The economic situation and government's reluctance to implement the new forest law has led to a marked increase in unsustainable logging by an anxious industry that feels threatened by the proposed changes. The instability in this sector and changes in the wildlife legislation have led to an explosion in the bushmeat trade. Environmental degradation has been intensified by the rapid rise in rural poverty. In rural areas between 1983-94 the number of households below the poverty line rose from 49% to 71%. In this period, real income from cash-crop farming has fallen by 60% and food crop producer prices by 40%. Farmers who were part of the cash economy have been forced back to subsistence existence. It is the natural resource base which bears the brunt of the impact in such circumstances.

The effects of the 1994 devaluation in respect of increased prices for perennial crops and exported timber have been destructive to the environment, especially with regard to cotton and the logging industry. The rate of logging has increased dramatically, with logging trucks travelling now by both night and day to the principal log port of Douala. Cotton production, which is especially damaging ecologically, has rebounded.

Economic and social circumstances have combined to produce an environment in which corruption is encouraged. There is no doubt that levels of corruption have increased and that even the smallest of tasks will not be carried out unless there is some prospect of financial or other reward; simple administrative procedures which used to take a day to perform can now take up to a week or longer.

Relations with all four directorates within MINEF, Directorate of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Directorate of the Environment, Directorate of Forests and Directorate of General Administration are excellent. The quality of staff of MINEF is high, but there is a need for capacity building and in-service training.

To improve the capacity of WWF field programmes, indigenous NGO's Government agencies and partner communities to design programmes of sustainable resource management.

To consolidate and expand the capacity of the WWF Cameroon Country Office to achieve its goal of achieving sustainable utilisation of the natural resource base of rural communities in Cameroon.

Specific objectives, in order of priority are:

1. To improve the capacity of the WWF Cameroon Office, field programmes, indigenous NGOs, Government agencies and partner communities to design programmes of sustainable resource management and to implement, monitor and evaluate them.
2. To develop the capacity of the WWF Cameroon Office to respond quickly and effectively to the information and training needs of indigenous NGOs and partner communities.
3. To develop the capacity of the WWF Cameroon Office to analyse and influence policy issues at all levels.
4. To vulgarise and disseminate policy analysis and research results in order to empower indigenous NGOs and partner communities.