Sustainable Utilization of Mangroves Using Improved Fish-Smoking Systems: A Management Perspective from the Douala-Edea Wildlife Reserve, Cameroon

Fuel wood extraction for commercial fish smoking is the most pervasive threat to the sustainability of mangrove ecosystems in the Douala-Edea Wildlife Reserve (DEWR) of Cameroon and most West-Central African coastal states. The high rates of fuel-wood consumption are associated with fish smoking in this region and are chiefly the result of low fuel efficiency systems. In this study, we investigated the relative efficiency of two fish-smoking systems with respect to fuel wood consumption and time required for fish smoking in the DEWR. Using socio-economic and forest surveys in three villages, where mangrove wood is harvested and used, we established that the annual fuel-wood off-take was about 42,839m 3 . In addition, most of the wood is used for fish smoking in the Traditional Smoke System (TSS) method, which was assessed to be 70% less efficient than the Improved Smoke System (Eeyed/CWCS). The Eeyed/CWCS consumed on average 50% less wood than the TSS, and reduced fish-smoking time by up-to 65% relative to the TSS. This comparative advantage offers opportunities for reducing the incidence of smoke-related diseases in women and children–most of them involved in the smoking process—by reducing the time spent smoking fish and saving money from avoided additional wood consumption. However, these benefits can only be achieved through the successful introduction of the Eeyed/CWCS. This will require a broad range of sensitization, capacity enhancement, and further research on adapting the current model to local conditions of the area.