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Changes linked to forest management institutions in diverse communities and cultural settings continue to attract research interest. However, comparative insights on their manifestations are lacking in Former British and Former French Cameroon. We trace the evolution of forest management institutions in the Kilum-Ijim and Santchou landscapes of Cameroon and analyse their compliance determinants, using key informant interviews (n = 12), focus group discussions (n = 6) and household surveys (n = 150). The results revealed a fairly stable culturally embedded institutional landscape in Kilum-Ijim, and a significant multiplication of structural institutions for Santchou. The logistic regression showed that perception and compliance with forest management institutions substantially depend on educational attainment, migration, membership in organisations, length of stay in the area and proximity of respondents to protected areas. The conclusion drawn is that landscapes which came under British colonial influence have fairly stable culturally embedded institutions, when compared to those that came under French influence. These site-specific traits shed light on the complexities linked to embedded institutions and their evolution. It further edifies theoretical perspectives on critical institutionalism. Studies on the source and content of the ‘last vestiges’ of these institutions are required.

International climate mitigation agendas increasingly focus on the conservation of tropical forests such as the Amazon due to their high potential of sequestering large amounts of carbon. At the same time, Peru’s Amazonian frontier is increasingly subject to market pressures and other factors contributing to deforestation and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. In the face of these processes, the perspectives of local people and indigenous communities are often rendered invisible. Therefore, it becomes increasingly relevant to align goals of forest conservation with strategies to not compromise livelihood needs for rural populations. This thesis explores unheard perspectives of local people and the corresponding struggles to make a life in the Peruvian Amazon. More concrete, it is a case study on livelihoods in the indigenous community Naranjal in San Martín, one of the upper eastern jungle regions of Peru. Through using the conceptual lens of the ‘Extended Livelihood Framework’ and theories rooted in political ecology, the different livelihood activities are analysed both on the village and household level as well as in relation to wider political trends influencing these. Methodologically, qualitative PRA tools such as semi-structured interviews with households and key informants were used. The Findings demonstrate household complexity and livelihood diversity in which tensions between the different activities followed by villagers arise. The contested institutional landscape around Naranjal forms part of this puzzle. A crucial concern is the access to livelihood resources such as old-growth forests and farming land. These are in turn influenced by external ecological and demographic changes as well as political interests by the Peruvian state. Access mechanisms such as social networks and social identity in terms of indigeneity as well as farmer’s local knowledge on ecologies were highlighted, among others. It is argued that political and development actors should consider features of these mechanisms and livelihoods found in Naranjal, as they hold potential to contribute to a more sustainable future for indigenous communities in rural Amazonia. Equally, more collaboration among different development interventions should be aspired to build on synergies and head towards an integrative development approach which includes and considers villager’s own concerns and perspectives.