The present study was carried out as part of the project “Support for multi-actor participation in the REDD+ process in Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and CAR” financed by the Congo Basin Forest Fund (FFBC) and the “Towards Pro Poor REDD+” Project financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark (DANIDA).

The DPSIR approach (Drivers — Pressures — State — State — Impacts — Reactions), which is a European Union (EU) model, was used for this work. It is a tool that has been developed to better assess the state of the environment for use by decision-makers. It consists of five elements, all linked by causal links: a driving force, that is to say human activity, causes pressure on the environment, which results in a modification of the general state of the environment, which can have an impact on the natural heritage and on humans. Depending on the severity, the latter will react and make society respond. The fifth element of the approach, “Reactions” or “Responses”, brings together all the measures and policy instruments implemented by society to ensure the protection of people in forest management, in an integrated manner with the sectors. These measures are: preventive measures directed at the Driving Forces, curative measures directed at Pressures and the State and palliative measures directed at the State and the Impact.

The proximity of the two landscapes (TNS & TRIDOM) has led to the identification of the same direct and indirect factors of deforestation and forest degradation. For example, the indicators used for industrial wood exploitation are: the area of the annual cutting plates, the length of open logging trails and the volume of wood felled or exploited per year. The data for a few indicators identified to measure the extent of forest exploitation on deforestation vary from country to country. For example, they reach an annual average of 44,762 ha in Cameroon.

Sand-burn agriculture is the most common practice in these two landscapes. Data is difficult to record annually. However, with the available data, we note that the annual average of areas cleared per year for agriculture is below 5100 ha/year. For the RCA segment of the TNS, we note that very little space is being cleared for agriculture, as the population density is very low.

The creation of cities or their extension also leads to a significant and irreversible loss of plant cover. Vast areas are exposed. In place of forests are born buildings that vary in form and quality. The total area of city rights-of-way increases in both landscapes as the population grows. The values are absent at the RCA level as well as on the TRIDOM side. In the coming years, we will expect a strong increase in the grip of cities due to the migration of people, following the creation of industries in the area.

Artisanal mining has a profound impact on the forest in these landscapes. It is very pronounced in Cameroon where the values are the highest. It reaches nearly 13 million ha/year based on the analysis of available data. There are very low values in the other countries with the lowest in CAR (250 ha/year). In the TRIDOM segment of Congo, it is estimated that more than 4397 ha/year, the total area of influence of artisanal mining operations on the landscape is estimated at more than 4397 ha/year.

Data on some parameters for measuring forest degradation in the context of artisanal and unsustainable logging of NTFPs vary from country to country. They are not available on the TRIDOM side in Congo. The volumes of wood exploited in Cameroon are the highest. The CAR seems not to be impacted by this artisanal wood exploitation, at least in terms of the annual area exploited for artisanal wood and the number of wood yards created.

The parameters for measuring forest degradation in community/communal forest exploitation show that this form of exploitation is absent in CAR and Congo, on the TRIDOM side.

The number of poachers arrested, the number of poachers' camps and homes, and the quantity of game seized are indicators that made it possible to assess the impact of poaching in both landscapes. These indicators show high values when they exist in both landscapes.

There are a number of awareness-raising actions and initiatives and mechanisms for the participation of actors in TNS and TRIDOM. Initiatives should be strengthened to further promote the awareness of actors on REDD+.

The land regulations currently in force are highly criticized, in particular because of their inadequacy to the rights experienced by local communities (land use rights). As a result, its implementation is uncertain, and conflicts highlighting disputes between traditional practices and regulations continue to increase.

Dialogue with civil society and local actors on issues covered by the joint strategy is an important factor in ensuring its implementation, and conditions must be created for non-state actors to play an active role in development, democracy building, conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction. The annual average of conflicts that broke out in both landscapes between 2006 and 2012 shows that the Cameroonian TRIDOM sector is the most supplied. Overall, the available data show a high annual average in Cameroon.

Indicators that can be used to monitor the indirect factors of deforestation and forest degradation have been identified and will allow participatory monitoring of deforestation and forest degradation in these two landscapes.

A participatory monitoring model whose purpose is to set up procedures that make it possible to draw on a regular basis (for example every year), the value and the trend of these factors in the landscape, was designed in this work. Thus, a number of indicators of the factors of deforestation and forest degradation have been identified in a participatory manner. These were then assigned a common and easily measurable unit of measurement. These units range from hectares for areas allocated to numbers (number of individuals, days, meetings, etc.) through volumes of wood (m3) to km (road network). For each country, data collection sources have been identified, and it is from these same sources that data could be collected regularly to measure the trend of these factors on the forest landscape.

This participatory study allowed the identification of the factors of deforestation and forest degradation in the TNS and TRIDOM landscapes. Pilot projects that can contribute to reducing these factors have been identified. These projects are part of the various strategies to be implemented to reduce or otherwise minimize these factors of deforestation and forest degradation. They will be managed in a participatory manner and will take into account both ecological, economic and social aspects, i.e. sustainable development.

This study provides elements, indications and an approach for (i) taking into account the participatory dimension in the process of identifying factors of deforestation and forest degradation for countries and (ii) the participatory and simplified monitoring of these factors over time. It can certainly help national forest carbon monitoring systems, and also in the participatory monitoring of REDD+ projects. However, it should be complemented and combined with forest cover analysis by using proven scientific remote sensing techniques and by quantifying the historical rate of deforestation and forest degradation.

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