Indigenous Land Grabbing and Forests Right Defilement by Small Farm Holders in Nguti, Cameroon

Abstract

Land grabbing from small farm holders of Nguti is the major cause of environmental degradation and forest right violation. This article posits how the rural communities of Nguti are experiencing a range of political skirmishes resulting from large scale land acquisition which is threatening local land-use practices and access to land. The paper divulges that oil palm enterprises have encouraged the proliferation of small grab farm holders. This has forced members to engage in illegal sale of large portions of forest land leading to environmental degradation and distortion in their livelihood activities. A three - component integration method of questionnaire administration, GPS recordings and interview/ field observation were used for data collection. The data was analysed using the Microsoft excel spread sheet and the maps realized through the QGIS software. Results from findings adhere to the fact that 61% of land acquisition by the minor farm holders comes from local chiefs, 26% bought land from the indigenes while 13% obtained it from elites and family. Land conflicts occur between the small farm holders and the local community because they have intruded in land without authorisation from the traditional council leading to boundary conflicts. Some 10% of the small farm holders have acquired land influentially as a violation of the indigenous land rights. The activity has caused environmental squalor in the form of habitat loss as forests and plants are at risk of extinction. There is water resource depletion as the streams used by the villagers for portable water have completely withered. Inappropriate water management, fertilizers and pesticides run-off from fields to adjacent rivers and lakes and contaminate groundwater sources. This article acclaims that there is a need to sensitise the communities, especially the youths, on illicit land sales and incessant monitoring of the Nguti area against environmental degradation.