National workshop of parliamentarians, traditional chiefs and opinion leaders for the strengthening of communities' rights in the context of land and forest tenure reforms in Cameroon

A two day workshop to develop a roadmap comprising scientific local and indigenous knowledge on the integration of rights of communities within the framework of land and forest tenure reform in Cameroon held 16-17 March in Yaoundé . The meeting which brought together some members of Parliament from Cameroon and Mali, traditional authorities and NGOs was organised by the World Agroforestry Centre in collaboration with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Rights and Resources Initiative 1 (RRI). The workshop is a follow up of the International Conference o n Forest Tenure, Governance and community enterprise held in 2009 in Yaounde. Addressing participants at the opening, the regional coordinator of ICRAF - WCA, Dr Zac Tchoundjeu in thirteen points, summarised the key issues that were identified by the International Conference on Forest Tenure, Governance and Community Enterprise. Amongst which include; insecure forest tenure in many communities which slows social and economic development, the non-recognition of customary law and tenure rights since the time of colonial rule, and the independent state legal claim of ownership over forest lands which limits the right s of communities to access and own what they legitimately consider to be their natural resources

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