[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
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PREFACE<br />
ABOUT TROPENBOS<br />
The Trop<strong>en</strong>bos Foundation was established in 1988 by <strong>the</strong> Governm<strong>en</strong>t <strong>of</strong> The Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands with<br />
<strong>the</strong> objectives to contribute to <strong>the</strong> conservation and wise use <strong>of</strong> tropical rain forest by g<strong>en</strong>erating<br />
knowledge and developing methodologies, and to involve and str<strong>en</strong>gth<strong>en</strong> local research<br />
institutions and capacity in relation to tropical rain forests.<br />
The Trop<strong>en</strong>bos Programme carries out research on moist tropical forest land at various locations<br />
around <strong>the</strong> world. At pres<strong>en</strong>t (semi-) perman<strong>en</strong>t research sites are located in Colombia, Guyana,<br />
Indonesia, Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon. At <strong>the</strong> differ<strong>en</strong>t locations, research programmes follow<br />
an interdisciplinary and common overall approach, with <strong>the</strong> aim to exchange data and make<br />
results mutually comparable.<br />
ABOUT THE TROPENBOS-CAMEROON PROGRAMME AND <strong>ITTO</strong> PROJECT PD<br />
26/92<br />
The pres<strong>en</strong>t publication has be<strong>en</strong> produced in <strong>the</strong> framework <strong>of</strong> <strong>ITTO</strong> Project PD 26/92, which<br />
is an integral part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Trop<strong>en</strong>bos-Cameroon Programme (TCP). The research on which this<br />
publication is based, was financed by <strong>the</strong> International Tropical Timber Organization (<strong>ITTO</strong>), <strong>the</strong><br />
Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), <strong>the</strong> Directorate G<strong>en</strong>eral for International Cooperation<br />
<strong>of</strong> The Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands' Ministry <strong>of</strong> Foreign Affairs (DGIS), <strong>the</strong> Trop<strong>en</strong>bos Foundation and <strong>the</strong><br />
implem<strong>en</strong>ting ag<strong>en</strong>cies m<strong>en</strong>tioned below.<br />
The Trop<strong>en</strong>bos-Cameroon 'Programme was established in 1992 by <strong>the</strong> Cameroonian Ministry <strong>of</strong><br />
Environm<strong>en</strong>t and Forests (MINEF) and <strong>the</strong> Trop<strong>en</strong>bos Foundation. The g<strong>en</strong>eral objective <strong>of</strong> TCP<br />
is to develop methods and strategies for natural forest managem<strong>en</strong>t directed at sustainable<br />
production <strong>of</strong> timber and o<strong>the</strong>r forest products and services. These methods have to be<br />
ecologically sound, socially acceptable and economically viable (Foahom and Jonkers, 1992).<br />
TCP consists <strong>of</strong> fourte<strong>en</strong> interrelated projects in <strong>the</strong> fields <strong>of</strong> ecology, forestry, economy, social<br />
sci<strong>en</strong>ces, agronomy and soil sci<strong>en</strong>ce. In 1994, <strong>ITTO</strong> and CFC decided to co-finance six <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se<br />
projects, which toge<strong>the</strong>r form <strong>ITTO</strong> project PD 26/92. The 'Office National de Developpem<strong>en</strong>t<br />
des Forets' (ONADEF) is <strong>the</strong> ag<strong>en</strong>cy responsible towards <strong>ITTO</strong> and CFC for <strong>the</strong> implem<strong>en</strong>tation<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Project PD 26/92.<br />
The implem<strong>en</strong>ting ag<strong>en</strong>cies involved in <strong>the</strong> pres<strong>en</strong>t study are <strong>the</strong> Winand Staring C<strong>en</strong>tre for<br />
Integrated land, Soil and Water Research (SC-DLO), <strong>the</strong> 'Institut de la Recherche Agricole pour<br />
le Developpem<strong>en</strong>t' (lRAD) and Wag<strong>en</strong>ing<strong>en</strong> Agricultural University (WAU).<br />
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
The authors wish to thank those who have contributed to <strong>the</strong> overall land inv<strong>en</strong>tory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> TCP<br />
research area. We gratefully acknowledge <strong>the</strong> assistance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cameroonian Ministry <strong>of</strong><br />
Environm<strong>en</strong>t and Forests, <strong>the</strong> Trop<strong>en</strong>bos Foundation, <strong>the</strong> 'Office National de Developpem<strong>en</strong>t des<br />
Forets', <strong>the</strong> 'Institut de la Recherche Agricole pour le Developpem<strong>en</strong>t', <strong>the</strong> International Tropical<br />
Timber Organization, <strong>the</strong> Common Fund for Commodities, <strong>the</strong> Winand Staring C<strong>en</strong>tre for<br />
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