Production forests as a conservation tool: Effectiveness of Cameroon's land use zoning policy

In 1994, Cameroon enacted a national forest law redefining the legal framework of forest use, thereby pioneering forest-related institutional reforms in Central Africa. This law provided the legal basis for the implementation of a land use zoning separating forested areas in a permanent (PFE) and non-permanent forest estate (NPFE). The PFE includes forests dedicated to protection but also to production. Although conversion to other land uses is legally prohibited, non-forest activities are sometimes present inside this estate. The NPFE comprises remaining forestlands that may be cleared, or managed by local communities through community forests. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this land use zoning for reducing deforestation and forest degradation. We used Landsat ETM+ images to analyze land cover changes between 2002 and 2010 by combining seven change detection methods. The analysis was focused on forests within and around zoning units, to evaluate possible leakage effects. We used matching to control for the effects of other variables that may influence forest cover dynamics, and thus to obtain unbiased estimates of the effectiveness of land zoning. We separated units that were only legally prescribed from those actually managed during the study period. Community surveys were conducted to assess the local perceptions of the efficacy of the land zoning. Comparison of matched samples of points showed that the land use zoning in Cameroon has effectively curtailed deforestation in the PFE. Deforestation and forest degradation were lower in units aiming primarily at forestry production compared to a rigorous counterfactual. Community forests exhibited similar rates of deforestation and forest degradation than the control groups. These results were confirmed by the community surveys. No leakage was detected. This study shows that forest production units as implemented through a land use zoning policy can be an effective tool to control deforestation in Central Africa.