Community forestry in Cameroon is often seen as a way to redirect some of the benefits of timber exploitation to local communities. This paper presents a case study from the Kilum-Ijim Forest which is in an area that has insufficient valuable timber to be of logging interest but is, on the contrary, of great conservation value. Although the interests of the conservation community and local people differ, there is significant overlap and a common interest in maintaining the forest in its present extent and natural state. This has permitted the development of community forestry as a partnership between the conservation community and the local population.