Threat of land-cover change in Cameroon 889
within 10 km of important biodiversity and wildlife habitats. It is clear that the cumulative effects of human actions such as the establishment and expansion of oil palmplantations, log- ging, land clearing, and expansion of roads and settlements are driving deforestation in the periphery of important forested areas, particularly those of Ebo Forest and Mount Nlonako. There are numerous negative implications of the observed environmental change in the study area, including habitat and biodiversity loss, a decline in ecosystem services, and a decrease in the availability ofmedicinal forest products. In particular, the current rate of land conversion, and its proximity, suggests that Ebo Forest is highly threatened, given its current lack of legislative protection. It is not an overstatement to say that the continued pace of human ac- tions and environmental change in the areas surrounding Ebo Forest forewarn of serious ecological and conservation threats to the forest if legislative action is not taken swiftly, including the implementation of a proactive environmental management plan for the biologically diverse unprotected forests in the Littoral Region and Cross–Sanga River landscapes.
Acknowledgements Financial support for this study was provided by the Arcus Foundation and James Cook University. We thank Pontus Olofsson for verification of the error-adjusted area estimates, and the Editor and reviewers for their comments and suggestions.
Author contributions Study conceptualization, data analysis and writing: MIM; revision: all authors.
Conflicts of interest None.
Ethical standards This research complied with the Oryx guidelines on ethical standards.
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Oryx, 2020, 54(6), 882–891 © 2019 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605318000881
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