Forest
Cameroon has the second largest massive forest in Africa. The countries forest area is estimated at 22 million hectares of forest, of which 17.5 million hectares are exploitable. 46.3% of the national territory. Exploitable area is 79.6% and consist of protected area and production forests.
The country has nearly 300 tree species, including tali, ayous, okam/adoum, and Bubinga (annual production volume of 2.5 million m3). Although its potential is estimated at 8% of the employment market.
In 2019, Forestry and logging were the main growth drivers in the sector with an outstanding 12.7% rise after rising by 4.7% the previous quarter,” the INS (Institute of national Statistics) report explains. The two activities contributed 0.5 points to GDP after 0.2 points contributed in Q2-2021, the institute adds. 3,238,204m3 of timber, wood and wood works, sawn wood, wood veneer, and plywood were exported by Cameroon, representing around 70% of its total production over the period. This volume is exported to China, Vietnam, Italy, and Turkey.
Despite the partial ban on exporting timber in log form, and despite the gradual intensification of the processing industry, the volume of logs exported is steadily increasing. According to the latest estimates, the state has lost EUR 91 million in revenue, including EUR 15 million in local taxes. Furthermore, the export of logs harms Cameroon’s biodiversity by putting pressure on certain tree species that are particularly in demand by the various stakeholders. This targeted exploitation is detrimental to the diversity and quality of Cameroon’s forest heritage
To maintain Cameroon’s biodiversity the government’s action remains on
- The development and renewal of forest resources.
- Securing and valuing wildlife resources in the protected areas.
- The valorisation of timber and non-timber forest resources.
The activities to develop wildlife resources in protected areas mainly focus on:
- Development of protected areas
- Sport hunting
- Visits to protected areas.
117,130 hectares of forest were developed in the permanent domain. For a total of the developed area of 6,395,968 hectares. The legal volume of timber placed in the market is 1,902,876m3 down compared to 2018