THE MANAGEMENT OF WILD YAM TUBERS BY THE BAKA PYGMIES IN SOUTHERN CAMEROON

ABSTRACT Wild yams (Dioscoreu spp.) are primordial sources of carbohydrates for many hunter-gatherers of African forests. Yams play a key role in the symbolic perception of the forest by the B a h Pygmies of Southern Cameroon. The Baka have elaborated an original form of wild yam exploitation that I have termed “paracultivation”. Paraculti-vation defines a set of technical, social and cultural practices aiming at managing wild resources while keeping them in their natural environment. In 1994, I undertook an experimental survey‘to estimate the effect of paracultivation on survivol and growth of yam plants: Preliminary results presented here demonstrate that paracultivation increases the production of tubers without affecting plant survivorship. Furthermore, it allows a better control of the spatial and temporal availability of yam resources by the Bah. This study has opened up new perspectives on the evolutionary ecology of tuber-producing tropical forest plants. Paracultivation encourages us to reconsider the interac-tive process between forest dwellers and their environment. Key Words: Wild yams; Ba @ South Cameroon forest; Paracultivation; Resource man-agement; Ethnoecolog