The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) was commissioned by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Central and West African Office (IUCN-PACO) to research the impacts of artisanal gold and diamond mining on livelihoods and the environment in the Sangha Trinational Park (TNS), as part of a multi-partnership project termed Livelihoods and Landscapes Strategy (LLS). The project is led by IUCN-PACO, aiming for the sustainable management of the Sangha Trinational Landscape and the reduction of poverty in adjoining populations. Economic activities that are major sources of livelihoods for the local people but also highly threatening to the TNS...

This research was conducted in the Sangha Trinational Park (TNS) landscape in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo (RoC) and the Central African Republic (CAR).

he Sangha Tri-national Landscape is spread over three countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Republic of Congo (Figure 1). The Congolese section of the Landscape covers the administrative departments of Sangha and Likouala (together 21 470 km²) and includes Nouabale-Ndoki National Park (PNNN) plus five forest management units (UFAs) which total 17 280 km² and form a buffer zone around the national park. In the north is the UFA of Mokabi; in the...

The results are categorised into country overviews of the sector, followed by impacts derived from literature reviews, stakeholder consultation and interview-based field data.

Artisanal mining is a nature-dependent activity that has evolved differently due to national differences in governance and legal systems, as well as the presence or absence of political will to promote the sector. This section provides an overview of the artisanal mining sector in Cameroon, Congo and CAR.

Cameroon’s exports are dominated by non-manufactured goods, which account for over 28% of GDP.

Six major items—forest products (timber and lumber), petroleum and other oil products, cocoa, coffee, cotton...

Many countries in Africa have abundant natural resources, which sustain millions of people and even entire national economies. Those resources have the potential to drive economic growth and human development, but this potential is not often realised (Commission for Africa, 2005). Resource-dependent countries in Africa have very poor human development indices, in part because the benefits from their resources do not trickle down to the masses. This unfair situation prevails in the countries of the Congo Basin, where millions of people live in abject poverty and squalor despite abundant forest, minerals, wildlife, and fishery resources literally in their backyards. The...

Overall, this report recommends targeting all intervening stakeholders in the TNS region, including national governments (especially all of their relevant ministerial departments), nongovernmental organisations, business entities and development agencies.

1) Improve coherence of strategies across the mining and forestry sectors in order to enhance livelihoods and minimise environmental impacts. Special attention should focus on mitigation of conflicting interests: between small-scale and large-scale mining activities; and with regard to mining activities in timber concessions and/or in protected areas.

2) Harmonise mining policies and resource governance strategies in the Congo Basin at large and the three countries (Cameroon, the Republic of Congo...