**4. Conclusion**

The objective of this article was to assess the environmental impacts of the palm oil sector in Cameroon. The methods used gathered field observations, satellite images processing and participative survey among population through landscape perception methods. Three main production basins (Sanaga Maritime, Littoral and Southwest) were chosen.

The results revealed that the oil palm cultivation has many negative consequences on the environment such as deforestation and various forms of pollution. On deforestation Ngwéi account for 45.94% in 40 years (i.e. 1.20% per year), Sanaga Maritime, 23.61% (i.e. 0.87% yearly) and Ekondo-Titi, 22.74% (0.61% per year). The perception of rural populations confirms the results obtained on deforestation with 44.5, 33.6 and 20.39 in Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively. The same with animal biodiversity which gave 65.81%, 47.54% and 58.53% in Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively. Ecological impact in the matrix is 96.5% negative against 3.5 positive. The biodiversity declines and Simpson index are low in area of oil palm plantations than in other with 0.20–0.21 for Shannon index against 0.01–0.02 for Simpson index.

Economically, the sector is still dominated by small producers whose methods significantly impaired profitability. Economic impacts are 51% positive and the score varies by items with 75%, 79 and 81 for income in the Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively; 95, 88 and 90% for Job in Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively, also 80, 90 and 90% in Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively for welfare.

Social impacts are diverse with 37.35% overall impacts positive against 62.65% negative. In social way, only housing (70, 75 and 65%,) access to water (72, 78 and 50) access to land (68, 72 and 80) for Sanaga Maritime, Ngwéi and Ekondo Titi respectively are 45, 50 and 60) and water pollution (68, 72 and 70) insecurity and conflicts (75, 83, 85%) are negative. At the social level, wage employment in the field is not well organized and corporate social responsibility is not applied among agro-industries and other large farmers (elites) who nevertheless deserve to be encouraged in this direction if we want to give the local riparian populations the opportunity to benefit from it.

At institutional level, governance is not well perceived apart from policies proposed to increase smallholders' areas under cultivation.

The above results revealed that the main objective of the research were fulfilled. The novelty brought by the present study lays on the effort to involve populations in the participatory assessment of their oil palm growing landscape in order to better understand the issues. Also analyzing water pollution that have not really encountered in the documents consulted. The study has equally focused on the impacts of the institutional side, little criticized in previous research in Africa, because the laws on the land are enacted by the governments which do not often hold the customary laws of the populations who are the first occupants of these territories. Indeed, already poorly organized, they are not sufficiently taken into account in sectorial policies. With regard to the environment or more specifically ecology, it is necessary to limit deforestation and the pollution induced by the palm oil sector through energetic measures, because we are witnessing a permanent granting of concessions (Greenfil SA allotted in 2014 and CAMVERT in 2019) for oil palm despite warnings and actions from environmental organizations like WWF and Rainforest. Also, it becomes necessary to respect the sustainability values, improve the agricultural yields and the livelihood, contribute to local development, and protect High Conservation Value (HCV) areas around the oil palm belt as well as preserving the environment.

Methodologically, the techniques used (transects and quadrates for biodiversity assessment, carbon assessment, remote sensing, landscape approach) without forgetting the surveys carried out with 40 students in the field made it possible to familiarize them with the impacts practices. A database has been established on the socioeconomic determinants of oil palm. In addition, the populations were made aware of how to take their landscape into account and questions of spatial justice.

The limitation aspects of this study rely on the links between climate change and oil palm plantations which have been little addressed. The same is true of the systematic census of animal species in oil palm cultivation areas. Nevertheless, the high academic contributions of the study is linked to multidisciplinary team invested (biologist, botanist, agronomist, ecologist, geographer, economist) to lead to the understanding of the socio-spatial and socio-economic and ecological changes that have occurred in Cameroon for about 30 years. The team was able to articulate questions of environmental and climatic spatial justice (subject of a current thesis) and validate the theory of the anthropocene. Practically, the impact analysis carried out reveals the need to review cultivation techniques and even agricultural policies in Cameroon, particularly the national oil palm strategy, which *Environmental Impacts of the Oil Palm Cultivation in Cameroon DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97862*

stills pending. A special attention is to be paid to several aspects of land management methods, availability of seeds and plant material, technical support for small growers, and awareness of the challenges of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.
