Strategies of resistance and power relations in the mount Cameroon national park

Observing the disconnect between local communities and the conservation agencies which manage Protected Areas in Cameroon in general and the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) in particular is what sparked this study. During the last couples of decades, opposition to conservation policies and wildlife management strategies have increased and materialized through a large number of NGOs. But how does local people in the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP) resist conservation rule? In this paper we examine the ‘what and how’ of subtle resistance and power relations in the MCNP which is highly appropriate for the peace, organic solidarity and sustainable management of the protected area. The data were collected through in-depth interviewing and participant observation in eight of the villages close to the borders of the park. Results show a lack of community interests and belongingness among the communities. We identified that the way the local people in the MCNP response against conservation rules are subtle, many of which are embedded in their everyday forest based livelihoods struggle. The paper concluded that in the heart of subtle resistance, lies what matters to poor people.