THE PUBLIC ACTION BETWEEN STATES AND NON-STATE ACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION POLICIES: THE CASE OF COMIFAC AND ELEPHANT CONSERVATION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST.

i
SUMMARY
SUMMARY…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………i
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………………………………………….iv
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES........................................................................................................vii
LIST OF APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………viii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ix
RESUME……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………x
GENERAL INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1
PART I: AN OVERVIEW OF ELEPHANT EXPLOITATION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST………………31
CHAPTER : THE CONTEXT OF BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION IN AFRICA AND THE CONGO
BASIN……………………………………………………………………………………………………32
SECTION I: AN OVERVIEW OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT EXPLOITATION IN THE CONGO
BASIN, AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE PROBLEM LINKED TO ELEPHANT POACHING..32
SECTION II: THE EXPLOITATION OF ELEPHANTS IN THE TRIDOM FOREST……………………….44
CHAPTER II: THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK, ACTORS AND STRUCTURES INVOLVED IN THE
CONSERVATION OF ELEPHANTS IN THE TRIDOM FOREST…………………………………….54
SECTION I: THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION OF ELEPHANTS IN THE
TRIDOM FOREST………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………54
SECTION II: THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF ELEPHANT PROTECTION IN THE
TRIDOM FOREST………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………67
PART II:ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF ELEPHANT CONSERVATION POLICIES IN THE TRIDOM FOREST AND WAY
FORWARD…………………………………………………………………………………81
CHAPTER III:ANALYSIS OF LOGIC AND ISSUES AFFECTING INTERACTION BETWEEN
STAKEHOLDERS IN THEIR QUEST FOR THE PROTECTION OF ELEPHANTS IN THE TRIDOM
FOREST……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………82
SECTION I: INTERRACTIONS BETWEEN THE ACTORS: WHAT OPERATIONAL
FRAMEWORK…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….82
SECTION II: INTERACTIONS OF THE KEY ACTORS………………………………………………………………………98
CHAPTER IV :ELEPHANT PROTECTION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST: AN ANALYSIS OF
CHALLENGES AND OUTLOOK……………………………………………………………………………………………………………107
SECTION I: ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC
ACTION OF ELEPHANT PROTECTION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST………………………………………….107
SECTION II: PERSPECTIVE AND RECOMMENDATION FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC ACTION
TO PROTECT ELEPHANTS IN THE TRIDOM FOREST................................................................116
GENERAL CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….125
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….130
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………153

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DEDICATION
To my foster mother and benefactor
Dr. ANYIZI Bertha NKEMNYI

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank God for seeing me through the training and for renewing my strength to carry on. I owe a special
debt of gratitude to Pr. Yves Paul MANDJEM, who was both director and supervisor of this work, for
painstakingly reading through this study and for making relevant corrections and contributions.
I am very grateful to the administration and the staff of the International Relations Institute of Cameroon
for assisting us throughout our study period.
I equally thank all my classmates, family members and friends for their moral support.

iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ACFAP: Agency Congolese Wildlife and Protected Areas Association
AFD : Agence Français de Developpement
AfESG: African Elephant Specialist Group.
ANPN : National Agency for National Parks
ATO: African Timber Organization
AU: African Union
CAD: Community Action for Development
CAECS : Central African Elephant Conservation Strategy
CARPE: Central African Regional Plan for the Environment
CAT : Development and Transformation Agreement
CBD: Convention on Biodiversity
CBFP: Congo Basin Forest Partnership
CEEAC: Economic Commission of Central African states
CEMAC: Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States.
CIB: Congolese forestry authorities, a logging company
CIDA : Canadian International Development Agency
CIFOR : Centre for International Forestry Research
CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
CMS: The Convention on Migratory Species
COMIFAC: Central African Forest Commission
COP: Conference of the Parties
CPAFF: Convention for the Protection of African Flora
CTPE: Tri-national Planning and Execution Committee
CTSA: Tri-national Supervisory and Arbitration Committee
DGFAP: Directory of Forest and Protected Areas
ECOFAC: Forest Ecosystems of Central Africa
ENEF: National School for Water and Forests
ETIS: The Elephant Trade Information System
EU: European union
FDEC: Foundation for Development and Environment in Cameroon

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FLEGT: Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
FORUDEF: Food and Rural Development Foundation
FPIC: Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
FSC: Forest Stewardship Council.
GDP: Gross domestic Product
GEF: Global Environment Facility.
GHG : Green House Gases
GIZ : Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit
GSAP: Growth and Strategic Action Paper
GTBAC: Central African Biodiversity Working Group
GTBAC: Central African Biodiversity Working Group
HEC: Human-elephant conflict
IFO : Industrie Forestier d’Ouesso
INGO: International Non-Governmental Organization
IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
ITTO: The International Tropical Timber Organization
MIKE : Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants
MINEFOF: Ministry of Forestry and Fauna
MINEPDED: Ministry of Environment Nature Protection and Sustainable Development
MoU: Memorandum of Understanding
MSA: Ministry of Social Affairs
NBAP: National Biodiversity and Action Plans
NBSAP: National Biological Diversity Strategy and Action Plan
NG : Net Gain
NGO: Non Governmental Organization
NIAP: National Ivory Action Plan
NNL: No Net Loss
OCFSA: Wildlife Conservation Organization of African Wild Fauna
PACEBCO: Congo Basin Ecosystems Conservation Support Programme
PEXULAB: Extreme Emergency Anti-poaching Plan
PIB: Public Investment Budget
PPF: Protection plan for fauna

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PROGEPP: Program of Management of Ecosystems Peripheral to Parks
REDD+: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
REPALEAC (Réseau des Populations Autochtones et Locales pour la gestion durable des Ecosystèmes
Forestiers d’Afrique Centrale)
RFUK: Rain Forest Foundation United Kingdom
RIFFEAC : Network for Forestry Education in Central Africa
SFM : Sustainable Forest Management.
SGTAPFS: Sub Working Group on Protected Areas and Wildlife in Central Africa
SIFCO : Société Industrielle et Forestier du Congo
SNPA-DB: National strategy and action plan on Biodiversity
TNS: Tri-National Sangha
UICN: International Union for the Conservation of Nature
UN: United Nations
UNCCD: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
UNCED: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
UNDP: United Nations Development Program
UNEP: United Nation Environmental Program
UNESCO: United Nations Education Social and Cultural Organization
UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
UNO: United Nations Organisation
USAID: United States Agency for International Development
VPA: Voluntary Partnership Accord
WCS: World Conservation Society
WWF: World Wide Fund for Nature
ZIC : Zone d'intérêt Cynégétique
ZICGC :Zones d'Intérêt Cynégétique à Gestion Communautaire

vii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
List of Tables
Table 1: Hunter prices for tusks (US$) ………………………………………………………….51
Table 2: Mballam-Nabeba Project Tenements…………………………………………………..94
Table 3: Priority Objectives of the AEAP………………………………………….…….……101
Table 4: NBSAP classification of elephants as critically endangered species……………...….107
Table 5 :Distribution of main taxes linked to Safari hunting in Cameroon…………………….121
List of Figures
Figure 1: Ecosystem services and Economic Total Value of Forest elephants …….…….……..49
Figure 2: The organogram of COMIFAC………………………………………………..………71
Figure 3: Positioning of structural projects with respect to PAs……………………………..…111

viii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 : list of resource persons contacted
Appendix 2 : interview guide
Appendix 3 : The framework of interaction between TRIDOM States (i.e The Tridom Agreement and
the Anti-poaching Protocol)
Appendix 4 : Map of the TRIDOM area

ix
ABSTRACT
The Public Action in the Implementation of Biodiversity Conservation Policies: The Case of COMIFAC
and Elephant Conservation in the Tridom Forest, is the topic of this work. Given the threat posed to
humanity and his natural environment by uncontrolled exploitation of biodiversity specifically the illegal
poaching of elephants, there is a true mobilization of efforts on this problem around the world. The
TRIDOM States are not left behind. So we had to ask ourselves the central question; how do State and
non-State actors mobilise to implement biodiversity conservation policies in the TRIDOM forest? The
resulting international instruments that have been adopted at the international level so solve this problem
include (CBD, CITES, etc), at the Regional level (African convention on the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, CMS etc) and even at sub-
regional level (the Libreville Agreement on Cooperation and Concertation for Wild Fauna and flora, the
TRIDOM Agreement etc) have been adopted over time to serve as benchmarks for action by States in
conservation actions. The aim of this work is to show how the Public Action between States and non-
State actors leads to effective conservation of Elephants in the TRIDOM forest. We opine that States and
non-State actors have put in place a lot of joint mechanisms to ensure effective elephant and biodiversity
conservation in the TRIDOM forest since the signing of the Tridom Agreement in 2004. Testing this
main Hypothesis required that we resort to the Historical Method to trace the process of constructing
international benchmarks against biodiversity degradation and their adoption by TRIDOM States ; and
statistical method allowed us to obtain quantifiable data to better buttress our arguments. We mainly
used content analysis and interview to collect data. Three theories have been referred to for data analysis,
namely; Liberalism, Global Governance, and Transnationalism. It emerges from this study that the joint
fight against poaching is an opportunity for cooperation and sub-regional development. Faced with
impediments related to crystallization of international Public Action against uncontrolled biodiversity
degradation, a few solutions were put forth some of which include; setting up local frameworks to
provide job and alternative source of livelihoods for forest dwellers, involvement of these indigenous
people’s as actors in conservation Strategies, reinforcement of combined action strategies and framework
for combating poaching, harmonization of wildlife legislation, nationally and regionally by national
governments and regional entities.
Key words: International Public Action, Indigenous Peoples, TRIDOM, bio-conservation, Wildlife

x
RESUME
L'action publique dans la mise en œuvre des politiques de conservation de la biodiversité: le cas de la
COMIFAC et de la conservation des éléphants dans la forêt de Tridom, est le thème de ce travail. Compte
tenu de la menace qui pèse sur l'humanité et son environnement naturel, l'exploitation incontrôlée de la
biodiversité notamment le braconnage illégal des éléphants, il existe une véritable mobilisation des efforts
autour de ce problème dans le monde. Les États TRIDOM ne sont pas en reste. Nous nous somme poser
alors la question ; Comment est ce que les actueurs Etatiques et non Etatiques s’organise pour implementer
les politiques de conservation de la biodiversité dans le TRIDOM? Les instruments internationaux qui en
ont résulté et qui ont été adoptés au niveau international, notamment (CBD, CITES, etc.), au niveau
régional (Convention africaine sur la conservation de la nature et des ressources naturelles, CMS, etc.) et
même au niveau sous régional (l'Accord de Libreville sur la coopération et la concertation pour la faune et
la flore sauvages, l'Accord TRIDOM, etc.) ont été adoptés au fil du temps pour servir de référence pour
l'action des États dans leur actions de conservation. L'objectif de ce travail est de montrer comment l'action
publique entre États et acteurs non Étatiques conduit à une conservation efficace des éléphants dans la
forêt TRIDOM. Nous estimons que les États et les acteurs non étatiques ont mis en place de nombreux
mécanismes conjoints pour assurer la conservation efficace des éléphants et de la biodiversité dans le
TRIDOM depuis la signature de l'Accord de TRIDOM en 2004. Pour tester cette hypothèse principale,
nous avons dû recourir à la Méthode historique pour retracer le processus de construction de repères
internationaux contre la dégradation de la biodiversité et leur adoption par les États TRIDOM; et la
méthode statistique nous a permis d'obtenir des données quantifiables pour mieux étayer nos arguments.
Nous avons principalement utilisé l'analyse de contenu et les entretiens pour collecter des données. Trois
théories ont été utilisées pour l'analyse des données, à savoir; le Libéralisme, Gouvernance Globale et le
Transnationalisme. Il ressort de cette étude que la lutte conjointe contre le braconnage est une opportunité
de coopération et de développement sous régional. Face aux obstacles liés à la cristallisation de l'action
publique internationale contre la dégradation de la biodiversité, quelques solutions ont été proposées; la
mise en place de cadres locaux pour fournir des emplois et moyens alternatives de subsistances aux
habitants des forêts, l’implication de ces peuples autochtones dans les stratégies de conservation, le
renforcement des stratégies d'action conjointe et cadre de lutte contre le braconnage, l’harmonisation de la
législation sur la faune sauvage par les Etats et entités sous régionales .
Mots-clés: Action publique internationale, Peuples autochtones, TRIDOM, bio-conservation, Faune.

1
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
I. THE CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE WORK
In its report entitled ‘Our common future’1, the World Commission on Environment of United Nations
(UN) established by General Assembly Resolution 38/161 of 19 December 1983 defines the concept of
Sustainable Development as ‘a development that responds to the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of future generations to respond to theirs’2. In other words, States in their quest
for survivor, development and economic growth must not compromise the ability for future generations
to meet up with their own needs. Whereas environmental degradation championed by loss in
biodiversity, due to natural or anthropogenic reasons seems to be one of the impediments towards the
achievement of this goal, it is important to note that only the efforts of one single entity or of one State
may not be sufficient to mitigate the situation .
In fact, the phenomenon is real; the sharp reduction of species number, the unwanted and
unnatural migration of animal species out of season, the incongruence at the level of energy flow in
animal food chains, increased human contact with disease carrying species due to fragmentation, loss of
livelihood among hunters and fishermen, reduced food security in peasant rural population, acid
deposition on forest, nutrient pollution, ozone layer depletion , just to name a few are palpable evidence
of worsening environmental conditions leading to the direct shrinking biodiversity in the Tridom forest
in particular and the World at large. The effects of this biodiversity loss are of a universal scale. This
makes biodiversity and environmental protection a duty of all nations because the environment which is
hampered as a result of biodiversity loss is a universal public good3 and therefore all states will be
needed on deck if conservation of biodiversity must be a success. Furthermore, the Cocoyoc-Declaration
clearly puts forth that;
‘The critical pressure for resources levied on the environment
gives no reason to despair of the human enterprise, provided we
undertake the necessary changes. The first point to be underlined is
that the failure of world society to provide "a safe and happy
1Also called the Bruntland Report
2 2 World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, Chapter 2, 1987, p.51
3 In his article entitled "The Pure Theory of Public Expenditure", 1954, the economist Paul SAMUELSON defines the concept
of public goods as property belonging to no one and from which it is impossible to exclude anyone from their consumption.
non-exclusivity), but also goods whose enjoyment by some would not prevent others from doing the same (principle of non-
rivalry)

2
life" for all is not caused by any present lack of physical resources.
The problem today is not primarily one of absolute physical shortage
but of economic and social misdistribution and misuse; mankind's
predicament is rooted primarily in economic and social structures and
Behaviour within and between countries.4
In this light of biodiversity being a public good, it becomes absolutely imperative to get all States and
stake holders involved through international cooperation on the environment as President Paul Biya
rightly said; ‘To every global threat, there needs to be a global response’5. Besides him as a single
individual, it became imperative in the light of Sustainable Development goals that countries that share
this resource should get into cooperation frameworks or agreements as a rapid response, something that
is recalled in the World Charter for Nature6. In this perspective, biodiversity conservation became a
salient part of national and international conservation policy.
In response, the United Nations through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
covened a number of working meetings with experts to harmonize actions taken globally7 level also
found favour on African soil with the existence of integration institutions like CEMAC and CEEAC
which facilitate the shared use and management of resources that are of common good to Africa.
Despite this new global effort, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, two thirds of the total
elephant population in Minkébé National Park in Gabon (created in 2002) was lost to poaching between
2004 and 20138. One of the most feasible and valid attempts could be the combined design and
combined implementation of biodiversity conservation policies by the three member States and the
different stake holders each State ensuring the application of these policies in its own portion of the
TRIDOM forest.
4 The Cocoyoc Declaration (23 October 1974), p.1
5 4 President of the Republic of Cameroon in his speech to the members of the Diplomatic Corps at the ceremony of Well
wishes of January 6, 2015 at the Unity Palace
6 Cf the preambles of the said Charter, equally L., BOISSON DE CHAZOURNES, R., DESGAGNES, CESARE
ROMANAO, Protection International de l’Environnement: Recueil des instruments juridiques, Paris, Pedone, 1998, p.35
7 Many Earth Summits held, the latter being the decade meetings held between world leaders organized since 1972 by the UN
with objectives to define the means of stimulating sustainable Development at the global scale. The first took place in
Stockholm in Sweden in 1972, the second in Nairobi (Kenya) in 1982, the third in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1992, the fourth
in Johannesburg, (South Africa) in 2002. We can also mention the Concertation of Copenhagen (2010) on Climate Change.
8 A.O., OSUNA, S., COUNSELL, Protected Areas in the Congo Basin: Failing both People and Biodiversity?,The
Rainforest Foundation,United Kingdom, April 2016, p. 49

3
Talking about individual States, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon for example have demonstrated their
willingness to participate in the implementation of international biodiversity policies through the signing
and ratification of many regional and sub-regional treaties and instruments as we shall see later in our
work.9. From the moment of the signatory of the latter treaties thence, it becomes important for us to
examine how these biodiversity conservation policies at the international level in general and at the sub-
regional level (Dja-Odzala-Minkébé in Central Africa) have been effectively implemented, from where
the topic of this memoire was inspired; The Public Action between States and Non-State organisation
in the implementation of biodiversity conservation policies in TRIDOM Forest: The Case of
COMIFAC and Elephant Conservation’.
II. CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS
According to EMILE DURKHEIM, science “needs concepts quich expresses things adequately, the way
they are, not in the way it is useful in practice to conceive them … it should therefore creat new ones,
and to do so, instead of dismissing common notions and words that express them, they return to the
sensation and necessary raw materials for all concepts.’’ 10
Therefore, our key terms here are those words whose usage will help us better apprehend the subject we
are treating in this memoire. As such, it is convenient to define the key terms (A) on the one hand and
subsidiary terms (B) on the other hand.
A. Definition of key terms of the Subject study.
 International Public Action
To define international Public Action, it is important to start by defining public policy and international
public Policy. A public policy is what the government decides to do and decides not to do.11This
definition is simple and minimal. Yves MENY and Jean-Claude THOENIG, define public policy in turn
as a program of government action in a given sector of the society or a geographic space.12 Public Policy
9 ‘Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa and to Establish the
Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC)’, 2/1 Law, Environment and Development Journal (2006), p. 145, available
at http://www.lead-journal.org/content/06145.pdf visited on2nd March 2020 at 4:39 pm
10 E., DURKHEIM, Les Règles de la méthode sociologique,1984, p. 36. found online at
http://www.uqac.uqebec.ca/zone30/classiques-des-sciences-sociales/index.html, consulted on 2nd March 2020 at 4:30 pm
11 T., DYE cited in P., HASSENTEUFEL, Sociologie politique:L’action publique,Armand Collin, 2008, p .17
12 Y., MENY and J.C., THOENIG quoted in Pierre MULLER, Les Politiques Publiques, Paris, PUF, 1990, p .22

4
is an expression that relies on the notions of the “State’’ and that of “a program of action’’.13As such
Patrick HASSENTEUFEL concludes that a public policy is altogether the activities of the State..14, in
other words, the State in action.15
The making of public policy goes beyond the public sphere. The increasing participation of private
actors has given a different dimension to the notion of public policy, which continuously is referring to
as Public Action. According to Patrice DURAN, “Public Action goes beyond national borders and
government institutions”16. The result is that public Action is a critic of the TOP-DOWN logic in the
management of public issues. Pierre LASCOUMES and Patrick LE GALES thus affirm that Public
Actions puts to lime light “a bottom-up reasoning” revealing the heterogeneity of individual and
collective actors that play a role in the management of Public problems.
Once this is established, it becomes clear that a public policy can no longer be looked at as a purely
State-bound concept. The globalisation of international relations through interdependence between States
carried out at the helm of the International Organization has favoured the emergence of international
public policy defined as “altogether policies claimed by public authorities having as object, to produce
effects that go beyond the nation-State territory.17 As such there are two types of international Public
policy; the foreign policy of States and an organisation like the EU and on the other hand, multilateral
public policies of international organisations.
However, taking into consideration the increasing role of the non-governmental actors in international
relations and global transactions, Armand Elono draws inspiration from this fact and goes further to
define International Public Action as; “the product of the interaction between States and other actors of
the international community whom even though acting following different action logics, do agree on a
particular line of common action with the aim of realising, solving a problem of general interest, at the
planetary, national and local levels’’.18 The framework of this action can be both at the international and
national levels. The policies are defined at the international level, then appropriated by the competent
13 P., HASSENTEUFEL, Sociologie Politique:L’action publique,Armand Collin, 2008, p. 7
14 Ibid. p. 8
15 Ibid. p. 9
16 P., DURAN., Penser L’Action Publique,Paris, LGDJ, 2010, p. 77
17 F., PETITEVILLE and A., SMITH., Analyser les Politiques Internationales, Revue Française de Science Politique, vol 56,
No.3, 2006, p. 362
18 A., ELONO ESSONO., L’Etat et les Organisations Internationales non gouvernementales de Sport (FIFA-CIO) dans
l’organisation desCompétitionsSportivesInternationales, Contribution interactive à la sociologie de L’Action Publique
Internationale, Thèse de Doctorat, Université de Lille 2,CERAPS, 2004,p. 121

5
institutions and implemented at the national level. Such is the case with biodiversity and elephant
conservation policies and instruments for central Africa that will be discussed in this work.
The public action of the TRIDOM States in collaboration with INGO’s and local NGO’s is thus
inevitable in solving the problem of elephant poaching, from where the notion of International Public
Action and its crucial nature in the establishment of efforts to combat poaching.
 STATE
From a legal point of view, according to the German philosopher IMMANUEL KANT, the State is
defined as the union of men under law. The state rightly so called is constituted by laws which are
necessary a priori because they flow from the very concept of law. The state is based on the supremacy
of national constitution and guarantees the safety and constitutional rights of its citizens. The State is
equally that entity that has the ability to enforce the Law which inturn is that instrument that regulates
the relations between individuals in a society. The regulatory ability and capacity of the State is not only
limited to its sovereign boundaries but legitimately inclined to enter into, nurse and regulate relations
with other States on the International Scene. Based on this knowledge, the transboundary management of
natural resources becomes a necessary reason for the exercise of such lawful relations with neighbors
across boundaries where common interests are observed. The State, in the words of OPPENHEIMER, is
the “organization of the political means”19.A state is the means of rule over a defined or "sovereign"
territory. By extrapolation any relations that can be nursed beyond this boundary or territory has to be
governed by the State or the institutions put in place to that effect.
According to Pierre MULLER the State is one in perpetual action through the biais of the institution that
incarnate its legitimate power and act as the instrument of reinforcement of what State authority should
be both within the boundaries of the boundaries of the sovereign State and without these boundaries20.
Pierre MULLER then puts forth that through the instruments of State authority, the State can further is
expanse into collaboration with other States to bring to existence, or better still reinforce existing policies
that are in line with what the ruling class deems fit to be done. This where necessary, it makes use of its
legitimate power of coercion in the sense of Max Weber.
19 F., OPPENHEIMER, The State ,New York: Vanguard Press,1926, pp. 24 –27
20 P., MULLER and B., JOBERT, L’Etat en action : Politique publiques et corporatismes, Presses Universitaires de France,
Paris, 1987, p. 212

6
"Max WEBER defines a State in the book; Economy and the Society as ‘‘A political enterprise with an
institutional character when its administrative direction successfully oversees the implementation of rules
and the monopoly of physical legitimate violence’’.21
Juridically speaking, in Reynolds P.A’s beautiful text entitled “An Introduction to International
Relations” a State may be defined as an abstract legal entity, representing the conceived unity of the
population of a defined territory, legally sovereign, having a government to act on its behalf, and
existing to serve the general purposes of its population22. This purpose and service could well be within
the territorial boundaries of the State or through mutually beneficial interactions with other States in the
international community. Like all other political groupings that preceded it, the State is a domination
relationship of man by man founded on the means of legitimate violence.23
 Non-State Actors
The concept of non-state actors is generally understood as including any entity that is not actually a state,
often used to refer to armed groups, terrorists, civil society, religious groups, or corporations; the concept
is occasionally used to encompass inter-governmental organizations In international relations, non-state
actors (NSAs) are individuals or groups that hold influence and which are wholly or partly independent
of a sovereign state or state24. From a legalistic or ‘technical’ point of view, UN experts Biró and Motoc
(2005) report that; ‘a non-state actor can be any actor on the international stage other than a sovereign
state.’ Non-state actors (NSAs) are all those actors that are not (representatives of) states, yet that operate
at the international level and are potentially relevant to international relations. Formally and informally,
NSAs are increasingly a part of, and giving shape to, international networks of governance. True, they
still lobby, but they are also invited by public authorities to sit at negotiation tables. Even more so, they
design, implement and monitor international policies themselves25. This is the case with many
organizations such as the WWF, IUCN, CSOs and others, which following the Global governance
perspective are indispensable actors in trans boundary conservation as we shall see within the framework
of this thesis.
21 M., WEBER, Économie et société, Collection Pocket Agora, 2003, pp. 96-100
22 P.A., REYNOLDS, An Introduction to International Relations,Longman, London and New York, 1994, p. 32
23 M., WEBER, Le Savant et le Politique,La Découverte, 2003, p. 42
24 M., Noortmann., ‘Non-State Actors in International Law’, in Arts, B, Noortmann, M, & Reinalda, B (eds), Non-State
Actors in International Relations,Aldershot:Ashgate, 2001, pp. 59-78
25 B., Arts, Non-state actors in global governance:Three faces of power, Recht der Gemeinschaftsgüter, No. 2003/4,
Max-Planck-Projektgruppe Recht der Gemeinschaftsgüter, Bon,2003, p. 5

7
 IMPLIMENTATION
Throughout this work, implementation is simply “what happen between policy expectation and
(perceived) policy result’26. One of the most influential definitions of implementation is that of
MASMANIAN and Sabastie .Implementation is the carrying out of a basic policy decision, usually
incorporated in a statue but which can also take the form of important executive order or court decisions.
Ideally that decision identifies a problem to be addressed, stipulates the objectives, to be pursuit, and in a
variety of way, “structured” the implementation process. The process normally runs through a number of
stages beginning with passage of the basic statue, followed by the policy output (decision) of the
implementing agencies, the compliance of target groups with those decisions, the actual impacts- both
intended and unintended-of those output, the perceived impacts of agencies decisions and finally,
important revision,(attempted revision) in the basic statue (1983).
 BIODIVERSITY
The term biodiversity was first used in its extended form ; Biological Diversity by LOVEJOY in 1980
and was most commonly used to describe the number of species of life existing on earth. However the
U.S. Strategy Conference on Biological Diversity (1981) and the National Forum on Biodiversity (1986)
in Washington, D.C., were the critical debates during which the term ‘biodiversity’ was coined by W.J.
Rosen, and it was the proceedings from the latter, edited by E. O. Wilson, that ‘‘launched the word
‘biodiversity’ into general use’’. According to the educational literature, there is ‘no universally agreed
upon definition’ of biodiversity because the term is open to multiple interpretations27. The word
biodiversity is a modern contraction of the term biological diversity. Diversity refers to the range of
variation or variety or differences among some set of attributes; biological diversity thus refers to variety
within the living world or among and between living organism that exist in the world as a direct factor of
the environment in which they are found. This definition allows for modification according to the
context for which it intends to be used.
DELONG goes further to define it saying “Biodiversity is an attribute of an area and specifically refers
to the variety within and among living organisms, assemblages of living organisms, biotic communities,
and biotic processes, whether naturally occurring or modified by humans. It can be observed and
26 P., DELEON and Linda DELEON., Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory: J-PART Vol. 12, No. 4,2002,
pp. 467-492
27 A., DREYFUS et al., “Biodiversity as a postmodern theme for Environmental Education’’ in Canadian Journal of
Environmental Education,Quebec,1999, p. 4

8
measured at any spatial scale ranging from microsites and habitat patches to the entire biosphere”.28 In
simple terms, biological diversity can be defined as “Species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity in an
area, sometimes including associated abiotic components such as landscape features, drainage systems,
and climate”29. Finally according to Thecla M. Mutia on her own part has it that; “biodiversity refers to
the comprehensive umbrella term for the degree of nature’s variety or variation within the natural
system; both in number and frequency. In general, it refers to the variety of all forms of life on earth. The
different plants, animals, micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form”30.
 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
The CBD was the first international Convention to recognize Conservation of Biological diversity as ‘a
common concern for all human kind’ and that it is an integral part of any sustainable socio-economic
endeavour. Conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use of its components therefore came
into the limelight in 1972 (United Nations Conference on Human Environment; Stockholm). In 1973,
UNEP identified conservation of biodiversity as a priority area, hence there was need to get the legal
mandate for conservation of world resources. In an attempt to define Biodiversity conservation, we can
therefore go ahead to say that biodiversity conservation incorporates the preservation, maintenance,
sustainable use (conservation), recovery and enhancement of the components of biological diversity,
where Conservation is the sustainable use of resources and encompasses protection as well as
exploitation and; Preservation is an aspect of conservation meaning to keep something without altering
or changing it31.
According to the UICN glosary of definitions,Conservation is the protection, care, management and
maintenance of ecosystems, habitats, wildlife species and populations, within or outside of their natural
environments, in order to safeguard the natural conditions for their long-term permanence and ensure
their existence for ecological benefits.32
Leader-Williams et al. in UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (2011) on their own part
strongly opines that conservation is the ‘actions that directly enhance the chances of habitats and
species persisting in the wild’. They further say that conservation is the ‘actions that are intended to
28 I., R. SWINGLAND., “Biodiversity, Definition of”, In Encyclopaedia of Biodiversity,The Durrell Institute of
Conservation and Ecology Vol.1,2001, p. 378
29 Ibid. p. 377
30 T., M. MUTIA, Biodiversity conservation and Geothermal development, Geothermal Development Company Ltd Report,
Nakuru, Ghana, p. 4
31 Ibid. p. 4
32 www.iucn.org/downloads/en_iucn__glossary_definitions.pdf

9
establish, improve or maintain good relations with nature33. It is in a bid to maintain these good relations
that this topic was coined to examine the different ways and possibilities that exist to maintain this
balance as long as elephant conservation is concerned.
B. SUBSIDIARY TERMS.
 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Biodiversity is a neologism (recently created word, term, or phrase), literally meaning biological and
diversity.
The term biological diversity was coined by Thomas Lovejoy, a tropical and conservation biologist. The
word biodiversity itself was coined by W. G. Rosen in 1985 while planning the 1986 National Forum on
Biological Diversity, organized by the National Research Council (NRC). According to Edward O
Wilson in his article; The Current State of Biological Diversity in 1988,34 “Biodiversity” is often defined
as the variety of all forms of life, from genes to species, through to the broad scale of ecosystems.
Biodiversity was deemed more effective in terms of communication than biological diversity.
The Usaid Biodiversity Policy, From the American People gives us a vast diverse definition of
biodiversity. First and foremost, biodiversity refers to the varieties and variability of ecosystems, species,
genes, and habitats in the world and underpins ecosystem goods and services, although the précises
nature and extent of that relation is complex. Therefore, biodiversity could also be defined as “the
variability among living organism from all sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this include diversity within
species, between species, and of ecosystem”35
 PUBLIC POLICY
Here public policy shall first be defined before we delve into the comprehension of what International
public policy is all about. The notion of public policy first came into existence in the early XVII Century,
and was defined by Jean-Claude THEONIG in his Dictionary of Public Policy36 as ‘the intervention of a
public authority, who is recognised by public powers, legitimized by the government in specific domain
33 C., SANDBROOK, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,
p. 33
34 E., O. WILSON: The current State of biological diversity,National Academies Press, 1988, p. 16
35 J.,RAJIV Sha, Biodiversity Policy, Washington DC, 2015, p. 5
36
J.C., Thoenig, Dictionnaire despolitiquespubliques, 4e
édition, Presses de Sciences Po, 2014, p. 32

10
of the society or territory. According to Theonig’ a public policy is often presented in the form of a
program of action that is put forth by a public authorities or governments37. It is the study of the State in
action.
Desein K. et al. on their own part rather say policies are principles, documents, rules and guidelines that
are formulated or adopted by collectivities or organisations to reach their long-term goals, and more
specifically, strategies, decisions, actions and other ‘systems of arrangements’ undertaken to solve a
collective problem with the help of human, financial and material resources that are available at the
time of the endeavor38. The word policy also applies to actions that can be taken at a given time to either
temporarily or permanently change a given situation. Prof M. H. Meiring further argues that policy has to
as far as possible, be pro-active (preventive) and not just reactive, in this way the outcome is naturally
innovative.39
 INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY
A policy often come in the form of a general statements about priorities, written regulation or guide
lines, procedures and or standard to be achieved. Franck PETITEVILLE and Andy SMITH40 hold that
the analysis of public policies intervenes in pacified and standardized societies, where the stakes are to
manufacture "order in complex societies", to regulate the "misalignments" (between sectors, between
sectors and territories, between actors and nationals) and to adapt the political regulation to the crisis of
the welfare states) the integration and transformation of center-periphery relationships in general.
Speaking of international public policies, we can say with Franck Petiteville and Andy Smith, that they
come from the convergence between the analysis of public policies and international relations.41 They
define them as "the set of action programs claimed by public authorities with the aim of producing
effects beyond the scope of a Stato-national territory.42 "Therefore, policy refers to distinct path of action
which is sustainable for the pursuits of desired goals with a particular context, directing the decision
making of an organisation or individual. On a simplistic approach, Thomas DYE defines Public policy as
37
J.C., Thoenig, « L’analyse des politiques publiques », in J. Leca et M. Grawitz (dir.), Traité de science politique, vol
4, Paris, PUF, 1985, p. 6
38 J., Dessein, Soini, K.., Fairclough, G., and Horlings, L. (eds), Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development,Conclusions
from the COST Action IS1007 Investigating Cultural Sustainability, University of Jyväskylä, Finland,2015, p. 13
39 M., HEAL and P., HUPE, Implementing public policy,Sage publication London, Thausund Oarks, New Dehli, 2002, p. 19
40F., Petiteville, A., Smith, « Analyser les politiques publiques internationales », in Revue Française de science politique,
Presses de SciencesPo, Vol.56, No.3, juin 2006, p. 3
41 F., Petiteville, A., Smith, « Analyserles politiques publiques internationales », in Revue Française de science politique,
Presses de SciencesPo, Vol.56, No
3, juin 2006, p. 367
42Ibid, p. 358

11
whatever government chooses to do or not to do"43. In the same light, Robert EYESTONE terms
public policy as the set of working relationships that a government unit nurses with its environment
within its sphere of action. Carl J. FRIEDRICHT opines that “public policy is a proposed course of
action of a person, group or government within a given environment providing opportunities and
obstacles which the policy was proposed to utilise and overcome in an effort to reach a goal, realise an
objective or purpose.”44
According to James ANDERSON’S book entitled Public policy Making: An Introduction, policy is
defined as “a relatively stable, purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing
with a problem or matter of concern”45. As noted by Jacques de Maillard and Daniel Kübler46 a public
policy is an intellectual work on the structure of values, norms and social representations that dominate
the definition of a social problem. It is not only limited to strategic objectives reorganizing systems of
action, but it also conveys norms and values at a given moment, just as the current need to preserve the
environment for the well-being of future generations.
Biodiversity policies defined internationally are an illustration, since they are not limited to a national
territory, a clear case of trans-boundary biodiversity being the elephants which are in constant migreation
across national and international boundaries.
 ELEPHANT POARCHING
Genetic evidence suggests that extant African elephants, currently recognised as two sub-species in the
genus Loxodonta, should be divided into distinct species; savannah elephants (L. africana) and forest
elephants (L. cyclotis). Forest elephants are most abundant in the equatorial forest of the Congo Basin,
and account for a considerable portion of Africa’s elephants. Despite their key role in forest ecosystems,
few data on forest elephant ecology are available, at a time when intense hunting and widespread habitat
fragmentation and conversion pose an increasingly severe extinction threat. We shall refer to this
phenomenon in our work as poaching47.Elephant Poaching for the purpose of our study will therefore be
43 D.,Thomas R., Understanding Public Policy,Prentice Hall,Englewoodcliff,1972, p. 42
44
C., J. FRIEDRICHT and S., Edward MASON, (Eds) Public Policy, In The University of Chicago Law
Review,Vol II, Cambridge, Graduate School of Public Administration, Harvard University Press, 1942, p. 60
45 J. E., ADERSON, Public policy Making : An Introduction , Boston,Houghton,Miffling Company, pp. 1-32
46 J., de MAILLARD and D., Kubler, Analyser les politiques publiques,Grenoble, PUG, 2e
éd, 2015, p. 179
47 B., STEPHENS, The Ecology of Forest Elephant Distribution and its Implication for Conservation,University of
Edingburg, London,2002, p. 4

12
the action of poaching inflicted on Elephant populations. According to CITES, Elephant poaching can be
defined as the illegal killing of Elephants for Ivory and also for meat and protein supply48.
 COMIFAC
The COMIFAC or "Central African Forests Commission" is an international Non-governmental
organisation. It is the "sole forum for guidance, decision-making and coordination of sub-regional
actions and initiatives for the conservation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems" .For its
space of reference in 2012 ,15 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central
African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad) 1. It is
governed by a treaty (Treaty of COMIFAC, signed on February 05, 2005). This Commission was created
following the entry into force (in December 2006) of the Treaty on the Conservation and Management of
Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa49 following the 1999 Declaration of Yaoundé "On Conservation and
Management and Sustainable forest ecosystems". COMIFAC supports cooperation among States50 and
works and collaborates with several partners and specialized sub-regional (Central African) institutions,
and in connection with REDD + (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).51
 TRANS-BORDER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
A cross-border resource is defined as a natural resource, or the maintenance of environmental quality,
that is associated with two or more geographically adjacent management regimes.52 Natural and
environmental resources, which are always considered as public goods, are usually used or even
destroyed arbitrarily more than any other goods. Such is the case with Forest products, non-timber forest
48 CITES, Implication of the adoption of the proposal of the of the United Republic of Tanzania Paper presented at the CoP
15 Doc.15 Annex 6 (a), 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to CITES., Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,2010b.
49 Central African Forest Commission (2012), http://pfbc-cbfp.org/docs/vacancies/Jan-juin-2013/Rapport_finale_bilan-
initaitives-pays-COMIFAC.pdf [archive] Summary of sustainable management initiatives forests of COMIFAC countries in
relation to the implementation of Agenda 21; Sub regional status report]; final report presented by: Bitondo Dieudoné, Ir,
PhD. Expert in Environmental and Social Assessment; May 2012, PDF, 122 pages
50 M.S.J.,Nagahuedi, « Un modèle de coopération sous régionale pour la gestion durable des forêts tropicales. Cas de la
Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale », COMIFAC, 2009, p. 46
51 Ibid.
52 G., RONGXING, “Cross-border resource Management: Theory and Practice’’ in Developments in Environmental Science ,
Elsevier, Vol.4, 2005, p. 27

13
products and even biodiversity. The term “management” according to the Petit Larousse Illustré (1999)
is the action or manner of managing something, administering, directing, or organising something. In
economics it is a science of strategic decisions in an organisation which enables the organisation to
determine the most satisfactory combination in terms of productivity of material means and human
resources in that organisation.53
Within the framework of this project, by management we mean on the one hand, the combination of
activities which aim at protecting and conserving an ecosystem from all dangerous intrusions which
could lead to disequilibrium of the ecosystem through the reduction of the loss of some of its
components. On the other hand, it is the combination of activities which are geared at restauring the
degraded ecosystem. Therefore the transborder conservation of natuaral resources is for us a
management which causes States to relinquish their national egoism to bring concerted responses to
threats that are common to them. In so doing transcending the sovreignty model; sacred principle in
international law54 which gave the State exclusive rights on the management of natural resources. It
therefore gives way to the theory of Global Governance. This trans-border management has to help the
states to develop trans-border cooperation mechanisms in order to install an integrated management
notably through bilateral and multilateral accords aimed at harmonizing policies, programs and strategies
in favor of a protection of transborder natural resources. These and more are the considerations that we
shall base on when dealing with the necessity for joint management of our area of study which is the
TRIDOM forest.
To equally throw a glance on this forest area which is not a concept by itself though figuring in the
definition of concepts, we will simply adopt the definition given in article 2 of the TRIDOM Accord
which states that; TRIDOM is a cross-border area in which participatory processes will be developed
It consists of the following protected areas: For the Republic of Cameroon: Dja, Boumba-Bek, Nki and
Mengamé; For the Republic of Congo: Odzala-Kokoua and Lossi; For the Gabonese Republic: Minkébé,
Ivindo and Mwagné. These protected areas are connected to each other by a vast interzone, pertaining to
the territory and legally from each of the three states concerned.
53 Lexique économique, sous la direction d’AHMED Silem et Jean-Marie ALBERTINI, 7th edition, Dalloz, 2002, p. 30
54 G., ELIAN, The Principle of Sovereignty overNatural Resources, Germantown, sijthoff and Noordhoff,1979, p. 44

14
III. SPATIO-TEMPORAL DELIMITATION OF THE SUBJECT
It is important for us to delimit the zone of the study (A) and the period within which this study was
carried out (B).
A- Spatial Delimitation
The geographical space on which this study is carried out is the TRIDOM FOREST (Dja-Odzala-
Minkébé) which is a forest space shared between Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to Jonas N. Poufoun 55, the TRIDOM is a cross-border conservation landscape covering a
geographical area of 191,541 km2, representing 7.5% of the total area of tropical forests in the Congo
Basin of Central Africa. It constitutes eleven protected areas (in total 42,319 km² or 24% of TRIDOM). 56
According to the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) –PFBC held in Kinshasa on the 27–28
September 2010 by WWF, the coordinates of this forest are 3°29’53’’N – 0°26’28’’N; 11°51’54’’E –
15°57’21’’E. The entire Landscape lies on a plateau at an altitude of 300-1,000 m above sea level. Out of
the surface area of Cameroon which stands at 475,442Km2, the Cameroon segment of TRIDOM mostly
covered by the Dja Fauna Reserve covers 49,000 km2 and was established in 1950. The Nki and Boumba
Beck National Parks are part of the TRIDOM forest. The Ngoyla Mintom forest block is also part of
TRIDOM with the above mentioned characteristics. It adjoins unto the Congolese ( congo having a total
surface area of 2.345 million km2) reserve of the Odzala-Kokoua National Park instituted in 1935 with a
surface area of 13,500 km², located precisely at the Cuvette-Ouest Department of the Republic of the
Congo, and the Gabonese Minkébé National Park with a surface area of 7,570 km² out of the
267,668Km2 of Gabon’s total surface area and established in the year 2000.
The choice of this forest as our area of study was not by pure coincidence; this forest represents the
second lungs of the world but is under tremendous pressure. Secondly, the TRIDOM Forest is one of the
most important biodiversity pools of the world with highest blackmarket flux in ivory items in central
Africa. Thirdly, this forest is the second Carbon sink in the world after the Amazon Forest, a huge lose in
biodiversity will have ecosystem consequences, increase deforestation and the inability to absorb
greenhouse gases thus mitigating Climate Change. These are the factors that motivated our choice of the
Tridom forest for this study.
55 J., Ngouhouo, “Livelihoods strategies,deforestation and biodiversity conservation : a micro econometric analysis using
rural households survey in the Tridom trans boundary conservation land-scape” in Economies and finances, Université de
Lorraine, 2016, p. 11
56 A hefty increase from the 5.5% PA coverage in 1999

15
B- Temporal Delimitation
Our temporal delimitation will be from 1999- 2020. The choice of 1999 is because, COMIFAC
saw its creation in December, 2000 after the Summit of Heads of States of Central African Countries had
held in Yaoundé in March,1999. This was the first effort, the first expression of the Central African
states to work together and conserve their forest resources in a coordinated manner. It has three main
bodies: the Conference of Heads of State, the Council of Ministers and the Permanent Secretariat. Its
reference tool is the Convergence Plan, a framework document for concerted policies in the joint
management of Central African forests, main tool that has been used since its creation in 2004 to design,
sieve and manage the implementation of conservation strategies and policies in the TRIDOM forest
managed by COMIFAC.
IV. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Our piece of research focuses on the diagnosis of the implementation strategy and policies in the
domain of Elephant conservation in the Tridom Forest.. Our quest is to unravel the type of interaction
between non-State actors and States in the implementation of biodiversity policy especially with regards
to COMIFAC. Our main objective here is to examine the best means to engage the different actors and
the right audience to bring a sustainable elephant management. Our goal is equally to illustrate
interaction framework, its strengths and the weaknesses as well as the menace posing with regards to
policy implementation.
V. INTEREST OF THE STUDY
We shall examine both the Scientific (A) and the Practical Interest (B).
A. Scientific Interest.
To the academic community
- Firstly, this work is meant to bring out the importance of sustainable management of biodiversity
across national boundaries as a means to ensure conservation It is meant to bring out the
contribution of Central African States like Cameroon Gabon and Congo as well as that of
international bodies like COMIFAC in the fight against Elephant poaching in the TRIDOM
Forest.

16
- Thirdly, it presents international cooperation as an indispensable tool in the conservation and
protection of international protected areas and endangered biodiversity species in these areas.
- Lastly, it shows the role of and importance of international cooperation between States and the
different stake holders in fostering and creating common grounds for actions that are geared in
the protection of cross-border protected areas and the biodiversity they harness, as well as the
difficulties and proposals that can give a new facet to the fight against poaching in the TRIDOM
forest.
B. Practical interest
 To COMIFAC
- This research work maps out the strategic partners of COMIFAC as well as the stakeholders
engaged for the protection of Elephants in the TRIDOM forest.
- It also throws light on the shortcomings of COMIFAC as it strives to reinforce Elephant
protection.
- Furthermore, it serves as working manual and a decision making tool, because it provides
authentic and verified information to the senior staff of COMIFAC and the member countries
whose territories encrust into the TRIDOM forest (such information in the hands of senior staff
could serve as a decision making incentive).
- On personal note, this work will be the writer’s contribution to the global efforts put in place to
ensure a well preserved environment in the TRIDOM forest in full cognisance of the fact that this
forest contributes greatly as a Carbon dioxide sink for industrialisation in Africa and beyond, and
thus helping in ensuring a sane and sustainable environment for all mankind.
VI. LITERATURE REVIEW
From the outset, Thierry DELPEUSCH stresses that the alignment of national policies with international
standards is more in line with the need for states to legitimize themselves on the international scene. This
convergence of policies has a symbolic dimension, it is an external sign that materializes the
commitment of a State to belong to an international community, independently of the will of the
importing national authorities to implement on their territory the transferred standards. For Delpeusch,
“the constraint of conformity vis-à-vis the dominant norms in the international environment may lead

17
national governments to adopt legal rules and public policy measures despite their inapplicability,
uselessness and active resistance or passive resistance in the host society57. In this vein, the integration
of standards in national public policies is the credibility and prestige of states on the international scene.
Heger Boyle and Meyer point out that the universal diffusion of environmental rights is mainly due to the
fact that States which refuse to devote in their internal law a set of universal principles and fundamental
rules considered as natural and legitimate by the international community significantly weaken their
credit on the world stage58.
As noted by Thierry DELPEUCH, the display of its compliance with the rules, ideas and practices that
enjoy a high international prestige gives any State a better reputation and increases its chances of
obtaining certifications, quality labels, authorizations and public aid on a global scale. Thus, taking into
account the international requirements of a clean development mechanism in the growth policy of
developing states in the long run may seem at first sight inappropriate, yet they confer many benefits. In
the area of Biodiversity conservation policies, for example, developing countries, including Cameroon,
Gabon, and Congo will benefit, among other things, from technology transfer and financial support from
the North.
Also the need for joint management of forest resources and biodiversity conservation is expressed by the
willingness of the three countries to come together, place their policies together with the aim of solving a
common problem that they are facing together; that of declining biodiversity in the Dja-Odzala-Minkebe
forest or the TRIDOM forest, notably the Elephant population.
In this light Claudia JACINTO59 underlines that; the policies of contemporary international cooperation
is a result of countless exchange sessions and advocacy with the only objective being to identify points
of suture between national policies and those of international agencies.
In such a context, the author emphasizes the emergence of the notion of international political learning
that would require that information and knowledge about public policies specific to a political system -
past or present - be borrowed and used in another system. Taken in this sense, it can be said that through
international cooperation on forest and biodiversity protection, means are put in place to try as much as
possible to harmonize the individual actions of the States to overcome the global phenomenon of
biodiversity loss in the Dja-Odzala-Minkebe protected areas.
57Cité par T., Delpeuch, «Analyse des transferts internationaux de politiques publiques », Questions de recherche / Research
in question – n° 27 – Décembre 2008, p13-14, http://www.ceri-sciences-po.org/publica/qdr.htm
58C., Jacinto, Transfert des politiquespubliqueset apprentissage politique dans les politiques de développement des
capacités: aperçu de la Conférence de Norrag, Génève, institut des hautes études internationales et du développement, 2009,
p. 21
59 Ibid, p. 22

18
Biodiversity as an important element of international relations
Capitalism is assumed to be the common denominator of industrialism which is in summary
the cause of environmental crisis. Biodiversity in as such becomes very important in the
global and international political context because all of mankind depends on the environment,
for feeding, clothing and habitat. This has led to the disappearance of over 40.000 species in
the last two centuries and this disappearance has been described as a legitimate ecological
catastrophy.60 This dependence however contributes to high GDP in many countries. The
characteristic nature of man’s predatory life style and the defiling nature of human condition
are the blind faith in continued economic growth, the expansion of means of production and
productive forces. The materialistic ethics of man if not curbed may end up being the same
reason why man could be the architect of his own extinction. Howbeit, it is glaring enough
that, the environment is man’s common good and heritage. In this light its protection,
conservation and preservation are the responsibility not only of states on their geographical
space, but also of all and any other organisation that can bring a positive influence or
contribution to the environment at large and biodiversity in particular. For this action to be
effective, the normative and active contributions of all States will be necessary.
According to KAYLA MARIE YOUNG, this holistic approach is indispensable particularly
because biodiversity loss has no regard for arbitrary boundaries of countries or level of
development of the latter. Furthermore this biodiversity loss is propelled by global
phenomena such as trans-border climate change, degradation of habitat and overexploitation.
The subsequent effects are more often than not trans-boundary in nature, if we consider
industrial air pollution and chemical contamination of large trans-boundary water bodies for
example.
“The Earth’s biological resources are vital to humanity’s economic and social
development.
As a result, there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a
global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations.
At the same time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never
been so great as it is today. Species extinction caused by human
60 www.ukessays.com/essays/politics/the-connection-between-biodiversity-and-international-relations-politics-
essay.php, consulted on 15th March 2020 at 4:30 pm

19
activities continues at an alarming rate61
K. Marie YOUNG further argues that, this is what has therefore led to the signing of a number
of conventions and treaties at the international level to foster the joint and sustainable
management and conservation of biodiversity.
Following the global recognition of biodiversity loss and the understanding that it would only
increase if palliative measures are not taken, world leaders began to have meetings for state
cooperation in the interest of protecting the environment. To culminate these efforts, other
major NGO’s like World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) have joined the fight to formulate
widespread solutions with longevity and enforceability. The United Nation therefore serves as
a key intergovernmental actor for the purpose, liberally arraying governments to design their
laws taking into consideration the need for environmental conservation. As arguably the
foremost intergovernmental institution, the United Nations has recognized environmental
issues since its inception with the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 194562.
Trans-boundary conservation activity and the sovereignty of States
The Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and
Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations (UNC) from
October 24, 1970, should be highlighted, according to which: “each State has an inalienable
right to choose its political, economic, social and cultural systems, without interference in any
form by any whatsoever other State’’63. This goes a long way to explain the principle of
sovereignty which is that element in international relations that gives the State the autonomy
to make its own laws, execute its own decisions in ways that it deems necessary for its smooth
running or functioning64.
K. GERVOGIAN explains that this State sovereignty often poses as a limiting factor to wide
range international participation of States because according to her, the sovereignty of the
State in the field of international cooperation, regulated by an international agreement,
61
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Biodiversity Outlook 4,Montreal, Canada, 2014,
p. 7
62 K.M., Young., International RelationsBiodiversity Loss and the United States, Appalachian State University,
2016, p. 21
63 United Nations Audio-visual Library of International Law, declaration on principles of international law
friendly relationsand cooperation among states in accordance with the charter of the united nations,2011
64 D., ErlendHenriksen and I., Ombudstvedts, “Cross-Border Transportation – A Key to Unlock Full-Scale
CCS”, in Science Direct,ELSEVIER, p.438, found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.1874
consulted on 12th
December,2020

20
manifests to a lesser extent than if the State did not conclude the agreement or did not
participate in it65. Even in cases where the State so desires to be part of an International
agreement, it more often than not remains trapped in the web of the search for its own interest
before any other interest66. International negotiations and accords in the environmental sector
thus often prove themselves to be accords majoritarily void of State willingness. This is
supported by USHAKOV who wrote that; Legal unboundedness of State’s power only means
that there is no supreme power over him which he is obliged to follow.”67
According to the former UN Secretary General Boutros BOUTROS-GHALI, “the main
demand of the day is to rethink the problems of sovereignty’’68.
Francois GEMENNE underlines this when he wrote; ‘‘Behind the measures taken to ensure a
more sustainable development and reduce their emission of GHGs, are hidden considerable
geostrategic stakes which are key determinants in the mechanism of international
cooperation’’69. We can therefore clearly detect the question of production and development
models, the North South relationship, the geography of natural resources, collective action,
justice and equity, owing to the fact that States in reality are not equal, neither as to what
concerns the causes nor when faced with the consequences of biodiversity loss70. This is why
Northern States are putting their know-how through collaboration with agencies like WWF
,GIZ, and through agencies like the COMIFAC to try and mitigate the damaging effects of
climate change and biodiversity loss in the TRIDOM forest. Beyond the schools of thought
that put State Sovreignty over natural resources as as a barrier to coopeeration. The school of
thought that States are effectively fragilized by environmental problems because their
consequences go across boundaries; the environment has therefore become a public good.71
This current of thought seeks to bring to the lime light the salient question; can states still
singlehandedly handle the resources on their territory in the sense of Professor G. TUNKIN
65 Ibid, p. 439
66
G., Balandier, « Ce que j’ai appris de l’Afrique » in Journal des africanistes, Volume 69, Numéro 1,
1999, pp. 259-270
67 N.A., Ushakov, “Sovereignty and its Implications in National and International Law”, in Moscow Journal of
International Law, 1994, No.2, p. 8
68 Ghali., Boutros Boutros, “Empowering the United Nations, Foreign Affairs”, vol. 71, Winter 1992/93, pp. 89,
98-99
69F., Gemenne, Géopolitique du changement climatique, Paris, Armand Colin, Collection Perspectives
géopolitiques, 2011, p. 238
70 M., FAH Mireille, Le Transfert des Politiques Publiques internationale : Le cas de la lutte contre le
changement Climatique au Cameroun, Masters thesis, IRIC, 2017, p. 16
71 In his Article entitled ‘‘The Pure Theory of Public Expenditure,’’1954 the economist Paul SAMUELSON
defines public good as a good that belongs to everyone and whose consumption we cannot forbid or restrict
anyone from enjoying fully (principle of non-exclusivity) but also goods which the consumption of one group of
people should not stop another group of people fromenjoying it fully too (principle of non-rivality).

21
who characterizes state sovereignty as “… the inherent supremacy of the State in its territory
and independence in international relations”72?. In today’s context, such singular action may
no longer be possible especially as it is important to realise that the perception of security has
undergone a process of widening and deepening – now including non-military threats and
actors other than states which led to the notions of collective and sustainable security73 and
theoretically to what we shall latter refer to in this work as the Theory of Global Governance.
Even though some authors like LINNER hold it that most efforts in protected areas are driven
by colonial interest74, it is however important to note that, the negative effects of a poor
environmental management can lead to many global consequences. The national environment
of states in this way sees itself helplessly and irreversibly penetrated by international law
because state environmental protection models are now bound to build on models designed at
the international level; the case of the Cameroon Forestry law75 of 1994 greatly influenced by
the Rio Convention stands to testify.
The responsibilities of the Northern Countries in biodiversity lose in the Congo Basin
According to this school of thought, the countries of the economic south or ‘developing
countries’ seem to accuse those of the North or ‘developed countries’ for being the primary
cause of climate change and the emission of GHG (Green House Gases) with devastating
chain effects. This has an immediate regressive effect on the population of animals and
notably elephant population since their natural habitat is lost. This is not all; the mining,
logging and extractive industries operating in these forest areas of the south are for the most
part owned and run by multinationals and companies from the North where the final extracted
resources are usually ferried. In this same light according to the GIEC (Groupe
intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat) the industrialised countries are responsible for
about 75% of the total emission of GHG within the globe today. The 15% left is produced by
the developing countries76.
But the countries of the south are unfortunately animated by poverty and driven mostly by one
desire; the desire to survive. Following this logic, their pressure on the environment is
72 G.I., Tunkin, Basics of Contemporary International Law, Moscow, 1956, p. 15
73 W., Scholtz, “Collective (Environmental) Security: The Yeast for the Refinement of International Law” in
Yearbook of International Environmental Law, 2009, p. 135
74 B.O., Linnér, “The Return of Malthus Environmentalism and Post – War Population - Resource Crisis”, Isle of
Harris: White House Press,2003, p. 22
75
Loi N° 94/01 du 20 Janvier 1994 portant régime des forêts, de la faune et de la pêche.
76 IPCC, Climate Change: The IPCC Assessments of 1990 and 1992, Canada, 1992, p. 164

22
minimal since it mostly due to the ‘search for firewood, overgrazing, excessive clearing and
cultivation on fragile soils’77. Again, the States of the South are actively working hard to meet
their Emergence date lines (2035 for Cameroon, 2025 for Congo, 2025 for Gabon)78. To
achieve these, projects79 that have an impact on the environment are initiated almost
everywhere possible within the territory of these three countries that make up the Tridom
Forest.
Beyond reasonable doubts problems of the environment and Biodiversity loss are here
to stay and with current rates of forest exploitation in the Congo Basin and the TRIDOM
forest in particular, these threats will only accelerate should inclusive mitigation methods not
be put in place as soon as possible.
VII. RESEARCH PROBLEM
According to a UNEP report in 2013, Elephant poaching is a very serious problem across
many areas in Africa80. In fact, most elephant poaching activities in the world but specifically
in the TRIDOM Trinational park is aimed at fuelling the illegal trade in Ivory that is said to be
second only to drug trafficking.81 This money is often used to finance Conflicts82. “Analysis
of the largest survey dataset ever assembled for forest elephants (80 foot-surveys; covering
13,000 km; 91,600 person-days of fieldwork) revealed that population size declined by 62%
between 2002–2011, and the taxon lost 30% of its geographical range. The population is now
less than 10% of its potential size, occupying less than 25% of its potential range. High
human population density, hunting intensity, absence of law enforcement, poor governance,
and proximity to expanding infrastructure are the strongest predictors of decline’’83The
current high demand for ivory exceeds what can be supplied sustainably, and demand for
illegal ivory must be reduced to prevent the threat to elephant populations84. In order to
77 C., Brown, S., Flavin, et al., “ How to shape Environmentally Sustainable Global Economy” ,World watch
Institute, in le défi planétaire, Nouveauxhorizons, 1992, p. 183
78PLAN STRATEGIQUE GABON EMERGENT, Vision 2025 et orientations stratégiques 2011-2016,
Déclinaison en Programmes et Actions du Projet de Société de son Excellence Ali BONGO ONDIMBA,
Président de la République: « l’Avenir en confiance »
79 DSCE for Cameroon
80 UNEP, C., IUCN, TRAFFIC. Elephant in the Dust-The African Elephant Crisis, Rapid Response Assessments,
United Nations Environment Programme: GRID-Arendal, Norway, 2013.
81 Hakansson, N., Thomas, “The human ecology of world systems in East Africa: The impact of the Ivory trade”
in Human Ecology, Vol. 32, 2004, p. 561
82 Ibid. p. 562
83 F., Maisels et al, “Devastating Decline of Forest Elephants in Central Africa’’, PLoS ONE, New York,
Fordham University, 2013, p. 1
84 CITES, IUCN, & TRAFFIC, “Status of African elephant populations and levels of illegal killing and the
illegal trade in ivory” in A report to the African Elephant Summit, Gaborone, Botswana,2013,p. 35

23
protect elephants against the current poaching threats, massive investment in skilled
personnel, equipment and supplies to enhance effective patrol is required85.
To save the remaining African forest elephants, it will be necessary for us to examine how
COMIFAC intends to mitigate the decline of Elephant population, the policies designed and
put in place for this purpose, if they are implemented at the level of the different COMIFAC
forest in the three countries concerned or not, and the difficulties that arise with the
implementation of these policies and strategies with respect to the Convention on
Biodiversity.
With this in mind, some questions hold the attention of the researcher that we are.
VIII. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Our objective is to show How Elephant conservation policies are implemented. The objective
of this research lies in its strength to portray how biodiversity policies are implemented in the
Tridom forest. The main objective is to suggest the best strategies on how biodiversity policy
can be better implemented for best results and outcomes.
That is to show how stakeholders foster the effective implementation of biodiversity
conservation and to bring out the reasons why the elephant population keeps decreasing in
number.
A. CENTRAL QUESTION;
How do State and non-State actors organize to implement biodiversity conservation policies?
B. SECONDARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
FIRST SECONDARY question: How do these interaction lead to biodiversity conservation
in the Tridom forest?
SECOND SECONDARY QUESTION STATEMENT: Why does the number of elephants
keep reducing in the Tridom forest despite all the mechanisms put in place to combat
poaching?
From the above interrogations, follows some hypothesis of which one is the main hypothesis
and three are secondary hypothesis.
85 TAWIRI., Tanzania Elephant Management Plan 2010-2015,Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute,Arusha-
Tanzania, 2010, p. 44

24
IX. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Gordon MACE and Francois PETRY86 define a hypothesis as both a possible result and the
starting point for result verification. This research adopts the movement from a main or
primary idea (main hypothesis) from which secondary ideas (hypothesis) have been sculpted.
According to Madeleine GRAWITZ, a hypothesis can be understood as “a proposed answer
to the question, and which tends to formulate link between important facts”87. We will
distinguish here a central hypothesis (A) around which will be grafted two other secondary
hypotheses (B).
A. CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS.
In order to ensure the adequate conservation of biodiversity in the TRIDOM FOREST, States
and Non-State actors have put in place a lot of joint mechanisms to solve biodiversity
conservation problems in the TRIDOM since the TRIDOM Agreement signed in 2004.
B. SECONDARY HPOTHESIS
 Interaction between States and non-State Actors help in biodiversity conservation
through shared policies and joint implementation.
 Elephant numbers continue to reduce in the TRIDOM forest because of the increase
in the demand for ivory in the Asian market and lack of alternative source of
livelihood for the inhabitants of this conservation zone.
X. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
In this section we have both theoretical (A) and Methodological frameworks (B).
A. Theoretical Framework
Dario BATISTELLA88 defines a theory as the lens through which one could try to explain the
interaction that take place on the international scene. As such many theoretical approaches
enable us to see how and why a good number of States are involved in the conservation of
biodiversity worldwide but most particular in the TRIDOM FOREST.
86 G., MACE et François PETRY., « Guide d’élaboration d’un projet de recherché en sciences Sociales », in
Méthodesde recherche en scienceshumaines, Presses de l'Université Laval, 3e Edition, p. 99
87 M., GRAWITZ, Méthode des Sciences Sociales,Paris, éd Dalloz, 1990, p. 19
88D., Battistella, Théorie des relationsinternationales,Paris, Presses de Science Po, 2009, p. 20

25
Marce MERLE, on his own part holds that theories will help us the researcher to “… trace the
limits and axes of investigation and studies carried out in a given domain”89
In the sphere of this work, we shall be using the classic paradigm of liberalism,
Transnationalism and Global governance for analysis and discussion.
 The Theory Of Liberalism
After World War I (1914-1918), humanity was in a decisive search of means and strategies
with which to avoid the reappearance of such a war owing to the uncontrollable loss in human
life and property that was registered. It desperately needed to consolidate peace. This is how
Emmanuel KANT came out with his book Projects for Pepetual Peace in which he layed
down all the pertinence of the theory of Liberalism. Besides this document, WOODROW
Wilon’s 14 points which were at the origin of the League of Nations which is today known as
United Nations Organisation(UNO) also contributed greatly to the post war society build on
the principles of liberalism as a pragmatic theory of peace. In fact, liberalism as a theory
disproves the postulate of realism where the State is the Central actor in international
relations. To better achieve this shift of paradigm realism boards this change from the angle of
security, explaining that security considerations of State are not the only considerations that
affect the State’s interaction with other actors on the international scene. Economic, social,
and political consideration equally have a place of their own in these interactions. This
implies a multiplicity of other actors in international relations. In this logic also the State is
seen simply as an entity with a mission of regulation as opposed to the absolute representation
of the State by Thomas Hobbes in the XVII Century. This analysis was strongly fortified by
John LOCKE, a partisan of those who adhered more to the reductionist approach of the
sovereign power of States, taking as main arguments the existence of some natural rights of
men.
The theory of liberalism therefore is an incarnation of how international interactions
regulated by international law have continuously put in place the fertile environment on which
States, IO’s and Civil society organisations have come together to defend biodiversity in the
TRIDOM forest. This has been manifested over time by the international conventions signed
to that effect such as the Seven international conventions focus on biodiversity issues: the
Convention on Biological Diversity (year of entry into force: 1993), the Convention on
Conservation of Migratory Species, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
89 Marcel MERLE, Sociologie desRelationsInternationales,3rd ed. Paris, Dalloz, 1962, p. 45

26
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1975), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture (2004), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), the World
Heritage Convention (1972) and the International Plant Protection Convention (1952) and
recently the Nagoya Protocol of 17 December 2016. Each of the biodiversity-related
conventions works to implement actions at the national, regional and international level in
order to reach shared goals of conservation and sustainable use.
Transnationalism
Transnationalism refers to the diffusion and extension of social, economic and
political processes across and beyond sovereign boundaries of nation-states. International
processes are progressively being governed mostly by non-state agencies and international
organisations. Joseph Nye and Robert Keohane argue that Transnationalism affects diverse
areas of international governance, including interstate politics, US foreign Policy and
international organizations90. Non-state sources of governance may develop out of existing, as
well as newly emergent social movement and civil society organisation. Robinson I.
WILLIAM states that; ‘just as social structure is being transnationalized, an epistemic shift is
being required in concurrence with this ontological shift’’91. A transnational shift in research
means, shifting the unit of analysis from the individual state perspective to a global system of
analysis. Transnational perspectives provide deeper understanding into a number of globally
contingent social, economic, and political processes including social movements, governance
and politics, terrorism, political violence, and organized crime among others. One of the most
fruitful areas of study has been transnational migration. Research in this area looks at issues
such as the salient interaction with the receiving society’s institutions, the migration policies
of states, the role of discrimination in limiting access to the institutions of the receiving
society’s civil society, access to computers within the home and receiving societies, and the
costs and other hardships that affect groups of migrants.
 The Global Governance Theory
In as much as there is yet no universally accepted definition of the concept of global
governance, a few authors have carried out an attempted definition one of which we shall now
make allusion to. According to Martin Griffithes et al., the term Global Governance refers to
90 J., NYE, and R.O., Keohane, “TransnationalRelations and World Politics: An Introduction”,in International
Organization,Cambridge University Press, Vol. 25, No. 3, 1971, p. 330
91 WILLIAM I. Robinson., “Beyond Nation-State Paradigms: Globalization, Sociology, and the
Challenge of Transnational Studies”, in Sociological Forum,Plenum Publishers,vol.13, No.4, 1998

27
‘The techniques, institutions, rules, norms, and legal arrangements used to manage relations
between states and to facilitate cooperative action across various issue-areas’. In the current
international context, governance is carried out in the name of the global polity by both
governmental and non-governmental organisations’92 . The concept emerged as a result of the
inadequacy of either the classical realist or functional paradigms to explain the post Cold War
global order. ROSENAU has used the concept of global governance to refer to regulation and
interdependent relations in the absence of overarching political authority in the international
system93. For him, global governance is “governance without government” indicating a shift
from statism to integration94. Liberals have sought to foster global governance by developing
elaborate institutional arrangements to promote cooperation between states. Contemporary
debates about global governance revolve around the most appropriate location of authority
and power within the context of a world experiencing both integration and
fragmentation95.The concept of global governance seeks to describe the current condition of
international society and is sometimes limited to describing traditional forms of international
relations premised on the centrality of states as rational autonomous actors and at other times
broadened to encompass the social construction of identities and interests, and social and
political interaction among a plethora of agent. In Conclusion, although particular theoretical
paradigms within IR emphasise specific characteristics of global governance, no single
paradigm has been capable of capturing the complexity of global governance. Resultantly, the
conceptualisation of global governance requires a combination of particular aspects of
realism, institutionalism, constructivism, and pluralism.
B. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
This section of the work examines the methodology with which the work was
conducted. Talking about methodology it is worthy of note that methodology is a means or
the way in which one can attain an aspect of truth, to attempt the answer to the question of
‘HOW’ linked to explanation.96 Furthermore, Omar AKTOUF, on his own part says
92 Martin Griffithes et al., International Relations Key concepts, 2nd Ed., Madison Ave, New York,
Routledge,2002, p. 127
93 Rosenau, James. “Governance, Order and Change in World Politics”, in James N. Rosenau and Ernst-Ottawa
Czempiel (eds.), Governance without Government: Order and Change in World Politics, Cambridge University
Press, 1992 , pp. 1-29
94 Ibid.
95 Martin Griffithes et al., International Relations: The Key Concepts, New York, Routledge, 2008,p. 128
96 Madeleine GRAWITZ, Méthodes de Science Sociales, Paris, Edition Dalloz, 1970, p. 403

28
methodology “is a combination of intellectual operations through which a discipline or
branch of knowledge seeks to attain the truth it seeks, demonstrates and verifies it”97.
We shall therefore in this section say the methods we shall utilise in doing our analysis
and how this analysis will help us verify our hypothesis (1) and also define the different tools
and technics that will be used in data collection (2).
1. Methods Used.
The Historical Method
This method involves going back to the history of the problem of biodiversity loss due to
over-exploitation in the Congo Basin in general and the Tridom forest in particular. In a more
concrete manner, this method helped us to trace ourselves back to the culmination of
occurrences and statistics that made the public powers to start constructing tools and means
with which to slow down the advancing phenomenon of elephant poaching and biodiversity
loss both at an international and sub-regional scale as in the case of the TRIDOM.
The Descriptive and Evaluative Approach
The descriptive approach will enable us to illustrate the functional relationship between
COMIFAC and other State and non-State institutions devoted to the biodiversity and elephant
conservation course as well as the difficulties encountered that pose as an impediment to the
full realisation of their objectives.
On the other hand, the evaluative approach which can be qualified as propositional;
which based on the empirical reality will enable us formulate a few proposals which will help
the TRIDOM States and their partners to better better implement elephant conservation
policies in the said area.
Also, we identify relevant materials that are related to the topic from libraries, and online
sources. That notwithstanding, we shall equally demonstrate our observation carried out at the
COMIFAC’s CENTER here in Yaoundé, taken in to consideration the sensitive nature of our
topic, we avoided the questionnaire, with the full knowledge on the limit of such information,
we prefer direct interviews with anonymous characters to enrich our sources of information:
this is mostly because the organisation in question is a political institution, and it was quite an
uphill task getting pertinent information; they feared the information was too sensitive and
could jeopardize their relationship with the State.
97
Omar AKTOUF, Méthodologie desSciences Sociales et approche qualitative des organisations:Une
Introduction à la Démarche Classique et une Critique,Presse de l’Université du Québec, 1987, p. 18

29
2. Techniques Used.
For the realisation of this work, we made use of two technics; Analysis of Content and
Interviews.
 Analysis of content
A convincing scientific work is one that systematically pulls its inspiration and content from
verifiable facts and information with pertinent arguments as well. This information is usually
found nowhere else than in written documents. This research will thus be enriched by the
consultation of documents such as;
- National and international Legal text on Biodiversity conservation (Treaties, accords,
conventions, laws etc.)
- Books and scientific articles.
- Documents from institutions that have an interest on elephant conservation.
- Other academic works or memoires.
Once we made a selection of the documents and books necessary for our research, a deep
study of the latter was carried out to enable us have a clear analysis of our central theme.
Apart from these books and documents, we also recourse to the internet research engines
through which we got access to websites, bibliographic references, online scientific papers,
INGO publications, State publications and more on which we based our research.
 Interviews
According to Madeleine Grawitz, interviews refer to ‘a scientific investigation procedue using
a process of verbal communication to collect information with a fixed aim98’. Interviews give
to the researcher that we are the opportunity to ask questions directly and get information
from our resource persons also refered to as our source of information. Furthermore Olla and
Perkins state that ‘ it would seem that the most obvious way to discover people’s point of
view is to ask them’’99 To this effect we have Structured interviews, Semi-structured
interviews and non-structured interviews. For the purpose of this work we used the Semi-
structured interview guide during information gathering in the field.
Through the semi-structured format of interviews, the researcher prepares questions some of
which are open-ended and allow for modification such as asking follow up questions. Within
the framework of this research the use of this method consisted in having an exchange with
98 Grawitz, M., Lexique des sciences sociales, Paris, Dalloz, 2011, p. 644
99 John W. Oller and Kyle Perkins, Research in Language Testing, Newbury House, 1980, p. 3

30
our source of information in a bid to gather information on the policies and course of action
taken by the international bodies as well as sub-regional institutions and States to ensure
elephant conservation in the TRIDOM forest area and its environs and the difficulties linked
in the implementation of elephant conservation policies. As a result most of those we
interviewed are found in COMIFAC, MINEFOF, IUCN, UNDP, MIKE and MINEPDED.
In this same line of thought, since the financial capability of the researcher did not permit him
to attend all important conferences held in other countries on his theme, he asked for and read
reports on the recent meetings while attending those in Cameroon such as;
 Climat, forêts tropicales et gouvernance globale organized by CIFOR on the 05
february 2016 at the IRIC campus.
 Rapport de la Mission conjoint MINFOF/WWF sur l’Etat de la conservation des
Elephants dans la Foret du Tridom Cameroon, 2017.
 Rapport Final : Étude de l’importance économique et sociale du secteur forestier et
faunique au Cameroun
XI. ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PLAN
This scientific work is divided into two main parts. Each part sub-divided into two
chapters. The first part is titled; An Overview of Elephant Exploitation in the Tridom
Forest. The first chapter being; The Context of Biodiversity Protection in Africa and the
Congo Basin. The second chapter on its own part, brings to lime light; The Legal
Framework, Actors and Structures Involved in the Conservation of Elephants in The
Tridom Forest.
The second part which is also made up of two chapters lays emphasis on; Analysis of The
Interactions between actors in The Implementation Of Elephant Conservation Policies in The
TRIDOM Forest and Way Forward. The first chapter on this section is naturally, An Analysis
of Logic and Issues Affecting Interaction between Stakeholders Concerning the Protection of
Elephants in the Tridom Forest. We conclude with a fourth chapter which is; Elephant
Protection in the Tridom Forest: An Analysis of Challenges and Outlook.

31
PART I
AN OVERVIEW OF ELEPHANT EXPLOITATION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST
According to the Oxford Dictionary on Environment and Conservation, Exploitation
could be seen as ‘the use of natural resources for profit or benefit of mankind’100. This
exploitation of elephant resources over time has led to the evolution of the elephant
population in the Tridom area and the Congo Basin at large. This clearly regressive evolution
of this biodiversity component which is still an asset for future generations drew the attention
of the international community and other organisations towards this phenomenon. Through a
regulatory approach to public policy aimed at curbing this problem, the different actors
devised different but coordinated means and approaches in view of providing a sustainable
solution to the identified problem. But before coming out with accepted policies and
frameworks that have gained grounds to this effect, it is imperative for us to examine The
Context Of Biodiversity Protection In Africa And The Congo Basin (Chapter I) before giving
a cross-section view of The Legal Framework, Actors And Structures Involved In The
Conservation Of Elephants In The Tridom Forest (Chapter II).

THE PUBLIC ACTION BETWEEN STATES AND NON-STATE ACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION POLICIES: THE CASE OF COMIFAC AND ELEPHANT CONSERVATION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST.

THE PUBLIC ACTION BETWEEN STATES AND NON-STATE ACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION POLICIES: THE CASE OF COMIFAC AND ELEPHANT CONSERVATION IN THE TRIDOM FOREST.

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