Lukong Pius Nyuylime
22 March 2004
MINEF and other stakeholders recommend increased control.
The contribution of the forestry sector to government's effort toward development and rational distribution of national resources has of late fallen short of desired level. This is one of the major observations made by authorities of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry who have since last March 9, been meeting with stakeholders to identify what can be done to reverse the situation. Both partners, during their concertations, which continue into June, resolved that the relatively poor contribution of the forestry sector is the consequence of insufficient human, material and financial resources attributed to forestry control activities and the follow up of forestry crime. The inadequacy of the methods used in tracking down criminals in forestry exploitation, they observed, has ushered in conditions that favour the multiplicity of irregular practices.
This state of affairs has kept the Environment and Forestry administration in a very disturbing position. Following the balance sheet drawn within the framework of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative's Structural Adjustment Credit (SAC-III), an institutional review in the forestry sector was carried out to reinforce provincial and divisional services of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry. A plan of action to effectively put in place the review will set up a programme for the forest-environment sector. The present concertations between the administration and partners in the sector is a logical build up to embracing the challenges of Cameroon's recent renewed engagement to beef up its exportation of timber and other non timber forestry products as a result of the sustainable management of the forest. This, it is hoped will be done through the new vision of work drawn up in the Forest- Environment Sector Programme (PSFE). The PSFE is a national sector by sector programme put up by government but which remains open to financing by donor organisations, contribution of the civil society and non governmental organisations.
Control as an organised activity, occupies a preponderant place in the implementation of the programme. It is against this backdrop that Ministry of the Environment and Forestry has decided to clarify roles and duties of different actors, through the organisation of a chain of controls, drawing up of procedures and methods of control as well as procedures for meting out sanctions. The control covers four different sections: timber forestry products; non timber forestry products; wildlife and environment.
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