Author
William Armand Mala
Other affiliations: University of Yaoundé, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Center for International Forestry Research
Bio: William Armand Mala is an academic researcher from University of Yaoundé I. The author has contributed to research in topics: Agriculture & Natural resource management. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 22 publications receiving 1502 citations. Previous affiliations of William Armand Mala include University of Yaoundé & International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.
Papers
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National University of Cordoba1, Addis Ababa University2, National Autonomous University of Mexico3, State University of Campinas4, United Nations Environment Programme5, UNESCO6, United States Department of Agriculture7, Indiana University8, University of British Columbia9, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation10, University of Paris-Sud11, Landcare Research12, University College London13, Autonomous University of Madrid14, University of Cambridge15, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research16, University of Southern Denmark17, United Nations University18, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment19, The Nature Conservancy20, University of the South Pacific21, University of East Anglia22, Kyushu University23, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology24, University of Washington25, Budapest University of Technology and Economics26, Environmental Law Institute27, Ankara University28, University of Portsmouth29, Chinese Academy of Sciences30, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay31, Kyoto University32, Joseph Fourier University33, National Scientific and Technical Research Council34, University of Yaoundé35, Polish Academy of Sciences36, University of São Paulo37, École Normale Supérieure38, University of Otago39, Stanford University40, University of Queensland41, Azim Premji University42, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ43, University of Ghana44, Corvinus University of Budapest45, Stockholm University46, Lakehead University47, Indian Institute of Forest Management48, Seoul National University49, Sofia University50
TL;DR: The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework as discussed by the authors, which will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions.
1,585 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight how stakeholders and generations, "self-interested", mark out access to forest resources and to financial benefits relating to the latter, and suggest the shortening of the distance between decision-making and beneficiaries, downwardly accountability, and a collaborative infrastructure in the circulation and the distribution of forest benefits.
60 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study was carried out in seven communities in the Bamuso Sub-division of the South-West Region of Cameroon and seeks to understand how smallholder oil palm farmers use the intercropping technique during the early stages of oil palm development as a means to improve on their livelihood.
Abstract: Intercropping oil palm during its immature stage with food crops is usually blamed for its negative impact on the growth and future yields of palms. Agro- industries unanimously condemn such practice. For smallholders on the contrary, intercropping presents numerous advantages as it not only covers the weeding cost but also provides food and revenue while waiting for the palms to come into production. While such trade-off may be of little interest to an agro-industry, it appears as determining for many smallholders. The study was carried out in seven communities in the Bamuso Sub-division of the South-West Region of Cameroon and seeks to understand how smallholder oil palm farmers (small, medium and large scale) use the intercropping technique during the early stages of oil palm development as a means to improve on their livelihood. Results indicated that, a mean annual wage of 705,000 FCFA (€1075) was obtained per hectare per household for smallholders practicing intercropping. In addition to income gained, inter- cropping significantly reduced the cost of weeding. The study therefore, suggests the need for pre-emptive measures—such as food crop choice, planting density amongst others—to be taken into consideration when intercropping annual food crops with oil palm so as not to jeopardize the yield of oil palm at production stage. The finding is of significance for sustainable agricul- ture in that intercropping encourages poverty reduc- tion for marginalized people especially women with no access to land, maximises land use by farmers, food security in households, stability in yield and profit in smallholders' oil palm plantations.
35 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors collected data from 12 small and medium enterprises trading an NTFP known as okok (Gnetum spp.) from the production forests to the port of export in Cameroon, and workshops.
34 citations
09 Apr 2011
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a synthesis of some main findings of preliminary scoping studies conducted by CIFOR and partners in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, focusing on how Chinese trade and investment in the forestry, mining and agricultural sectors might relate to effects on forests and forestdependent communities in the region.
Abstract: Since 2000 and the implementation of China's ‘going abroad' policy, mainland Chinese state-owned and private companies have significantly increased their interests in the resources and investment opportunities of the Congo Basin, bringing new opportunities as well as potential social and environmental costs. This report is a synthesis of some main findings of preliminary scoping studies conducted by CIFOR and partners in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. It focuses on how Chinese trade and investment in the forestry, mining and agricultural sectors might relate to effects on forests and forest-dependent communities in the region. All studies were conducted under the CIFOR project ‘Chinese trade and investment in Africa: Assessing and governing trade-offs to national economies, local livelihoods and forest ecosystems', initiated in 2010. The scoping studies yielded useful results, including an increased understanding of the main trends in natural resources trade between the target countries and China, and the major land-based productive sectors targeted by Chinese investors. The studies also considered the role of national agencies tasked with promoting investment and overseeing corporate adherence to environmental and social requirements, and provided a better understanding of the informal processes surrounding investment and acquisition of land and other resources.
32 citations
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Journal Article•
2,568 citations
TL;DR: The notion of nature's contributions to people (NCP) was introduced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as mentioned in this paper, a joint global effort by governments, academia, and civil society to assess and promote knowledge of Earth's biodiversity and ecosystems and their contribution to human societies.
Abstract: A major challenge today and into the future is to maintain or enhance beneficial contributions of nature to a good quality of life for all people. This is among the key motivations of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a joint global effort by governments, academia, and civil society to assess and promote knowledge of Earth's biodiversity and ecosystems and their contribution to human societies in order to inform policy formulation. One of the more recent key elements of the IPBES conceptual framework ( 1 ) is the notion of nature's contributions to people (NCP), which builds on the ecosystem service concept popularized by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) ( 2 ). But as we detail below, NCP as defined and put into practice in IPBES differs from earlier work in several important ways. First, the NCP approach recognizes the central and pervasive role that culture plays in defining all links between people and nature. Second, use of NCP elevates, emphasizes, and operationalizes the role of indigenous and local knowledge in understanding nature's contribution to people.
1,470 citations
University of the Basque Country1, University of Cambridge2, National Autonomous University of Mexico3, University of Córdoba (Spain)4, Corvinus University of Budapest5, University of Southern Denmark6, University of Gothenburg7, University of East Anglia8, Lund University9, University of Kiel10, United Nations11, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ12, University of Khartoum13, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology14, University of Washington15, University of Oxford16, Ministry of Forestry17, University College Dublin18, National University of Cordoba19, Carthage University20, University of Chile21, Harvard University22, Norwegian University of Life Sciences23, University of Pretoria24, University of Antwerp25, Wetlands International26, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro27, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources28, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research29, University of Western Australia30, National University of General Sarmiento31, Calcutta Institute of Engineering and Management32, European Commission33, Government of Canada34, Finnish Environment Institute35, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro36, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro37, International Institute of Minnesota38, Victoria University of Wellington39, Indian Institute of Forest Management40, University of Tokyo41
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so, and argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human nature-relations and NCP.
985 citations
National University of Cordoba1, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ2, Leipzig University3, Indiana University4, United Nations5, University of the West Indies6, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology7, National Autonomous University of Mexico8, University of Minnesota9, University of Cambridge10, BirdLife International11, University of British Columbia12, National University of Río Negro13, National Institute for Environmental Studies14, Chiba University15, Michigan State University16, United Nations University17, International Institute of Minnesota18, Stellenbosch University19, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation20, Simón Bolívar University21, Hungarian Academy of Sciences22, University of Queensland23, Duke University24, Natural History Museum25, Imperial College London26, University of the West of England27, Stockholm University28, Clark University29, IFREMER30, University of Cape Town31, George Mason University32, Radboud University Nijmegen33, University of Oxford34, Royal Botanic Gardens35, University of the Philippines Diliman36
TL;DR: The first integrated global-scale intergovernmental assessment of the status, trends, and future of the links between people and nature provides an unprecedented picture of the extent of the authors' mutual dependence, the breadth and depth of the ongoing and impending crisis, and the interconnectedness among sectors and regions.
Abstract: The human impact on life on Earth has increased sharply since the 1970s, driven by the demands of a growing population with rising average per capita income. Nature is currently supplying more materials than ever before, but this has come at the high cost of unprecedented global declines in the extent and integrity of ecosystems, distinctness of local ecological communities, abundance and number of wild species, and the number of local domesticated varieties. Such changes reduce vital benefits that people receive from nature and threaten the quality of life of future generations. Both the benefits of an expanding economy and the costs of reducing nature's benefits are unequally distributed. The fabric of life on which we all depend-nature and its contributions to people-is unravelling rapidly. Despite the severity of the threats and lack of enough progress in tackling them to date, opportunities exist to change future trajectories through transformative action. Such action must begin immediately, however, and address the root economic, social, and technological causes of nature's deterioration.
913 citations
West Virginia University1, Yale University2, Food and Agriculture Organization3, Landcare Research4, University of Udine5, Max Planck Society6, University of Alaska Fairbanks7, Technische Universität München8, Université du Québec à Montréal9, University of the French West Indies and Guiana10, University of Freiburg Faculty of Biology11, Cornell University12, Wageningen University and Research Centre13, University of Sydney14, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro15, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu16, University of Göttingen17, Russian Academy of Sciences18, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research19, Lakehead University20, University of La Frontera21, Seoul National University22, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg23, University of Cambridge24, Center for International Forestry Research25, James Cook University26, University of Zurich27, University of Yaoundé I28, University of Wisconsin-Madison29, Queensland Government30, Institut national de la recherche agronomique31, Florida International University32, Forest Research Institute33, Polish Academy of Sciences34, University of Minnesota35, Warsaw University of Life Sciences36, Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava37, University of Florence38, University of Warsaw39, Spanish National Research Council40, King Juan Carlos University41, National Scientific and Technical Research Council42, National University of Austral Patagonia43, International Trademark Association44, Wildlife Conservation Society45, College of African Wildlife Management46, University of York47, Durham University48, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources49, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador50, Centre national de la recherche scientifique51, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi52, University College London53, University of Leeds54
TL;DR: A consistent positive concave-down effect of biodiversity on forest productivity across the world is revealed, showing that a continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide.
Abstract: The biodiversity-productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to our understanding of the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning. Understanding BPR is critical for the accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. Using ground-sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots, spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes, we reveal a globally consistent positive concave-down BPR, showing that continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide. The value of biodiversity in maintaining commercial forest productivity alone-US$166 billion to 490 billion per year according to our estimation-is more than twice what it would cost to implement effective global conservation. This highlights the need for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities.
889 citations