article · Journal for Nature Conservation
Communities dependent on natural resources around Campo Ma'an National Park in Cameroon face severe burdens from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. An assessment of 200 households alongside key informant and expert interviews identified the local typologies, perceptions, and impacts of these health shocks. Local residents attribute these crises primarily to human-induced factors, followed by natural phenomena. Communicable diseases, notably malaria, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and COVID-19, demonstrate a significantly higher severity of impact on community livelihoods than non-communicable diseases. Perceptions regarding livelihood severity vary: while some community members reported a decline in their livelihoods over the past five years, others reported increased pressure on and use of forest, land, and water resources during periods of health shocks.
Understanding how illness impacts communities bordering conservation areas is essential for coordinating public health interventions and environmental management. By showing how communicable diseases directly strain household wellbeing and influence the use of surrounding natural resources, these findings help policymakers design targeted health programmes that also support local livelihood resilience and conservation objectives.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway, as it focuses on empirical social and epidemiological survey research. However, public health agencies, non-governmental organisations, and conservation managers could use the findings to design targeted healthcare delivery models and community resilience interventions in protected areas.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The burden of health shocks continues to pose significant threats on human wellbeing, development and livelihoods especially in sub-Saharan African countries. Evidence on its perceptions and severity on natural resource dependent communities in Cameroon are lacking. To bridge this gap, the study uses the case of the Campo Ma’an National Park to i) identify the typology of health shocks in natural resources dependent communities, ii) explore the perceptions of natural resource dependent communities on health shocks, and iii) evaluate the severity of health shocks on natural resource-based livelihoods. To attain these objectives, a survey of 200 natural resource dependent households was conducted in four zones of the Campo Ma’an National Park, complemented by expert interviews (N = 4), and key informant interviews (N = 6). The results indicate that the Campo Ma’an National Park communities are experiencing both communicable and non-communicable diseases with higher burden. Also, the perception of health shocks was more on human-induce phenomena, followed by natural induce phenomena. In addition, varied perceptions on health shock severity revealed an increase in forest, land and water resources and livelihoods during health shocks in the region, while some perceived a decline in their livelihoods over the past five years. There is a significant difference in the severity of communicable health shocks over non-communicable health shocks in Campo Ma’an National Park communities. Diseases like malaria, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and COVID-19 in the area around the Campo Ma’an National Park have significant effects on the livelihoods of the local communities. The study provides empirical evidence on the link between health shocks and livelihoods in natural resource settings with emphasis on the typology and severity of health shocks.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2025.127013
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
