FAO Forestry country profiles - forest management

Objectives

Cameroon¿s forestry policy objectives aim to ¿achieve sustainable development of the economic, ecological and social functions of the forest in a context of integrated, participatory management so as to ensure sustained and sustainable conservation and use of forest resources and ecosystems¿. Forest management in the permanent state-owned forests is based on retaining forest cover over at least 30 percent of Cameroon¿s territory in areas representative of the country¿s biodiversity and comprising forest stands where uses and management procedures follow specific management plans. The non-permanent forest areas are favored for community forestry, mindful of the needs of local forest dwellers. Given the current size of farming enterprises and the rate of population growth, the areas allocated to those whose homes border on the great national forest stands, in the so-called multi-use areas, cover some 4 million hectares. These areas are meant to cover the public need for land up to the year 2020. Protected areas cover a little over 2 million hectares, and production forests some 6 million hectares.