ABSTRACT
As mangrove forests in many parts of the world are degrading rapidly, a range of important goods and ecological and economic services are being lost. In Cameroon, a major threat to this ecosystem is its anarchic exploitation which, in the long run, could jeopardize its sustainability and thus that of the fisheries sector. To better understand this threat, socioe-conomic activities pursued in the country’s main mangrove forests have been reviewed through surveys among those exploiting and managing them. The findings show that the governing system is complex due to the absence of an appropriate legal and regulatory framework, the many stakeholders involved, the multiplicity of decision-making bodies that interfere in the design and implementation of strategies, lack of consultation among them and ignorance of the value of mangroves among resource users and managers. Consequently, any management regime should, as a matter of priority, be based on an appropriate legal and regulatory framework and wide stakeholder awareness.
