Forests: Cameroon Launches Inventory of its Heritage

The initiative aims to replace an outdated framework dating back to the 2003-2004 period, when the initial diagnosis, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, covered 22 million hectares (or 46% of the national territory) through 235 sampling units. The operation now integrates cutting-edge technologies to measure not only the volumes of commercializable timber, but also the carbon sequestration capacity of forest masses.

The modernization of control instruments responds to the urgency of cleaning up a sector heavily affected by clandestine logging circuits. A thematic study on financial transparency published on May 26 highlights an annual fiscal shortfall estimated at $289 million, equivalent to 165 billion CFA francs in direct losses for the public treasury. To stem the flow of capital, the tightening of the regulatory framework implemented in April 2026 extended the ban on the export of raw wood, with the number of prohibited species increasing from 76 to 91. The new sampling system will ensure rigorous traceability of logs from logging sites to port terminals, providing a solid legal basis for sanctioning lawless operators.

The reformulation of forest statistics is taking place in a particularly degraded sectoral economic context. The trade balance established by the state's financial services indicates that wood sector exports contracted by nearly 17% in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, generating limited revenue of 100.3 billion CFA francs. The decline in performance is due to a triple shock combining a decline in demand on international markets, disruptions in the internal production tool, and a continuous increase in maritime logistics tariffs. The future multi-resource inventory aims to redefine the allocation quotas of forest concessions in order to preserve fragile ecosystems while restoring the competitiveness of local transformers.

Nlend Flore