She also noted that while Cameroon suffered much deforestation in certain areas, one million hectares of new forest have evolved since 1950. She said that the relationship between population and forests is dynamic and unpredictable with land use shifting between savannah and forest. Exaggerated estimates can blind those trying to influence policy, said the researchers. During their field work, Leach and Fairhead observed farming practices that changed the soil and ecology to cause more trees to grow. In forest and savannah transition zones, gardening, mounding and other techniques that protect from fires help promote tree growth.
Farmers also enrich soil, plant trees and put out bush fires.
Leach and Fairhead do not favor forest parks patrolled by rangers, arguing that authorities should recognize the rights of the people to the forests and allow them to share in profits from forest production. They say there are many sustainable uses of forests, among them natural forest management for timber, and, if managed properly, tree crops such as coffee, cocoa, kola and palm oil. But Eric Brownstein, African Campaign Director of the Rainforest Action Network, said it was sometimes necessary to create park-type forest reserves. Local conditions like war and famine can put great strain on people who then invade the forests. The biggest threat to the forests, however, come from big foreign companies that build logging roads to remote areas, making them accessible to hunters who kill larger animals such as gorillas.