The Campo Ma'an model forest in Cameroon: a geopolitical analysis

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4. The « Big projects »: the new territorial holds

Before introducing the three « big projects » planned for the territory, it is worth to remind the previously mentioned ChadCameroon pipeline, which keeps being such an emblematic project to local communities – at least to a part of the population – at the origin of the representations linked to the following chained concepts :

Big projects

Expected impacts at local level

Actual impacts

Which kind of representations ? It is a matter of illustrating how something happened one decade ago, beyond the OTU boundaries, can influence what is happening within the OTU, today. In particular, it is interesting to investigate the influence this project, implemented during the 90ths, beyond the northern border of the Campo Ma’an OTU, may have at present, on the « big projects » representations today, with respect to the common occurring issues (compensations, resettlements, environmental impact). According to me, the future big projects as well as the Park that is perceived – at least by a part of the population – as a « banning » zone, will both encounter difficulties linked to the representations the pipelines engendered in the populations minds. This project has arisen a lot of conflictual debates and the current projects presents a lot of similar issues such as the land conflicts, resettlement and compensations.

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PART II

The analysis of (ongoing or future) infrastructure projects, overlapping the current territorial holds, add a layer of complexity on the lack of land issue, but also on other socio-economic stakes.


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