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Comparative assessment of forest revenue redistribution mechanisms in Cameroon

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S. Assembe-Mvondo
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This paper draws on a legal review and field data to assess the distribution of forest and wildlife revenues from economic operations in logging and wildlife extraction to forest communities in Cameroon. It has an emphasis on the socio-distributional aspects, and draws lessons for the future design and implementation of REDD+ benefit sharing.

Central to the analysis are four benefit sharing mechanisms – Annual Forest Fees, Council Forest Revenues, Wildlife Royalties, and Community Forest Revenues – created by the Cameroon government for supporting poverty reduction and local development in the communities living near and around forests. This study focuses on the implementation and outcomes of these mechanisms in four council areas, and assessed them using a 3E (effectiveness, efficiency and equity) lens.

This paper suggests that a national REDD+ program could begin to prepare and adopt a series of socio-environmental safeguards in Cameroon. They would be based on the principles adopted at the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Warsaw and Cancun, and concluded at 2015 Bonn Climate Change conference, as well as on lessons from the country’s own experience in the redistribution of revenues from forest, wildlife, land and related sectors.