Proceedings of the Limbe Conference, held in Cameroon, from 17-24 January 1997. Main themes: Biological Inventory and Monitoring, Participatory Approaches to Forest Management, Institutional Frameworks for Forest Conservation, Valuing Forest Resources for Conservation Purposes.

The Limbe Botanic Garden and Rainforest Genetic Conservation Project, 1988-1994. One of the two major aims of the ODA-funded Limbe Botanic Garden and Rainforest Genetic Conservation Project in Cameroon was to conserve surviving rainforest on Mount Cameroon. The initial approach of the project was, as this paper reported, to gazette and police the Mabeta-Moliwe Reserve.
Project managers soon realised the necessity of consulting local residents, but negotiations were hampered by the lack of legislative backing and the long history of inter-village conflicts in the area. National economic decline and increased political unrest were two factors that brought negotiations to a standstill by 1994. The proposed next phase was to broaden the geographical and institutional remit of the project to deal with social complexities and the entire mountain ecosystem more effectively. In PDF format only.

A case study of how botanic gardens can support forest conservation, and approaches to long-term financing for conservation centres in Africa. Limbe Botanic Garden is used to demonstrate the cycle of neglect and rehabilitation that has affected many botanic gardens in Africa, and highlight the role they can play in supporting conservation. A strategy is proposed to ensure their future survival and to increase their contribution to the conservation of remaining African rainforests.

Overview of MCP research at Limbe. The mountain is a 'hot-spot' for rare and endemic plants, and also has rare animals and birds. Partnerships have been forged with the industrial plantation giant Cameroon Development Corporation, to assist in environmentally sound land development, and with the medicinal plant exporter Plantecam, to encourage sustainable cropping of medicinal plants from the mountain. Local communities are also being brought into the planning and execution of forest management and conservation initiatives.

The Sustainable Development Networking Programme Cameroon (SDNP Cameroon) is an initiative of the Government of the Republic of Cameroon to increase the access of stakeholders to, and enhance the exchange of, information on sustainable development. This is done in partnershup with the United Nations Development Programme.

The Tropenbos Cameroon Programme (TCP) is located at a logging concession in Southern Cameroon near the harbour city Kribi. The area is largely covered with forests used by native Bantus and Bakola (Pygmies) for shifting cultivation, cacao plantation and forest produce. Timber production is a major economic activity. is mainly directed at the sustainable production of timber and other forest products. It therefore deals with: forest land inventory and evaluation; economic, ecological and social aspects; improved methods for forestry and indigenous land-use; and local people's participation in management.