The overall purpose of this project is to assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of the different possibilities of managing forest resources and to test this methodology (SEA/EIA) in the context of an African developing country. This main purpose may be divided into three more specific objectives:A first objective is to conceive a mechanism to collect, structure and analyse the likely effects of proposed forest development plans. SEA/EIA presents two advantages to fulfil this objective: first, it is able to analyse a very broad spectrum of impacts and to compare them in a formalised way. Second, it provides decision-makers with clear and synthetic information on the potential impacts of a management plan in tropical forest.The SEA/EIA is seen as help to design sustainable and efficient forest management plans in the TCP area. This should be achieved at two levels: (I) strategic level, with the conception of a Master Plan for the whole TCP area; (ii) operational level, with the fulfilment of Forest Management Plans dedicated to local permanent forests. Several guidelines have been published in Cameroon to conduct these two forest management steps. One objective of the project is then to apply these recommendations in the TCP area, to test their relevance and, eventually, to propose changes and improvements. Both application of SEA/EIA and respect of Cameroonian guidelines for forest management require the active participation of local stakeholders. Several TCP researchers have expressed their views on the most suitable way to proceed.

SEA/EIA was tried out on two levels: SEA for the tactical/collective level based on four land use scenario's (forestry, coonservation, shifting cultivation and business as usual) for the total TCP area, EIA for the oprational level in two villages in the TCP area. For the former a negotiation was tried out on about one quarter of the area. Basic data were collected in other TCP projects or in this project.Based on these experiences, some new appraoches on land use and forest management planning were proposed and discussed.

After intensive and extended deliberation, both a Pre-mediation version for a Master Management Plan for the whole TCP area and a Conceptual Forest Management Plan for a smaller area inside the TCP research site have been written. The former was used for an exercise mediation for a part of the area; the latter was not implemented. However, recommendations to improve the procedures were made. In both plans management recommendations based on an integration of TCP results were formulated.

• Eyog Matig, O., Schmidt, P. and Foahom, B. (2000). Elaboration du plan d'aménagement du site du Programme Tropenbos Cameroun. Tropenbos-Cameroon Reports 00-4
• Fines, J.-P., Lescuyer, G. and Tchatat, M. (2001). Master management plan for the Tropenbos Cameroon research site. Pre-mediation version.Tropenbos Cameroon Document 5 (more)
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• Lescuyer, G. (2002). Experimenting with environmental assessment. Tropenbos International newsletter 28:6
• Lescuyer, G. (2002). Environmental assessment as a new tool for sustainable management? An application in south Cameroon rain forest region. Tropenbos Cameroon Document 13 (more)
• Lescuyer, G., Emerit, A., Mendoula, E.E. and She, J.J. (2001). Community involvement in forest management: a full-scale experiment in the South Cameroon forest. Rural Development Forestry Network paper 25c (more)