Environmental assessment in Cameroon: state of the art

This paper is a summary of the evolution of the legal and institutionalframework and the practice of environmental assessment (EA) in Cameroon. A Ministry of Environment and Forestry was created in April 1992 with a mandate to elaborate, implement and follow up the national policy of environment; a master law August 1996 related to environmental management prescribes environmental impact assessment for all projects that can cause environmental degradation. However, this legal and institutional framework is yet to be effective. To achieve this, the existing framework should be completed by application instruments. Also the existing structures of authority should be provided with adequate human, financial and equipment resources. Based on two practical examples, the limitations of the present situation are highlighted, and some suggestions for improvement are made.