An assessment of forest use and it's benefits on livelihoods: A case of the Baka and Bantu communities, Southeast Cameroon

The ways in which local people incorporate forest activities into their livelihood strategies vary considerably. In this study, we aim to evaluate the livelihoods of local people in relation to their use of forests by comparing their time allocation and involvement frequency in various forest-related activities in two localities in southeast Cameroon. We followed 80 persons using the individual tracing method to examine variations in the time allocated to forest-related activities and quantities of the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) collected depending on ethnic groups, genders and locations. Estimation results from this work showed a significant difference in the time allocated to NTFPs gathering and farming between the Baka and Bantu people, and no significant gender or location differences. Also, there was a significant difference in hunting time between Malea Ancien and Bintom but no ethnic differences. The quantities of the most important NTFPs collected varied between ethnic groups and genders, but not between locations. Our findings showed NTFPs gathering to be the most important livelihood activity of local people in terms of their time allocation, with forest use differing between ethnic groups, genders and locations. Moreover, scarcity of forest products caused by access restrictions might force local people to change their patterns of production and consumption which might be detrimental for conservation. Our results contribute to local understanding of forest use and to reconcile this with the livelihood of local people in the region to better inform decisions and policies concerning forest management.