**Table 8.**

*Absolute importance of the impacts of the oil palm cultivation on the biophysical milieu.*

Also, field surveys show that waste oils emanating from SOCAPALM and PAMOL mills flow into rivers and streams close to village dwellings. These rivers and streams remain the most fishing and living places estimated by local populations (consumption, bathing, etc.). As a result of these liquid waste, local populations are not only deprived of much of their fishing resources, but they are also exposed to health risks. Another negative aspect is the environmental impact of artisanal mill units whose process is polluting because the discharges are not treated. Finally, deforestation exposes the soil surface and accentuates its leaching. The oil palm plantation establishment modifies the soil texture as well as its biological characteristics, which is often partly responsible for the degradation of plant diversity in oil palm plantations. This degradation of soil quality is at the origin of the loss/fragmentation of the wildlife natural habitat as well as the destruction of the soil micro-fauna.

Unfortunately, the issue in water and soil pollution, is the mostly poor assessed aspects in many studies. However, greenhouse gas emissions occur from mill and plantation activities, and especially from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), a liquid waste from the initial processing of fresh fruit bunches. Little is known about the pollution of waterways by fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals used in oil palm plantations, as well as their impact on human health, aquatic species and fisheries [21]. Qaim et al., [29] found that forest conversion to oil palm plantations also affects ecosystem functions. Among others, the functions affected include carbon storage, nutrient cycles, soil regeneration, and air and water purification. Releasing POME into waterways harms aquatic ecosystems by creating highly acidic environments or causing eutrophication and this is in line with our results.

Landscapes dynamics have been assessed through the populations rating. The synthesis is shown by **Table 9** interpreted the lines after.

The high score (34.62) for the "slow increase" trend in Ekondo Titi reflects the illusion of the population's margin for maneuvering the resources of their territory (sea, Atlantic forest, dense forest and mangrove) in Ekondo-Titi. It is worth mentioning that the fallacy of the people of Ngwéi and Sanaga Maritime, of whom approximately 2/5 believe that the landscape has not changed (43.20 & 40.75). However, they objectively acknowledge (23.4 & 22.57%) that negative changes (landscape degradation, resource depletion, poverty) are more significant than positive changes (15.4 & 18.15%). This means forest depletion is a reality even though if people succeed in getting a cash benefit from oil palm activities.
