Forest, wildlife sub sectors: Minister says gov’t committed to strengthening governance.

He restated the commitment at a press conference organised Tuesday in Yaounde. 

Speaking at the presser, Minister Doret Ndongo explained that with a contribution of 4% to GDP, his ministry’s two subsectors rank third after hydrocarbons and agriculture. 

The stagnation of the performance for more than a decade, the minister said, is a source of constant concern, which has prompted his ministry to explore various possibilities for a profound shift in their activities from the primary to the secondary and tertiary sectors.

“This obviously implies a radical paradigm shift in the deployment of our original sub-components, namely the exploitation of forest products and the development of wildlife resources,” he quickly added.

Speaking on improving governance in the sectors, the minster cited a flagship measure of recent years, which he said has been the effective implementation of SIGIF2, the second-generation Computerized Forest Information Management System. 

The software, he explained, has enabled “us to make a qualitative leap forward in the way we manage and track the mobility of wood from harvesting sites to its destination. It has made it possible to limit the effects of the perceptible decline in resources by streamlining controls. Contacts between economic operators and the forestry administration are now limited, if not marginal, as is the case with the tax authorities”.

He continued that: “SIGIF 2 places MINFOF at the cutting edge of governance and transparency. It represents one of the most important dematerialization reforms of forest management procedures ever undertaken in our sub-sector over the last twenty years. It is now not only the management method par excellence for sustainable forestry, but also and secondarily a tool for capitalizing on public resources for the State”. 

With the implementation of the tool, the minister rejoiced that government has reached an essential stage in forest management, resulting in better control of production and higher revenues. 

In the area of forest product development, he revealed that CEMAC has decided to halt the export of logs. 

The said decision, whose implementation has twice been postponed in the country, he explained, is already in force in Gabon and more recently in Congo. 

Turning to other issues, the minister noted that in the ecotourism segment, Cameroon has enormous potential including 22 national parks, five wildlife reserves, three zoological and botanical gardens and six wildlife sanctuaries. 

“Developing ecotourism would make our country a dream destination,” he stated. 

“Ecotourism is a form of tourism focused on discovering nature and preserving the environment. It aims to minimise the impact on ecosystems while offering enriching experiences to travelers. In protected areas, it is a form of responsible travel, offering visitors the opportunity to contribute to nature conservation and the well-being of local communities,” he explained.

The member of government said there are a number of prerequisites to be met to achieve the objective. 

“…the most important of which are access routes, the construction of appropriate infrastructures such as ecolodges and observation points, the development of ecotourism products, and capacity building in this field, among others,” he said. 

The development and promotion of ecotourism in Cameroon's protected areas, he stated, offers a unique opportunity to preserve the country’s environment while fostering the economic and social development of local communities. 

Responsible practices and close cooperation are essential to ensure its long-term success, he added.