Business Alternatives in Africa s Congo Basin: The Case of Cameroon s Forest Sector

Transcription

1 Business Alternatives in Africa s Congo Basin: The Case of Cameroon s Forest Sector Robert Kozak Dieudonne Alemagi Joleen Timko UBC Faculty of Forestry AFRICAD Africa Forests Research Initiative on Conservation and Development / ak

2 Outline Context: Global Forest Cover & Loss Global Wealth Forests in Africa Concessions in Cameroon Background: Cameroon s Rain Forest, Forest Dependent Communities, Industrial Activities & Wood Markets Summary AFRICAD Current AFRICAD Projects: Methodologies Key Findings A Path Forward

3 Context The World Source: Worldmapper.org (2008)

4 Context Global Forest Cover Source: Worldmapper.org (2008)

5 Context Global Forest Loss Source: Worldmapper.org (2008)

6 Context Global Wealth Source: Worldmapper.org (2008)

7 Context Forests in Africa Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (2008)

8 Context Forests in Africa Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (2008)

9 Context Concessions in Cameroon Source: Global Forest Watch, 2005

10 Background Cameroon s Rain Forest

11 Background Cameroon s Rain Forest

12 Background Forest Dependent Communities

13 Background Industrial Activities

14 Background Industrial Activities

15 Background Forest Dependent Communities

16 Background Wood Markets

17 Background Wood Markets

18 Background Wood Markets

19 Background Wood Markets

20 Background Summary a wealth of forest resources on publicly held lands large, multinational corporations low value, high volume commodity focus reliance on export markets inability to source raw materials for alternative products inability to explore alternative business models marginalization and social exclusion of indigenous peoples impoverished forest-dependent communities community erosion violent conflict

21 Background AFRICAD

22 Background AFRICAD AFRICAD is committed to a vision of healthy and prosperous forest-dependent communities in Africa where the maintenance of forest resources is considered vital to long-term poverty alleviation, the mitigation of conflicts, and sustainable and equitable economic development.

23 Current AFRICAD Projects Kozak, R. (2009). Alternative Business Models for Forest-Dependent Communities in Africa: A Pragmatic Consideration of Small- Scale Enterprises and a Path Forward. Madagascar Conservation and Development 4(2): Timko, J., P. Waeber and R. Kozak. The Socio-Economic Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products to Rural Livelihoods in Sub- Saharan Africa: Knowledge Gaps and New Directions. Accepted in The International Forestry Review, March Alemagi, D. and R. Kozak. Illegal Logging in Cameroon: Causes and the Path Forward. Accepted in Forest Policy and Economics, June Timko, J., R. Kozak and J. Innes. HIV/AIDS and Forests in Sub- Saharan Africa: Exploring the Links Between Morbidity, Mortality, and Dependence on Biodiversity. Accepted in Biodiversity, July Alemagi, D., S. David and R. Kozak. In prep. Opportunities and Barriers for Community Forest Certification in Cameroon. Alemagi, D. and R. Kozak. In prep. Public Participation in Forest Management Decisions: The Case of Eight Forest Communities in Cameroon.

24 Current AFRICAD Projects Methodologies Qualitative strategies: Secondary data collection Synthetic reviews of scientific and grey literature, policy analyses Primary data collection Interviews, focus groups, enumerated surveys Community approaches Participatory research, action research Grounded theory Conceptual framework development

25 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings Concession-based forestry still dominates in Cameroon Cameroon is the 6 th largest exporter of tropical woods in the world Concession-based forestry accounts for 3.1% of its GDP Approximately 67% of the productive forest land is allotted to concessionaires Approximately US$ 60 million in revenues is generated every year, mostly by foreign owned multinationals

26 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings But concessions are simply not working Less than 15,000 individuals are employed by concessionaires While forest taxes represent a sizable revenue stream for the national government, evidence suggests that little of the funds that are generated trickle back down to communities The environmental sustainability of this model is increasingly being questioned

27 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings There are alternatives to concession-based models Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Community forest enterprises (CFEs) Business associations, clusters, and networks Alliances with concessionaires Other decentralized and community-oriented approaches

28 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings And timber is not the only product that comes from forests Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been shown to contribute to incomes, help alleviate poverty, buffer against shocks, and improve health conditions of the poor Medicinal plants, animal and plant food sources, gums and resins, services like recreations, etc. The level of use / dependence of NTFPs is determined by: Access to forests and markets Seasonality Wealth status Gender Education levels

29 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings Still, there are issues A lack of public participation: Despite the increasing importance of social responsibility and inclusion, the majority of residents in forest dependent communities in Cameroon have never participated in forest management decision-making, largely due to a lack of education and awareness

30 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings Still, there are issues Illegal logging: Despite relatively evolved forest policy, illegal logging continues to be a major problem in Cameroon, with some estimates being as high as 50% Illegal logging seems to be the result of systemic corruption, poverty, conflicts, licensing schemes, usurpation of property rights, and inadequate institutional support

31 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings Still, there are issues Forest certification: Smaller-scale enterprises (SMEs and CFEs) lack the capacity and financial means to adopt forest certification, which in effect, becomes a market barrier

32 Current AFRICAD Projects Key Findings Still, there are issues Poverty and health: Extreme poverty conditions persist among the forest dependent communities in Cameroon, and violent conflict due to land use disputes are on the rise There exist clear links between industrialization and the incidence of diseases (like HIV/AIDS), which can lead to biodiversity losses and further exasperate poverty conditions

33 Current AFRICAD Projects A Path Forward For researchers, civil society, policy makers, etc. Address the paucity of data that exists surrounding the socio-economic contributions that forests can and do make Devise appropriate and context-specific pro-poor interventions that: adhere to sound business principles increase community participation build capacity create enabling environments for smaller-scale businesses to succeed Rethink forest policy, with a focus on redressing rights of access and tenure for forest dependent communities

34 The End k rob.kozak@ubc.ca /