Productive Landscapes (ProLand): National Land-Use Planning to Prevent Deforestation at the Agricultural Frontier: A Synthesis of the Evidence and a Case Study from Cameroon

For this paper, we reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of national land-use planning to prevent agricultural expansion into forests. We found that this approach can work, but there have been only a few cases where it has been proven to work, largely because few developing countries have established the conditions for national-level land-use planning to be successful. We synthesize the research and development literature to describe five important conditions for land-use planning success. Through examination of the experience in Cameroon we then illustrate how governments can use land-use planning to prevent agricultural expansion and slow deforestation. Cameroon provides an example of several steps that governments should take when implementing this approach. It also highlights common challenges that practitioners are likely to encounter and that donors should anticipate.

Since the 1990s, international development practitioners have come to regard land-use planning as an essential strategy to achieve sustainable development goals. People engage in land-use planning to satisfy multiple, often competing, demands for limited land resources related to production and conservation. Through this approach, practitioners systematically assess land resources to identify the best uses for the land available. They then forge and implement agreements—land-use plans—that govern how people may access and use the land. Land-use planning can help people in developing countries achieve agreement on land use, but implementation is often fraught with challenges, many of which stem from weak governance. Governments need the capacity and motivation to act efficiently and equitably, and achieving sustainable land-use goals requires long-term financial support.

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