Fortress conservation, wildlife legislation and the Baka Pygmies of southeast Cameroon

Abstract

The indigenous Baka Pygmies of southeast Cameroon depend mainly on environmental incomes for their livelihoods, usually hunting and gathering and the sustainable use of their ecological systems. They are at the verge of profound political, socioeconomic, and environmental transformations orchestrated by modern state laws regulating hunting and international development actors and agencies whose development vision expressed through conservation often underlie a contradiction with their way of life. This ethnographic study aims to document the dynamics of the institution of the great hunting expedition among the Baka. An interplay between the overexploitation of forestry resources, the creation of protected areas (fortress conservation), the full protection of certain classes of large mammals, the use of specific tools forbidden by existing forestry legislation and the ruthless behaviour of 'eco-guards' have led to changes in the organization of the great hunting expedition. To better address the socio-cultural aspects of biodiversity conservation and consequently strengthen the legislation regulating the wildlife sector in the country, conservation stakeholders must be conscious of the multiple entanglements between human and other life forms and the ecology of hunting. This suggests the need for a rights-based approach to conservation that recognizes the entanglement of 'multispecies assemblages' and respects indigenous land rights.

Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka Pygmies in southeastern Cameroon.

“…Pygmy groups have witnessed the gradual reduction of access to forest resources [50]. After relocation from the forest, Baka have opened their own plots to grow subsistence crops such as plantain, banana, and cassava [47,[51][52][53].…”

Factors Impeding Social Service Delivery among the Baka Pygmies of Cameroon

“…And as agriculture became indispensable for satisfying needs that could no longer be met by traditional methods, the ''relations of clientship grew weaker and gave place to unequal exchanges marked by the economic domination of the Pygmies by the villagers''(Ibid). Apart from being victims of multiple forms of abuses by the Bantus, the Baka are incessantly entangled in perennial land disputes that could lead to their eviction at any time since they often have no land titles (Pemunta, 2013(Pemunta, , 2018. They are also embroiled in disputes over forest resources as well as benefits accruing from forestry exploitation by multinational corporations with their Bantu masters and neighbours (Egbe, 2012;Pemunta, 2013).…”

“…The sedentarization policy that preceded the forcible settlement of the Baka in roadside Bantu villages has increased their economic dependence on the Bantu who practice small-scale subsistence and cash crop farming (cocoa) and use the Baka as wage labourers. Despite the ambivalence and complexity of the relationship between the two groupswith both positive and negative sentiments towards the other, they maintain a mutually dependent relationship (Pemunta, 2018). The Baka however, remain excluded from membership in community-based local associations including those related to the management of natural resources.…”

Modern State Law: Regulating Tradition or Protecting the Environment in the Mankon Kingdom of Northwest Cameroon?

“…This implies that there are conflicting discourses as well as claims and counterclaims between local authorities and the state about who really owns the land and the forest [29,32,33]. Following the complete confiscation of their resources by the state, members of local forest-dwelling communities are increasingly feeling a sense of alienation and deprivation [34][35][36]. This implies that Cameroon's 1994 Forestry Law is not culturally sensitive.…”

“…The company that hunts in our area is also becoming our partner. And all this means that in the eyes of our neighbors in Zimbabwe and Zambia we are no Respect for community norms and values will lead to the transformation of villagers from poachers to protectors of wildlife and plant species as a viable solution to participatory environmental conservation that give user rights and take the concerns of local forest-dwelling communities seriously [35,59]. Some communities have, however, perceived the benefits from wildlife meat and products to be minimal.…”