WRI Publications Feed: Forest Atlas of Cameroon/Atlas Forestier du Cameroun

Interactive Forest Atlas of Cameroon (version 3.0)

Sarah Parsons — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:20:28 -0400

The Interactive Forest Atlas of Cameroon is a living forest information system hosted in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) and supported by a joint team including members from MINFOF and the World Resources Institute (WRI). Built on a geographic information system (GIS) platform, the Atlas provides unbiased and up-to-date information on the Cameroonian forest sector. One of its main objectives is to strengthen forest management and land use planning by bringing all major land use categories onto the same standardized platform. While the underlying Forest Atlas database is kept up-to-date as new information becomes available, periodic publications of the data and database are made publicly available through the Atlas report, poster, and mapping application.

This report and associated material is the third in a series of Interactive Forest Atlases of Cameroon. It provides the reader with the land use allocation and land cover types in the National Forest Estate through June 2011, recent trends in production forests, and an expanded discussion of recent developments with community forests. Updated information on protected areas and the public and private road network is also featured, along with preliminary information about mining concessions likely to affect Cameroon’s forests. Additionally, this report highlights several practical examples of its uses and outlines future directions and applications of the Atlas.

À PROPOS DE CETTE PUBLICATION

L’Atlas forestier interactif du Cameroun est un système d’information forestière opérant en continu hébergé par le Ministère des Forêts et de la Faune (MINFOF) et géré par une équipe conjointe composée de représentants du MINFOF et du World Resources Institute (WRI). Basé sur le Système d’Information Géographique (SIG), l’Atlas fournit des informations objectives et actualisées sur le secteur forestier camerounais. L’un des objectifs principaux de l’Atlas est celui de renforcer la gestion forestière et la planification de l’affectation des terres en réunissant sur une plate-forme unique les principales catégories d’affectation. L’équipe conjointe MINFOF-WRI actualise la base de données de l’Atlas forestier au fur et à mesure que de nouvelles informations deviennent disponibles et les publie périodiquement sous formes de rapport, posters et application cartographique.

Le présent rapport représente la troisième version de la série d’Atlas forestiers interactifs du Cameroun. Il fournit au lecteur des informations sur les affectations et les types d’occupation des terres dans le Domaine Forestier National jusqu’au mois de juin 2011. Il donne également un aperçu sur les tendances récentes de l’évolution des forêts de production, ainsi que des développements récents dans le domaine de la foresterie communautaire. Il offre en plus les données actualisées sur les aires protégées et le réseau routier public et privé, et donne de façon subsidiaire des informations préliminaires sur les concessions minières susceptibles d’empiéter sur le domaine forestier. En fin, ce rapport met en exergue des exemples pratiques d’utilisation de l’Atlas et donne un aperçu de ses orientations et applications futures.

Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon (version 2.0)

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

ATLAS ONLINE. You can also access the map server for the Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon online! This interactive map allows the user to create personalized maps, query information, zoom in to areas of interest, and download underlying spatial data.

The Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon (version 2.0) is the second (updated and expanded) version of this atlas, originally published by WRI in 2005.

This interactive atlas tool allows users to access, through a map viewing application, the most complete and up-to-date information on the Cameroon forest sector, including:

timber extraction area boundaries and attributes,
forest concession management plan status,
volume of timber logged by concession areas
and many others.

New information/themes in the second version include:

forest concession boundaries and attributes,
concession Annual Allowable Cut (AACs) boundaries and volumes,
location and capacity of sawmills and
managed hunting zone boundaries.

Its target audience includes members of government in Cameroon, the private forest sector, NGOs, community associations and concerned private citizens.

This accompanying overview report presents the new and updated content contained in this second version, in addition to discussing actions which have been facilitated by the first version and potential uses and applications of this updated and expanded version. The document also describes the current situation, terminology and legislation relating to the forestry sector in Cameroon.

This overview and associated interactive atlas are a product of the collaboration between WRI, the Cameroonian Ministry of Forests and Fauna and other partner institutions.

Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon (version 1.0)

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0500

The Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon (Version 1.0) is one of the principal products of the ongoing Cameroon Ministry of Environment and Forest (MINEF) - Global Forest Watch (GFW) collaboration.

In one source, this Atlas contains much of the relevant spatially explicit data for forest management and governance including - updated Forest Management Units (FMU) and protected area boundaries, a roads dataset created from satellite imagery, and useful attribute data (i.e. management status, year of attribution, and wood volume production). The Atlas also includes an introductory document highlighting its contents and utility. Through this Atlas and related products, MINEF, GFW and partners seek to increase knowledge about Cameroon’s forest use, and to enable better decision-making by providing data in accessible forms for use by government, industry, and the public. The Atlas is available in English, French and on CDRom.

Overview of logging in Cameroon

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2000 00:00:00 -0500

Cameroon contains some of the Congo Basin’s most biologically diverse and most threatened forests.

In recent decades, Cameroon’s forests have undergone extensive conversion, with half of the historic forest cover cleared for farms and settlements. Agricultural clearing is the primary cause of deforestation; however, logging development is rapidly opening up the major remaining tracts of primary forest.

In this report, the authors rely primarily on maps and indicators to document the current and historic extent of logging, along with the key actors – companies and individuals – engaged in this activity.

Logging activity has moved rapidly across the country in recent decades. Once concentrated primarily along the coast, logging concessions (abandoned, current, and future) now cover 76 percent of the forested area.

The most intact forests, in southeastern Cameroon, are also among the highest in extraction rates and extensive concession area.

Of the 84 individuals and companies with active, registered concessions in 1998-99, 25 held title to three quarters of the forests being logged.

Foreign companies, primarily French, held at least half of the forest concession area and indirectly controlled other holdings through subcontracting practices.

The report authors provide data on the benefits and costs of logging, both in terms of economic returns and environmental trade-offs. They also examine progress in implementing new forestry legislation that could mitigate the environmental and social costs of development, as well as generate greater tax revenues.