| Cameroon | ||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| National websites | The Official Website of Cameroon The website is in French, but you can view the non-frame pages in English using Alta Vista's Translator |
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| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Embassy of the
Republic of Cameroon 2349 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF) | |||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | List of NGOs | |||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Though its economy depends primarily on its agricultural and timber resources, a great source of government revenue comes from its petroleum reserves' receipts. Cameroon's main food crops are casssava, maize, sorghum, yams, bananas, and millet. Its cash (export) crops include palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber, bananas, tea, pineapples, and palm kernels. Due to changing prices in coffee and cocoa, Cameroon has been diversifying its agricultural sector. Tropical rainforests, including ebony and mahogany, can be found in the south, mixed deciduous and evergreen forests lie in the central region. High yield deposits of bauxite can be found in Northern Cameroon and a significant reserve of natural gas lies near Douala (a major town) but has yet to be exploited. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Cameroon's major environmental prblems include forest destruction, range degradation, and waterborne diseases. Most of its forest resources may be destroyed, though several forestry reserves have been established. Logging concessions and illegal poaching have rendered these reserves unsuccessful and inefficient. Such destruction is endangering the wildlife. The development of a national forest policy and the protection of the montane forests in the Western Highlands remain major issues. Drought, the overcrowding of stock animals, and land underutilization (a result of tsetse fly infestations) have degraded the ranges in the northern semi-arid regions of the country. Waterborne diseases, such as schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis (carried by tsetse flies), intestinal parasites, and malaria (carried by the Anopheles mosquito), are prevalent. About 90 percent of adults are or have been infected with malaria, but controls on such diseases or the improvement of the water supply (especially in rural areas) will most likely not occur soon. Overgrazing, desertification, poacing, and overfishing are also current environmental issues. | |||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Land area | 469,440 sq km | |||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 20,366 ha | |||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | 6,000 sq km | |||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | territorial sea: 50 nm | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 15,029,433 (July 1998 est.) | |||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 32 persons per sq km | |||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 2,050,000 ha | |||||||||||||||
| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 4.3% | |||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | ||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | ||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | ||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Legislation | ||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | Cameroon does have a Forestry and Wildlife law that has strict penalties, such as long prison sentences, if wildlife is poached or hunted illegally. However, the law has little effect in curbing the illegal poaching of animals. | |||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | In March 1996, Cameroon's government organized the second National Concertation on the Elaboration of the National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP). Under discussion was the development and review of a draft environmental Code that will help in the preparation of umbrella legislation that will incorporate existing policies and laws dealing with the environment. | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | Ratified | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | No | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | Ratified, 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | No | |||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | No | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | International Tropical Timber Agreement (1983, 1994), Montreal Protocol, Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Desertification, and Climate Change (1994). | |||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | The average annual marine catch is 59,300 metric tons while the average annual freshwater catch is 20,700 metric tons. In 1991 and 1992, the small-scale fish catch was 91,750 tons with the industrial catch being a tenth of that figure. Low fish stocks (a rsult of a lack of plankton) and Cameroon's short coastline hampers further expansion of the fishing industry. Aquaculture is still a developing industry. From 1991 to 1993, the average annual aquaculture production for freshwater fish was 1,000 metric tons. | |||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | There is about 22m ha of
rainforest, but the government wants to keep 7m ha untapped and manage the remaining
forests in an acological sound manner. Most of the 113 registered forestry
enterprises in Cameroon are foreign owned. The country has about 20 major sawmills
and five plywood factories. Out of 300 marketable tree species, 30 are currently
being exploited. These include the sipo, ayous, sapele, and azobe species.
Forests are being exploited at a rate of 10 percent over the regneration rate, which is a
big government concern since this endangers the habitat of the pygmy peoples. Cameroon Hardwood Ban May Not Prove Effective in Slowing Rainforest Destruction Stop World Bank Funding for Oil Pipeline / Chad-Cameroon Africa takes tentative steps toward protecting rainforests |
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| Ecotourism | Though tourism is a small-scale venture, there are plans in the works to develop the industry. In 1995, there were about 134,000 visitors and 25,000 jobs created. The areas that generate the most attraction are the game parks and nature reserves in the north. | |||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | There is the occurance of the illegal trade in wildlife products with the trafficking in ivory, crocodile, panther or leopard skins, ostrich feathers, and parrots and other rare species. The trade is so lucrative that high-ranked people and officials in the ruling class (called the "untouchables") participate in it or allow it to occur. | EnviroNews Archive:
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| Hunting | With the increase in deforestation and forest exploitation has come the increase in hunting. Hunting has been exacerbated by the availability of new hunting grounds, made accessible by logging roads, and the high demand of bushmeat. | |||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Mining is another industry in Cameroon. The country has deposits of bauxite, uranium, nepheline syenite, industrial clay, nickel, cobalt, gold, iron ore, rutile, tin, and limestone. Rutile, tin, and limestone are mined on a small scale, but the country's resources have been otherwise untapped. A major reason for the lack of growth in the industry is due to a 1964 law permitting state intervention in mining, thus discouraging foreign investment. In the livestock sector, poultry farming is a growing industry along with sheep, cattle, and pigs. Ranching enterprises are being planned for Adamaoua, with its high-altitude grasslands. | |||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Processing and smelting form mining often cause air pollution. | |||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | Cameroon's rivers are often major sources of potable water. However, due to water pollution, the government of Cameroon must use expensive chemicals to treat the water for the urban residents of Yaounde and Douala, Cameroon's major cities. | |||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Due to its increasing population, countries like Cameroon have seen intensified agricultural production in order to meet the growing demands for food and other commodities. Often cheaper modes of production are used to cope with demand, leading to irrigation problems, insufficient draining (waterlogging), and insufficient fertilization (causes a loss of soil fertility). Stop World Bank Funding for Oil Pipeline / Chad-Cameroon | |||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | About 8 species of fish were introduced into Cameroon from countries like Uganda, Israel, France, and Germany. Most were introduced for aquaculture reasons or for snail control. The ecological and socioeconomic effects are unknown. | |||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | Unlike other countries who have tried to prepare National Environmental Management Plans, Cameroon has seen successful results with its NEMPs. Such programs are usually assisted by UNDP, the World Bank, and other aid agencies. For complete information, check out the article on Environmental Management in Cameroon. Currently, Cameroon's forests are suffering from soil erosion, degradation, and exploitation. Cameroon's principal conservation plan is to acquire 20% of its national territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | Conservation initiatives to set aside land for national park designation are helping protect elephants. | |||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Katherine Jane Verano as part of a class project in H90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA