Implications of Transboundary Natural Resource Management

Fongnzossie Evariste, Zedekiah Ngendoh

doi:10.51062/ascwp.2.0_227

The Bakassi Peninsula has experienced a twenty-five-year-long border dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria since the 1980s, a crisis that has affected its environment and natural resource assets. Currently, it is threatened by deforestation and degradation; however, information on the magnitude and pace of this degradation is lacking. This study assessed land cover dynamics over the past decades using semistructured interviews and remote sensing analysis. The main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation were identified, and the implications for transboundary natural resource management in this area were ascertained. The annual mangrove deforestation rate was 0.40% (an annual loss of 1014.5 ha), which is twice the global average. The main drivers of forest degradation in the area include population structure and attitude towards mangrove conservation, abusive and illegal wood exploitation, mining activities, commercial farming, poor natural resource governance, post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts, insufficient financial and human resources, and poor collaboration between the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments in addressing transboundary issues concerning natural resource management. The situation is exacerbated by the ongoing ‘Anglophone crisis’, which has put all regional efforts towards sustainable development in jeopardy. The authors advocate for strong political will and concrete on-the-ground activities.

Implications of Transboundary Natural Resource Management

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