Institutional Analysis of Quarry Resource Use Practices in Central Africa: Lessons from the Mungo Corridor, Cameroon

Abstract

Natural resource use practices are shaped by an array of institutions. These institutions, through their levels of compliance (full, partial, and non) determines the socio-economic and ecological effects of natural resource use practices. Empirically, while literature on institutional compliance draws more attention towards forest resource use practices in SSA, there exists limited empirical evidence on the level of compliance with institutions and its associated social, economic and ecological effects linked to the use practices of quarry resources. To narrow this gap, this study seeks to 1) examine how levels of compliance across different institutional types influence the use practices of quarry resources in the Mungo Corridor in Cameroon, and 2) analyse the socio-economic and ecological effects of institutional compliance in the use practices of quarry resources in the Mungo Corridor. Key informant interviews (n=7), expert interviews (n=5), focus group discussions (n=9), and the administration of questionnaires (n=250) to households were employed to collect data for this study.  Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis, and quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Our results revealed that there exist different typologies of exogenous (local councils, private companies, delegation of forestry, NGOs) and endogenous (traditional councils, secret societies, vigilante) institutions that shape quarry resource use practices through different interventions (exploitation of quarry materials, ensuring compensations to land owners, and users, etc.). Furthermore, our results showed that institutional compliance creates ecological, economic and social effects in the Mungo Corridor, with dominant ecological effects such as landscape degradation in Njombe-Penja (95%) and Loum (89%) compared to Melong (35%).  From the evidence, variations exist in the effects of institutional compliance linked to the use practices of quarry resources in the Mungo Corridor. This study recommends a jelled institutional approach with both endogenous and exogenous institutions collaborating to enhance proper compliance and limited effects in the use practices of quarry resources in the Mungo Corridor. Further study should focus on investigating the drivers of institutional compliance in the use practices of quarry resources in the Mungo Corridor.