The national strategic plan of action was validated and adopted in Yaounde last Friday

Cameroon can now boost of an updated national component of the strategic plan of action for the conservation and sustainable concerted management of the forest resources of the Central African Sub-region. It was validated and adopted by the stakeholders of the forestry sector last Thursday, April 8 during a forum that took place at the Mvog-Betsi Zoological Garden in Yaounde.

The adoption of Cameroon's national component of the concerted plan of action is a logical implementation of the decision adopted during the first Conference of Ministers in Charge of Forest in Central Africa (COMIFAC) that took place in Yaounde in December 2000. The Heads of State of the Central African Sub-region had on March 19, 1999 come up with the Yaounde Declaration that focused on the concerted and joint plan of action in managing forest resources of the sub region and conserving biological diversity and the ecosystems. COMIFAC was charged with the responsibility of drawing up an updated plan of action for the management of the vast tropical forest of the sub-region.

Each country, signatory to the Yaounde Declaration of 1999 was called upon within the framework of COMIFAC meeting of July 2002 to develop national forestry management programmes, taking into consideration defined priority areas. Cameroon's national plan of action was therefore in line with the nine strategic priority areas set out by COMIFAC executive secretariat. The priority areas included the harmonisation of forestry and fiscal policies, an inventory of the forest resources, mapping out ecosystems and valorising forest resources to the benefit of the local population. Other priority areas focused on reinforcing the capacities of forest actors and ensuring their participation, developing research and financing mechanisms as well as ensuring cooperation and partnership.

The executive secretary of COMIFAC, Massudi Mayakanda Christophe noted during the opening ceremony of the forum that Cameroon was a pioneer country in terms of forest management in the Central African Sub-region. He stressed that the concerted forest management plan for the entire sub region was necessary considering that the forests go beyond national boundaries. This warranted concerted inter boundary management plans. All COMIFAC member countries are expected to forward their plans of action to its executive secretariat where they will be harmonised and synthesised into a sub regional strategic plan of action. A sub-regional forum to take place in Yaounde by the end of this month will be dedicated to adopting a sub regional plan of action to be forwarded to the conference of Ministers for adoption.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of the Environment and Forestry, the Secretary General of Ministry, Dr Madi Ali lauded the efforts of the experts who elaborated the plan of action adopted. He said that Cameroon's forestry policy that addressed all the priority management areas defined by COMIFAC, was contained in the Forestry and Environment Sectorial Programme adopted in January 2003.