AGRICULTURAL LAND USE, COLLECTION AND SALES OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN THE AGROFOREST ZONE IN SOUTHEASTERN CAMEROON

Abstract

This study examined (1) land use pattern and impact of the shifting cultivation on the forest, (2) importance of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to the livelihoods and (3) production and sales of wild fruits with market values, among the local people in the Non-permanent Forest Domain near Gribe village. The results suggested a forest recover from the cultivated land, which is due to small scale of land clearance, long fallow periods, remnant trees in the cleared fields, as well as the land inheritance system. It is also suggested that such an extensive land use may improve the availability of some plant NTFPs, while affecting negatively the wild animal's abundance. The wild fruits contributed significantly to the household economy, but the fruit production varied extremely from year to year and the sales of the products led to a greater economic gap between the Baka and the Konabembe, who had different relationships with the market. In order to combine forest conservation with the people's interest, it is important to understand the availability of NTFPs, and appreciate the potentials of people's knowledge of the forest and their capacity for managing the forest and NTFPs.