Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints

Fondufe Sakah Lydia; Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi; Akhere Solange Gwan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints

Fondufe Sakah Lydia, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Akhere Solange Gwan

Published in International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 2, Issue 3)

Received: 5 September 2016 Accepted: 12 October 2016 Published: 21 October 2016

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Abstract

Much emphasis has been placed on the issue of community forest management due to the important role forests play in climate change mitigation, watershed protection and the provision of other valuable resources to mankind, among others. Varied opinions exist on the role of women in the management of the forest. Significant research attention has been given to issues of forest governance and management challenges in Cameroon have been researched upon including forest conservation and poverty alleviation. In addition, the role and challenges of women in resource conservation including forests have been investigated with the conclusions pointing to the fact that the role of women in the management of these resources is still weak. Although the conclusions from previous studies point to the fact that there is a need to improve women’s role in forest resource management, very little has been done to investigate ways of stepping up women’s participation in community forest management. This study made use of field investigation and the interview of 50 inhabitants, including authorities of the Bimbia Bonadikombo Natural Resource Management Council (BBNRMC) to examine the opportunities, challenges and blueprints involved in strengthening women participation for the sustainable management of the Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest of Cameroon. The results show that women are yet to be given their full opportunities to participate in the management of the BBCF. Major challenges to women participation include tradition and culture. It was equally noticed that most of the women view forest management as a tedious exercise which should be reserved for men.

Published in	International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 2, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
Page(s)	12-17
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2016. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Women Participation, Sustainable Forest Management, Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest, Opportunities, Challenges and Blueprints

References

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[2]	Barrow, E (2004): The Natural Resource and Policy Basis for CBNRM in the Region. Community Based Natural Resource Management in the IGAD Region, May 2004: 11-25.
[3]	BBNRMC (2009). Manual of the Management Strategies to be carried out in the Forest (Plan of Action) Bimbia Bonadikombo.
[4]	Fogwe, Z. N. and Mbaha, J. P. (2008): Rapport Between the Forest Resource Base and the Regional Development of the East Region of Cameroon. In Proceedings of the First Post graduate Seminar (IPGS) on Human Rights and Development. Organized by the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, November 2008.
[5]	Fisher, R. J., Stewart Maginnis, W. J. Jackson, Edmund Barrow, and Sally Jeanrenaud (2005): Poverty and Conservation: Landscapes, People and Power. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U. K., 2005, xvi+ 148pp.
[6]	Fisher, Robert, Ravi Prabhu, and Cynthia McDougall (2007): Introduction: People, Forests and the Need for Adaptation. Adaptive Collaborative Management of Community Forests in Asia: Experiences from Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines, CIFOR, 2007.
[7]	Fondufe S. L (2009): Gender Conflicts and Natural Resources on the Kumbo Plateau, North West Region of Cameroon. Proceedings of the Second Postgraduate Seminar on Conflict Prevention and Management, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, University of Buea.
[8]	Kimengsi, J. N. (2014): Threats to Ecotourism Development and Forest Conservation in the Lake Barombi Mbo Area of Cameroon. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy (Special Issue: African Wildlife Law), Volume 17, Issue 4, 2014, Taylor and Francis publishers, USA.
[9]	Lambi, C. M., Kimengsi, J. N., Kometa, C. G and Tata, E. S. (2012): The Management of Protected Areas and the Sustenance of Local Livelihoods in Cameroon. Environment and Natural Resources Research (ENRR), Volume 2 Number. 3, October 2012, pp 10-18 Published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education (CCSE), Canada.
[10]	Li, S. (2010): Indigenous Women and Forest Management in Yulong County, China The Case of Shitou Township. Yulong Culture and Gender Research Center
[11]	Muller, E. and Johnson S. (2009): Forest Governance and Climate-Change Mitigation. A Policy Brief Prepared by ITTO and FAO, Published by FAO and ITTO, 2009.
[12]	Muton G. (2007): Decentralizing Forest Management in Cameroon. A Conceptual Look at Women Role University of Minnesota (175 pages)
[13]	Naila, K. (2003): Gender Mainstreaming, Poverty Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals: A Handbook for policy makers and other stakeholders. Common Wealth Secretariat, London.
[14]	Ndenecho, E. N. (2006): Upstream Water Resource Management Strategy and Stakeholder Participation. Lessons in the North Western Highlands of Cameroon. Unique Printers Bamenda
[15]	Nurse, M. and Malla, Y. (2005): Advances in Community Forestry in Asia. RECOFTC, Bangkok, 2005.
[16]	Orock, F. T. (2014): Protected Areas, Ecotourism, and Livelihood Sustenance: Conflicting Triological Paradigm in the Ejagham Forest Reserve (Forest Management Unit 11-005), Cameroon. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy (Special Issue: African Wildlife Law), Volume 17, Issue 4, 2014 pp187-196, Taylor and Francis publishers, USA.
[17]	Orock, F. T. & Kometa C. G. (2009): Conflict Management in the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest, Fako Division. Proceedings of the Second Postgraduate Seminar on Conflict Prevention and management, faculty of Social and Management sciences, University of Buea.
[18]	RECOFTC (2004): Strategic Plan 2004-2009: The Multiplying Impact of Community Forestry. Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok: Allied Printers, 2004.
[19]	Rights and Resources Initiative (2008): Seeing People Through The Trees: Scaling Up Efforts to Advance Rights and Address Poverty, Conflict and Climate Change. Washington, D. C. RRI, 2008.
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APA Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Akhere Solange Gwan. (2016). Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2(3), 12-17. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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ACS Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia; Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi; Akhere Solange Gwan. Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2016, 2(3), 12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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AMA Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Akhere Solange Gwan. Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. Int J Sustain Dev Res. 2016;2(3):12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11,
  author = {Fondufe Sakah Lydia and Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi and Akhere Solange Gwan},
  title = {Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints},
  journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {12-17},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  abstract = {Much emphasis has been placed on the issue of community forest management due to the important role forests play in climate change mitigation, watershed protection and the provision of other valuable resources to mankind, among others. Varied opinions exist on the role of women in the management of the forest. Significant research attention has been given to issues of forest governance and management challenges in Cameroon have been researched upon including forest conservation and poverty alleviation. In addition, the role and challenges of women in resource conservation including forests have been investigated with the conclusions pointing to the fact that the role of women in the management of these resources is still weak. Although the conclusions from previous studies point to the fact that there is a need to improve women’s role in forest resource management, very little has been done to investigate ways of stepping up women’s participation in community forest management. This study made use of field investigation and the interview of 50 inhabitants, including authorities of the Bimbia Bonadikombo Natural Resource Management Council (BBNRMC) to examine the opportunities, challenges and blueprints involved in strengthening women participation for the sustainable management of the Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest of Cameroon. The results show that women are yet to be given their full opportunities to participate in the management of the BBCF. Major challenges to women participation include tradition and culture. It was equally noticed that most of the women view forest management as a tedious exercise which should be reserved for men.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints
AU  - Fondufe Sakah Lydia
AU  - Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi
AU  - Akhere Solange Gwan
Y1  - 2016/10/21
PY  - 2016
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DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
T2  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JF  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JO  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
SP  - 12
EP  - 17
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1832
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
AB  - Much emphasis has been placed on the issue of community forest management due to the important role forests play in climate change mitigation, watershed protection and the provision of other valuable resources to mankind, among others. Varied opinions exist on the role of women in the management of the forest. Significant research attention has been given to issues of forest governance and management challenges in Cameroon have been researched upon including forest conservation and poverty alleviation. In addition, the role and challenges of women in resource conservation including forests have been investigated with the conclusions pointing to the fact that the role of women in the management of these resources is still weak. Although the conclusions from previous studies point to the fact that there is a need to improve women’s role in forest resource management, very little has been done to investigate ways of stepping up women’s participation in community forest management. This study made use of field investigation and the interview of 50 inhabitants, including authorities of the Bimbia Bonadikombo Natural Resource Management Council (BBNRMC) to examine the opportunities, challenges and blueprints involved in strengthening women participation for the sustainable management of the Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest of Cameroon. The results show that women are yet to be given their full opportunities to participate in the management of the BBCF. Major challenges to women participation include tradition and culture. It was equally noticed that most of the women view forest management as a tedious exercise which should be reserved for men.
VL  - 2
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ER  -

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Author Information

Fondufe Sakah Lydia

Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC), Bamenda, Cameroon
Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi

Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC), Bamenda, Cameroon
Akhere Solange Gwan

Department of Sociology & Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

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APA Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Akhere Solange Gwan. (2016). Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2(3), 12-17. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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ACS Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia; Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi; Akhere Solange Gwan. Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2016, 2(3), 12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

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AMA Style

Fondufe Sakah Lydia, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Akhere Solange Gwan. Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints. Int J Sustain Dev Res. 2016;2(3):12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11,
  author = {Fondufe Sakah Lydia and Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi and Akhere Solange Gwan},
  title = {Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints},
  journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {12-17},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20160204.11},
  abstract = {Much emphasis has been placed on the issue of community forest management due to the important role forests play in climate change mitigation, watershed protection and the provision of other valuable resources to mankind, among others. Varied opinions exist on the role of women in the management of the forest. Significant research attention has been given to issues of forest governance and management challenges in Cameroon have been researched upon including forest conservation and poverty alleviation. In addition, the role and challenges of women in resource conservation including forests have been investigated with the conclusions pointing to the fact that the role of women in the management of these resources is still weak. Although the conclusions from previous studies point to the fact that there is a need to improve women’s role in forest resource management, very little has been done to investigate ways of stepping up women’s participation in community forest management. This study made use of field investigation and the interview of 50 inhabitants, including authorities of the Bimbia Bonadikombo Natural Resource Management Council (BBNRMC) to examine the opportunities, challenges and blueprints involved in strengthening women participation for the sustainable management of the Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest of Cameroon. The results show that women are yet to be given their full opportunities to participate in the management of the BBCF. Major challenges to women participation include tradition and culture. It was equally noticed that most of the women view forest management as a tedious exercise which should be reserved for men.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Strengthening Women’s Participation in the Sustainable Management of the Bimbia-Bonadikombo Community Forest of Cameroon: Challenges and Blueprints
AU  - Fondufe Sakah Lydia
AU  - Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi
AU  - Akhere Solange Gwan
Y1  - 2016/10/21
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
T2  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JF  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JO  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
SP  - 12
EP  - 17
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1832
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20160204.11
AB  - Much emphasis has been placed on the issue of community forest management due to the important role forests play in climate change mitigation, watershed protection and the provision of other valuable resources to mankind, among others. Varied opinions exist on the role of women in the management of the forest. Significant research attention has been given to issues of forest governance and management challenges in Cameroon have been researched upon including forest conservation and poverty alleviation. In addition, the role and challenges of women in resource conservation including forests have been investigated with the conclusions pointing to the fact that the role of women in the management of these resources is still weak. Although the conclusions from previous studies point to the fact that there is a need to improve women’s role in forest resource management, very little has been done to investigate ways of stepping up women’s participation in community forest management. This study made use of field investigation and the interview of 50 inhabitants, including authorities of the Bimbia Bonadikombo Natural Resource Management Council (BBNRMC) to examine the opportunities, challenges and blueprints involved in strengthening women participation for the sustainable management of the Bimbia Bonadikombo community forest of Cameroon. The results show that women are yet to be given their full opportunities to participate in the management of the BBCF. Major challenges to women participation include tradition and culture. It was equally noticed that most of the women view forest management as a tedious exercise which should be reserved for men.
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
ER  -

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