Development of Local Land Use and Sustainable Development Plans (LLUSDP) in four target municipalities in Cameroon

Cameroon possesses an exceptional forest heritage, with nearly 19 million hectares of dense rainforest covering almost 40 % of its territory. Located in the Congo Basin-the world's second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon-these forests are a major biodiversity reservoir and a critical global carbon sink. However, this ecological capital is under increasing pressure. Cameroon's annual deforestation rate is estimated at 0.6-1 %, corresponding to more than 100,000 hectares lost each year. Direct drivers include illegal logging, mining, infrastructure development, unplanned urbanisation and agricultural expansion, the latter accounting for about 60 % of total deforestation. In 2021, the Centre, South and Littoral regions alone represented around 61 % of national forest loss. These trends are reinforced by structural factors such as rapid population growth (expected to double by 2046), accelerating urbanisation, persistent rural poverty, weak land governance and limited planning capacity at local level. In response, Cameroon has committed to major international frameworks aimed at reducing deforestation and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, notably the Paris Agreement (COP21) and the Glasgow Forest Declaration (COP26). Nationally, land-use planning reforms-especially the Framework Law on Land Use Planning and its instruments (national, regional and local plans, including LLUSDP)-seek to establish integrated multi-level spatial planning. Yet implementation remains constrained by insufficient legal, technical and operational capacities, limiting effective coordination of development and forest conservation. Within this context, the GIZ-implemented module "Capacity Building in Land Use Planning," financed by CAFI and BMZ, aims to promote inclusive and sustainable spatial planning that reduces forest pressure while supporting balanced economic development. The module comprises five outputs, including strengthening the legal basis for the 2011 planning law, building