Cameroon’s current land law appears to have two conflicting objectives: to attract investors through large-scale land concessions; while protecting biodiversity;defending local people’s rights and promoting rural development. But the legislation governing large-scale land-based investments is outdated and sometimes incoherent. The land allocation process is investor driven and does not appropriately balance economic;social or environmental considerations. Overlaps between the habitats of great apes;community lands and recently established agro-industries pose a threat to conservation efforts and community livelihoods. Based on recent research;this article suggests land law reforms that the government of Cameroon could implement to effectively address these issues;including revising the concession allocation process so that relevant public authorities and local communities are involved and using Environmental and Social Impact Assessments to better inform decisions.
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IIED (Lorenzo Cotula;Emily Polack;Thierry Berger & Brendan Schwartz
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Mokoro is pleased to host the ’Land Rights in Africa’ site as a contribution to the land rights dialogue and related debates. This website was created in January 2000 by Robin Palmer, and was originally housed by Oxfam GB, where Robin worked as a Land Rights Adviser. A library of resources on land rights in Africa – with a particular focus on women’s land rights and on the impact of land grabbing in Africa – the portal has been well received by practitioners, researchers and policy makers, and has grown considerably over the years.