46 ‘Chop, but no broke pot’: the case of Prunus Africana on Mount Cameroon
consumption (Nkuinkeu and Ndam unpublished report). In the year of data
collection, the international trade volume of P. africana bark extract was
10,000 kg to 15,000 kg. Groupe Fournier accounted for approximately 5,000
kg to 7,000 kg of the overall quantity (Acworth unpublished report), which is
the equivalent of between 1,000 tonnes and 1,400 tonnes of fresh bark. These
figures correspond well with those reported for annual exports of P. africana
bark in the late 1990s (Cunningham et al. 1997). During the period 1994–96
this amount was harvested annually by Plantecam and illegal operators from
Mount Cameroon alone, resulting in a severe overexploitation of the natural
population.Policy environment
The policy and regulations affecting the exploitation of NTFPs and special
products in Cameroon, and P. africana in particular, are primarily influenced
by the National Forestry Law. Law No. 94/01 of 20 January 1994 specifies
forestry, wildlife and fisheries regulations and covers P. africana. In addition,
the National Forestry Action Plan developed in 1996 and the Emergency Action
Plan put in place in 1999 as an implementation mechanism of the outcomes of
the Central African heads of state summit all have provisions for the sustainable
management of forest resources and recognise P. africana as a resource of
important contribution to Cameroon’s national economy. The creation by
presidential decree No. 98/345 on 21 December 1998 of the Directorate of
Promotion and Transformation in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry,
including the subdirectorate in charge of NTFPs, emphasised the consideration
authorities gave the NTFP sector (Ndibi and Kay 1997).
The financial laws also have significant impact on this sector as far as
regulating taxes is concerned. Specifically, Article 5 of the 1998/99 and Article
11 of the 1999/2000 finance law fix a tax of CFA10/kg of any resources harvested
and a duty of 5% on any resources exported. The impact is minimal in terms of
the overall value of the product as the tax represents less than 5% of the value
of the raw material. Moreover, this money has not been reinvested in
regeneration of P. africana. However, in the field of NTFP exploitation policy
tools often suffer from either lack of adequate implementation or considerable
weaknesses in monitoring.TRENDS AND ISSUESDynamic changes
Bush fire and volcanic eruptions constitute the major natural disturbances of
the case study area. In the Mount Cameroon area, no products are competing
with P. africana in the commercial treatment of prostate disorders. Additionally,
the plant’s products such as leaves and bark are used in the treatment of
other sicknesses including stomach ache and malaria. Hence the plant is an
important component in the traditional health care of the communities around
Mount Cameroon (Cunningham and Mbenkum 1993).03prunus.p65 46 22/12/2004, 11:04