Sold down the river - Salva le Foreste

CAMEROON 21§ the use of construction methods forbridge-building in the forests whichconstrict the flow of the rivers andsometimes block the river altogether.The shortcomings have the effect of:§ forestry workers not being able to locateall the logs, so some are abandoned inthe forests;§ a growing number of tracks and anexacerbation of the problem of the soilbeing compacted, along with adestruction of the undergrowth;§ more and more forestry work sites, mostof which are 100-150 m apart;§ a low yield on the forest of 10-12 m3/ha.;§ a high level of erosion, bringing moreand more silt to the rivers. By stoppingthe light penetrating, this sediment isaffecting the fish and aquatic plants;§ blocking the rivers and creatingstagnant pools of water which cannotbe used for drinking water and whichare damaging for fish and plankton.In addition, around CFC’s base area, areasof forest have been burnt in preparation foragriculture. The amount of forest taken overfor subsistence agriculture by the CFC’sworkers will increase with the rise in thenumber of employees. This matter is all themore worrying because the concession is inpermanent forestry land where the land isintended for no other use but forestry.Economic falloutA total of 230 jobs have been created, ofwhich 74 are for the people from thevillages neighbouring the concession. Thecreation of these jobs appears to be theonly positive impact of the CFC’s presence.The appeal of these jobs is such that thedisappointment is great to see that manypositions are filled by people from outsidethe area, who are often better qualified, andthat the proportion of ‘local’ peopleemployed is low.The wages are not high but the creationof 230 jobs in the area generates a sizeablesupply of money which could contributetowards local development. However, thefact that CFC has based itself 20 km fromthe closest village limits the growth ofcommercial activities in the neighbouringareas, and no new development or businesshas been seen in the villages visited.There are few opportunities for sellinggoods along the road. Foodstuffs such asplantains can take days to be sold on theroadside. Those living in the CFC campprefer to buy from Yokadouma whereproduce is cheaper. To improve themarketing and sales of their produce, thevillagers of Ngolla have asked CFC to helpthem set up a local market which theworkers could visit. However, there hasbeen no development on this.Impact on non-timber forestproductsThe CFC concession is in a part of the forestwhere the Sapelli tree is abundant. Thisspecies is the most sought after by thecompany but Sapelli leaves are also thefavourite food of a caterpillar locally called‘ossié’. These caterpillars are becomingscarcer and scarcer. Collected in August –September, they can generate an annualturnover of CFA 10,000. This means thatthese caterpillars, in addition to theirnutritional value, can represent a sizeablerevenue. The Sapelli bark is also used toheal wounds, for stomach-aches and forintestinal problems.The sawmill site used to be an importantarea for wild mangoes (irvingia gabonensis)and the neighbouring villagers say that theynow have to go much further to find wildmangoes. The fruit from this tree isimportant due to its nutritional andcommercial value. The paste made from thekernel is particularly useful because it canbe used to make sauces which last for along time. Once made into ‘cakes’ the actualkernels can be conserved for over a year. Inaddition, studies looking at non-timberproducts have shown the commercial valueof these mangoes. Harvesting wild mangoesis easily the most profitable activity amongthe non-timber activities, and if all the fruitsof a tree were sold, this would makeapproximately CFA 100,000 - 150,000 ayear.The drop in fish catches is another majorconcern for the riverside villagers. Thewomen have noticed a real drop in thecatch and they have to travel further inorder to catch sufficient quantities. In somevillages, they are travelling 20 km just to geta reasonable number of fish. The people ofNgolla 35 used to fish in the Mempoe riverwhich runs behind the CFC sawmill. Nowthey have to go to swamps far away to findthe best sources for the fish. However,given the already noticeable encroachmentby the company into these areas, some ofthe women think there will soon be no morefish left. This is causing the women a lot ofworry and they can see no solution to thisproblem.Since CFC started its operations, animalshave been displaced and this has affectedthe villagers. In addition there have beenchanges to their hunting routes which cutacross the forestry routes. This means thatthe hunters have to travel long distances tocatch sufficient quantities or they have to goto ‘professional’ hunters, whom they have topay. The difficulty in finding game animalshas a real economic impact in the area. Dueto the decline of the cash crops sector,hunting has become the most profitableeconomic activity. In addition, game – whichis cheaper than farmed animals – is themain source of animal-based protein. Theneed to buy an increasing amount of meatis affecting the household budget andpeople’s nutritional levels. The Bakapygmies often suffer from a lack of sufficientprotein during the dry season and theexploitation of the forest is exacerbating thisproblem. When demand is strong, the highprices paid in the local markets oftenencourage the hunters to sell the gamerather than eat it or sell it at a (cheaper)village-rate.There are poachers in the workers’camp and this is an important factor in thedeclining numbers of game animals.Professional poachers, or youths withnothing to do, supply the workers and theirfamilies with game meat, as there is noalternative supply of meat. When thepoachers cannot find a buyer locally, theysell in the town where the prices are higher.There are also outside forces involved, oftenpowerful figures who own the guns andwho have a crucial role in the growth ofpoaching.Exacerbation of economic andsocial inequalitiesThe increase in goods and money cominginto the region is causing a monetarizationof the economy. This sometimes leads ‘togoing without in order to buy salt, soap andother things’. This contributes to theeconomic and social marginalization ofpeople who do not have access to cash.This is particularly the case for women andthe Baka people.One of the few ways to earn money forBaka women is to work on the Bantuplantations. However, they are often paid inkind, so their income is small. Bantu womenoften have easier access to cash than Bakawomen do, yet the range of sources ofincome available is greater among men thanwomen. Non-timber based forestryproducts play an important role in women’sability to earn a cash income. Thereforewomen are particularly badly hit when theseproducts’ quality and quantity is reduced.Moreover, when the supply of meatdiminishes, the job of finding a substitute formealtimes falls on the women, who see thenumber of things they have to do rising.Also the distances which they have to coverto find fruit and fish takes time which theyneed for other tasks and for earning money.Prostitution is one way for women to earnan income and some women from the