Human-Wildlife Conflict near Oil Palm Plantations in Cameroon

Industrial agricultural expansion is a significant driver of biodiversity loss and livelihood disruption for communities across Sub Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, the expansion of monoculture crops on industrial and... [ view full abstract ]

Industrial agricultural expansion is a significant driver of biodiversity loss and livelihood disruption for communities across Sub Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, the expansion of monoculture crops on industrial and non-industrial farms, largely for oil palm production, is responsible for almost half of all deforestation since 2000. The influence of this expansion on encounters between wildlife and human communities remains largely unexplored. This study employs a socio-ecological systems approach to examine human-wildlife encounters that have escalated into conflict in the Ndian division of southwest Cameroon, home to a number of protected areas alongside extensive smallholder and industrial oil palm plantations (both extant and planned concessions). The state of human-wildlife conflict, particularly in the form of crop raiding, and the broader socio-ecological system context is explored in three villages with 108 household interviews and fine-scale spatial surveys of village farms along a land use gradient from protected areas to oil palm plantations. Underlying causes of reported crop-raiding patterns and responses to raids are explored alongside village perceptions of land use change and oil palm development in order to predict how conflict might change once planned oil palm concessions are realized. Farm attributes, such as crop diversity and farm age, are significant predictors of reported crop-raiding across villages. Cane rats were the most commonly reported raider in all villages. In one village, elephants are perceived as the most serious threat, with complex associations to conservation institutions. Demographic variables such as gender and socio-economic status provide a more nuanced understanding of perceived species raiding patterns and farmer responses to raids. Ultimately, the study provides insight into how conservation practitioners might use a more inter-disciplinary approach towards achieving multi-functional agro-forest mosaic landscapes in Cameroon and similar tropical landscapes.