Context
Although Cameroon is a member of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), it lacks the kind of land-use planning that drives forward environmentally friendly, cost-effective and socially fair land use and encourages forest conservation. Municipal planning is often inefficient and there is not enough expertise. Furthermore, data are often not standardised and their controllers are insufficiently coordinated.
Objective
The legal bases, planning instruments, institutional competences and the coordination of administration are improved. This enables more environmentally friendly, more cost-effective and socially fairer land-use planning in Cameroon.
Approach
The project focuses on five key areas: it promotes the legal framework and specialist knowledge, improves municipal and regional implementation skills, builds local planning capabilities and establishes better national forest monitoring.
The project cooperates with several ministries to train national, regional and local specialists and administrative staff. In addition, it optimises and standardises existing planning instruments – such as local development and land-use plans – and integrates them into the planning process.
At the same time, the project supports multi-sector coordination between the Government, civil society and research. It advises administrative staff on organising the dialogue by initiating and moderating discussion formats, in order to foster better coordination on land-use planning issues.