Lessons from «Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI )»  in Cameroon. Working Paper. Yaoundé, Cameroon

Titles: (1) Corruption: major threat to the poor forest management in Central Africa? Example of racketeering in Cameroon (2) The Fight against Corruption (LCC) "to exit" a forestry sector problem: Test method "Rapid Results Initiative" (RRI) by MINFOF in Cameroon (3) Prospects for forest management improvement in Central Africa in the Fight against Corruption (LCC)

Summary

In addition to being threatened by soaring demographics and poor local governance, the Central African forest is further endangerd by unsustainable forestry activities. Most of these are illegal and simultaneously affect the financial autonomy of the state, the survival of goodpractice businesses, the quality of life in rural communities as well as the survival of biodiversity. Low-impact techniques and political and economic incentives have been validated mainly through certification, but they remain marginal when measured against bad practices: indeed, this crisis is not a technical one, but one linked to governance. The decision-making process in the forestry sector with regards to law-enforcement is seriously undermined by rampant corruption, which leads to the forest’s overexploitation and ultimately to its decline. However, the fight against corruption in this sector is gathering strength in the sub-region, including Cameroon, where innovative methods such as Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI ) have been tested.

When it comes to to the transport of timber from community forests of eastern Cameroon between Bertoua and N’gaoundéré for instance, the Rapid Result Initiatives has resulted in the complete removal of the illegal racketeering road blocks within 100 days. Through field-players coaching of concrete objectives quickly achievable, this method has proved suitable to promote relevant practices and induce a change of mentality, despite the many obstacles created by corruption. The fight against corruption in Cameroon is based on a national strategy and requires multi-pronged approach, such as public expenditure tracking and promotion of whistleblowers. By combining the Rapid Result Initiatives with others tools of the fight against corruption, the law-abiding forest sector stakeholders, whether public, private, community and international partners can simultaneously contribute to the conservation of forest resources for future generations, and set an example for others sectors to strengthen the rule of law, which is essential for sustainable and equitable emergence

of Central Africa.

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