreign, resident and national tourists could be paying an additional US$ 30, 20 and 7, respectively. To this end improvements in park facilities, efficiency in entrance fee setting and management structures are recommended

The role of forest resources in income inequality in Cameroon

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Effects of credit constraints on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Cameroon.

This paper assesses the determinants and effects of credit constraints on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon. Use is made of the Cameroon enterprise survey data collected by the World Bank in 2009 and an endogenous switching regression model. Results show that interest rates, size of enterprise, size of loan, size of collateral, maturity of loans and legal status of enterprises are major sources of credit constraints faced by SMEs. Results also indicate that medium enterprises are more credit constrained than small enterprises; meanwhile the effects of credit constraints affect small enterprises more than medium enterprises. Credit constrained firms have lower levels of productivity relative to unconstrained firms. These results have implications for the creation of credit bureaux, prudential stringency and rationalization of the Cameroon tax system

Effects of credit constraints on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Cameroon.

This paper assesses the determinants and effects of credit constraints on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon. Use is made of the Cameroon enterprise survey data collected by the World Bank in 2009 and an endogenous switching regression model. Results show that interest rates, size of enterprise, size of loan, size of collateral, maturity of loans and legal status of enterprises are major sources of credit constraints faced by SMEs. Results also indicate that medium enterprises are more credit constrained than small enterprises; meanwhile the effects of credit constraints affect small enterprises more than medium enterprises. Credit constrained firms have lower levels of productivity relative to unconstrained firms. These results have implications for the creation of credit bureaux, prudential stringency and rationalization of the Cameroon tax system

Illegal logging, governance effectiveness and carbon dioxide emission in the timber‑producing countries of Congo Basin and Asia

The empirical link between governance and illegal logging is widely accepted amongst scientist, although a minority still purports that illegal logging does not necessarily prevail because of poor governance. However, the nexus linking governance, illegal logging and carbon emission is not well enshrined in scientific literature. This paper seeks to review the literature on illegal logging and governance and empirically investigate the effect of illegal logging and governance effectiveness on carbon emission. Using panel dynamic ordinary least square method on data covering three Congo Basin timber-producing countries and three Asian timber-producing countries, this paper further investigates disaggregated effects between these two groups of countries. The empirical evidence underscores that Congo Basin timber-producing countries are characterized by increasing trend of illegal logging, poor governance effectiveness and corruption. Panel regression reveals a positive and significant impact of illegal logging, governance effectiveness and corruption on carbon emission. Asian producing countries depict a reducing trend in illegal logging and improvements in governance and corruption. There is a positive but not significant impact of illegal logging on carbon emission, and governance effectiveness reduces carbon emission. Thus, the dynamics of governance, illegal logging and carbon emission is not the same between timber-producing countries in Asia and Congo producing counties, thus suggesting the ability of institutions to curb illegal logging and enforce laws to reduce the effects of carbon emission. Multi-stakeholder consultations, government engagement, partnerships and training of control staff can help curb corruption. Legality checks should go beyond having legal documents to effectively check and control of timber concessions and small-scale logging

The contribution of NTFPs gathering: To rural people's livelihoods around two timber concessions in Gabon

NTFP are often presented as bringing a major contribution to rural livelihoods in terms of food and cash, and this particularly for rural communities. Few data are available in Gabon to confirm this common assertion. An annual monitoring of 127 households was conducted in 14 villages around two timber concessions in the south-east and south-west regions of Gabon. Conventional socio‐economic survey tools such as focus group discussions, census and semi-structured interviews of households were used in gathering data during one year. Results reveal that rural people depend on various sources of livelihoods for food and income generation, but overall, the current contributions of vegetal NTFPs are insignificant compared to other activities. Odika (Irvingiagabonensis), atanga sauvage (Dacryodes buettneri), fungus (Termitomyces spp) and “nut” (Coula edulis) represent the main forest products that are commonly harvested by rural people, primarily for subsistence purposes while the surplus is sold. Although some efforts were made to promote the NTFP sector in the country, the results of this study suggest that: (1) the main components of the decree No.137/PR/MEFP of February 4, 2009, that prohibited the logging of five multiple use tree species over a period of 25 years should be reconsidered for revision; (2) the State authorities and partners should promote projects aiming at increasing the knowledge of the NTFP sector. These projects should contribute to the census of NTFP (for food, medicine and services), characterize their uses, the market chains of target products, and the development potential of NTFP. Such projects may help Gabon and other Congo Basin countries to fix norms/standards for a sustainable natural resource management and for enhancing their contribution to the national economy. This will be particularly relevant in the light of dwindling oil revenues and the need to diversify and promote other revenue sources in the country. (Résumé d'auteur

UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Bars to jars: bamboo value chains in Cameroon Bars to Jars: Bamboo Value Chains in Cameroon

Abstract Bamboo is a well know and versatile material, which is a common sight across Cameroon's diverse ecosystems, from dry to humid tropical and Afromontane forests. Its numerous uses range from storage jars to decorating restaurant-bars, beehives to knives, fences, fodder, and fuel. Responding to the paucity of data on species and uses, the value chain for bamboo in Cameroon was analyzed. Based on 171 interviews and field observations, two African indigenous species (alpine Yushania alpina and savannah Oxytenanthera abyssinica) and exotic (Bambusa vulgaris spp.) bamboos were identified as most utilized. They were tracked from major production zones to final consumers. The ecological, socio-economic, institutional, and governance contexts and impacts are described and analyzed. Issues for research, conservation, and development are highlighted. These include the ambiguous regulatory status, the relationship between tenure and management, threats and conservation of African species and options to increase the sustainable livelihoods for stakeholders dependent upon bamboo