Supply, use and sustainability of ecosystem services in tropical forests: insights from the Dja region in southeastern Cameroon

Tropical forests provide numerous ecosystem services (ES) to human populations, but human-induced deforestation, degradation and defaunation are major threats to the structure, diversity and functioning of these ecosystems. In central Africa, tens of millions of people depend on the forest ecosystems for their daily livelihoods. In the specific context of extremely high poverty, the growing human population and their needs for forest products increase the threats on forest ecosystems. An integrated assessment of ES is needed in order to improve the sustainability of their use and to design adaptive management strategies. Here, we assessed the supply and use of ES by local populations in three contrasted forest management types in southeastern Cameroon: a protected area, a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified logging concession, and three community forests.