Deforestation in Cameroon: Drivers, Effects on Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Grain Yields, Population Vulnerability

This book aims at verifying quantitatively the actual drivers of deforestation at a national scale in Cameroon from among the following independent variables (cattle stock, arable production, fuel wood, arable production and permanent crop land, rainfall, population and trade in forests products/logging). It also examines the effects of deforestation or forest area loss on carbon dioxide emissions and cereal/grain production in the midst of other variables at a national scale in Cameroon. This is followed by a survey of the extent of vulnerability of respondents to food and water scarcities caused by deforestation along gender and income levels lines at a case study scale. The findings show that, population and arable production are the key drivers of deforestation while as forest area declines, carbon dioxide emissions increase. It is also observed that deforestation is more responsible for grain output decline than does rainfall in parts of the study area while the poor and females are the main precursors of the effects of deforestation in parts of Cameroon. Most of these findings are consistent with other Sahelian based studies.