The Rainforests of Cameroon - PROFOR

In-Depth Analysis of Impacts 101only lack legal status but are marginalized in many respects, are generallyexcluded.Since 2000, about $12 million per year has been transferred to a populationof about 3.2 million people represented by 56 local councils. The2004 audit of $53 million in tax revenues transferred to the local levelover five years showed that the lion’s share of these funds (exceeding65 percent of both investments and operating costs) was used to improvethe infrastructure and operation of local councils themselves (table 5.5).How well do the mayors’ priorities for using forest revenues reflectcommunity priorities? Villagers surveyed about their priorities emphasizedthe isolation of their villages, the difficulty of obtaining credit, thevolatile prices of local products, the lack of social infrastructure (suchas medical centers), and the lack of housing. In fact, investments inthe development and operation of community services (roads, education,health, and sanitation) were made only when forest revenues weresubstantial and exceeded the immediate needs of local councils. Eventhough the audit revealed that resources allocated to community servicesincreased between 2000 and 2004, the modest level of these investments(see table 5.5) apparently fueled the sentiment that mayors and forestmanagement committees were appropriating most of the revenue. Giventhat it is virtually impossible to visibly link the removal of trees with theeventual arrival of funds and that little trust exists between the governedand their governing bodies, local perceptions of the misuse of funds arehardly surprising.There is some potential to address the shortcomings of these financialtransfers, although it is virtually impossible to keep the community forestrevenue stream completely separate from other revenue flowing to themayors. The economic and financial audit of the forest sector conductedat the government’s request 25 in 2006 suggested that forest revenuescould be redistributed more efficiently to alleviate rural poverty by cappingthe yearly revenues that any local council can receive at $160,000 or200,000 (CFAF 80 million or 100 million); using the remaining resourcesto increase revenues for local councils with modest and declining forestrevenue; and enabling local councils near protected areas (and notonly those near concessions) to receive forest revenues. It has also beensuggested that insitutional Delivered reform by The World could Bank foster e-library the to: development of trulyThe World Bankrepresentative local institutions IP : to 192.86.100.34 receive the funds, versus sending themto institutions somewhat Mon, removed 09 Nov from 2009 17:06:18 the communities themselves. 26Such reforms could also include formal and systematic representation ofcommunities and indigenous people on committees that manage these(c) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank