Cameroon Mangroves: Current Status, Uses, Challenges, and Management Perspectives

Ajonina, Gordon N.

doi:10.1007/978-981-19-0519-3_21

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In Cameroon, overexploitation of mangroves for wood, particularly timber for housing construction, gardening, etc., are some of the factors responsible for degradation of more than 75% of the mangrove ecosystem (Bonny, 2020). Similar factors, like the use of mangroves for smoked fish processing, are also responsible for mangrove decline in Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria (Ajonina, 2022).…”

Section: Main Threatening Process and Pathways To Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coastal population growth, and urbanisation for residential, commercial and industrial activities, has resulted in over-harvesting of mangroves for timber and non-timber resources, sand extraction and the clearing of mangroves for development purposes. As tropical forest hardwood sources decline, the hardwood from mangroves acts as suitable alternative for timber and lumber for construction purposes (Ajonina, 2022).…”

Section: Main Threatening Process and Pathways To Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - South

Ekperusi,

Suarez

2024

Preprint

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The Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - South is a regional ecosystem subgroup (level 4 unit of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology). It includes the Angolan, Gulf of Guinea Central, Gulf of Guinea Islands and Gulf of Guinea South marine ecoregions. The biota is characterized by six species of true mangroves with several associated mangrove species. The majority of the mangroves are found in the deltas within this region, and mainly restricted to coastal estuaries and lagoons along the North-East Atlantic coast. The Gulf of Guinea - South mangrove province mapped extent in 2020 was 12,956.4 km2, representing 8.8% of the global mangrove area. The main threats to mangroves are pollution from oil and gas exploration and production, overexploitation, urbanisation, coastal development, agriculture, land conversion, coastal flooding, sea-level rise and the spread of invasive alien species. Today, the Gulf of Guinea - South mangroves cover 33% less than our broad estimation for 1970. If this trend continues, the mangrove cover would decrease by a further 4.2% by 2070. Furthermore, under a high sea-level rise scenario (IPCC RCP8.5) ≈-26.3% of the Gulf of Guinea - South mangroves would be submerged by 2060. Moreover, 1.3% of the province’s mangrove ecosystem is undergoing degradation, with the potential to increase to 3.8% within a 50-year period, based on a vegetation index decay analysis. This is a conservative estimate given the lack of data to measure the true extent of environmental degradation impacting mangrove ecosystems in the province. Overall, the Gulf of Guinea - South mangrove ecosystem is assessed as Vulnerable (VU).

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Section: Main Threatening Process and Pathways To Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Main Threatening Process and Pathways To Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - South

Ekperusi,

Suarez

2024

Preprint

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“…R. racemosa commonly dominates mangroves in West Africa (Feka and Ajonina, 2011). While being tolerant of saline conditions (Numbere, 2018), this species is preferably found on sites of intermediate or low salinity (Duke et al, 1998) along rivers and streams especially in tidal estuaries, where it forms pure stands (Ajonina et al, 2018). Species distributions observed in our study align with findings from Ghana, where Avicennia tended to dominate in areas of high salinity, like lagoons, whereas R. racemosa was absent from these sites, but was found at less saline locations (Nunoo and Agyekumhene, 2022).…”

Section: Effects Of Human-driven Degradation On Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to important regulating and supporting ecosystem services, mangrove ecosystems support local communities' livelihoods by providing them with provisioning services (such as food, fuelwood, medicine, or construction materials), and cultural services (identity, tourism etc.) (Ajonina et al, 2018;Jones et al, 2014;Kathiresan, 2021). In brief, mangroves are of key importance from local to global scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Driven Degradation Impacts on Mangroves in Southern Sierra Leone

Huber

Sainge²,

Feka³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Just like those in the rest of Africa, Cameroon's mangroves face similar threats, and the causes of their degradation are varied and mainly due to human activities. Overexploitation of resources, conversion of mangrove areas for other purposes such as landfill detritus, urbanization, and the expansion of industrial agriculture, as well as the indirect effects of pollution, are among the main reasons for the degradation and loss of these ecosystems in Cameroon [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Occurs within the Mangrove Ecosystems of the Douala Region in Cameroon? Exploring the Challenging Governance of Readily Available Woody Resources in the Wouri Estuary

Bissonnette,

Dossa,

Nsangou

et al. 2024

Environments

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Mangrove ecosystems provide key ecosystem services in coastal areas. This study describes the riparian mangrove of the Wouri estuary, in the Douala region (Cameroon), emphasizing the changes in this ecosystem over the past decade and its current state. It highlights the different groups of actors who participate in the management and regulation of the resource. Finally, an analysis of the governance of the mangrove wood resource based on the theory of common goods by Elinor Ostrom (1990) is proposed by examining the results obtained from the previous points. The scientific interest lies in contributing to a better understanding of the socio-ecological changes in the mangrove in the context of increasing anthropogenic pressures, highlighting the governance challenges and conservation opportunities in a strategic region of Central Africa. This research reveals complex processes that characterize mangrove ecosystems on the Manoka and Cap Cameroon Islands. The lack of urbanization regulations, continued infrastructure growth, repeated flooding, and coastal erosion all have a negative impact on natural landscapes and forests. The use of wood for smoking and fishing, as well as coastal pollution resulting from deficient garbage management, also have a considerable influence. Strategic interventions are needed to ensure sustainable ecosystem management. Recommendations include the application of rules to prevent forest overexploitation.

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Cameroon Mangroves: Current Status, Uses, Challenges, and Management Perspectives

Cited by 4 publications

References 33 publications

IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - South

IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Gulf of Guinea - South

Human-Driven Degradation Impacts on Mangroves in Southern Sierra Leone

What Occurs within the Mangrove Ecosystems of the Douala Region in Cameroon? Exploring the Challenging Governance of Readily Available Woody Resources in the Wouri Estuary

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