The Cameroon case presents one of the greatest challenges to community forestry in the tropics, and has generated exceptional interest in the international community. A radical overhaul of the forest legislation in 1994 opened the way for community involvement in the management of forests for commercial timber production. The story which the papers in this mailing collectively tell is that, despite the enormity of the challenges, real progress can be made where there is a critical mass of local and international concern, and that the benefits to be had may spread beyond the forest sector, and extend into the wider realms of public governance. But progress takes time, and demands tenacity and long-term financial commitment from local actors and international funders alike.