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Central Africa: Initiatives · Cameroon Forests · Gabon Forests · Publications & Maps · News

Central Africa: News 

• Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Cameroon Ministry of Forests and WRI-GFW
• WRI, Cameroon Agreement Cuts Down Illegal Logging
• Independent Forest Concession Monitoring System in Central Africa
• Workshop Recommendations on “Monitoring and Reporting Needs in Support of the African Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) Process”
• WRI, Cameroon Ink Pact to Monitor Forests, Curb Illegal Logging
• GFW Cameroon Documents Concession Allocation in 1999/2000
• GFW Cameroon Launches French Version of State of the Forest Report
• Report Reveals Threats to Cameroon's Growing Timber Industry
• An Agreement in Favor of Gabon’s Biodiversity 
• GFW Gabon Launched
• Report Shows Gabon’s Dependence on Exports of Okoumé for Logging Industry
• Other News

Yaoundé, Cameroon, June 16, 2005 - A memorandum of understanding was signed between WRI and the Cameroon government at a ceremony held in Cameroon on June 16th. This agreement ensures the continuation of a landmark technical partnership between the Ministère des Forêts et de la Faune (MINFOF) and WRI for another three years. The government of Cameroon used the occasion to reinforce its commitment to combat illegal logging, highlighting the MINFOF-WRI partnership as an important contribution to achieving this commitment. Likewise, WRI committed to continue and expand its technical support to the government of Cameroon to improve forest monitoring and governance, combat illegal logging and promote more sustainable management of forest resources.

Convention de Collaboration entre MINFOF et WRI (français) (PDF)
Memorandum of Understanding between MINFOF and WRI (English) (Word)

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Yaoundé, Cameroon, March 7, 2005 - A landmark partnership formed in 2002 between the government of Cameroon and the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch (GFW) achieved its first major result with today’s release of a forest-mapping tool designed to help Cameroon reduce illegal logging and ensure better governance.

The agreement, the first African remote-sensing and monitoring partnership between a government and an independent group, has produced a report on the state of forest concessions and created maps that help officials from Cameroon’s Ministry of Forests and Fauna (MINFOF) to detect illegal logging throughout the country.

Related Documents:
  - Full Press Release
  - Full Press Release (français)
  - Report Overview (English) (français)
  - Cameroon Interactive Maps
  - Download Cameroon Geographic Datasets

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WRI, Cameroon Ink Pact to Monitor Forests, Curb Illegal Logging

Yaoundé, Cameroon and Washington, DC, June 6, 2002 - The World Resources Institute's Global Forest Watch and the Government of Cameroon signed an agreement today to share data and maps about the country's forests in a bid to curb rampant illegal logging.

"Widespread illegal logging contributes to the destruction of forests and the loss of badly needed revenues across much of Central Africa, the second biggest rainforest in the world," said Jonathan Lash, president of World Resources Institute (WRI). "This landmark partnership with the Government of Cameroon will provide the data needed to promote law enforcement to curb this destruction."

This is the first map-based monitoring agreement of its kind in Africa, and is the first entered into by the two-year-old Global Forest Watch. It was signed by Sylvestre Naah-Ondoa, Cameroon's Minister of Environment and Forests, and JG Collomb, project director for Global Forest Watch - Central Africa.

The agreement stipulates that Cameroon's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF) will provide Global Forest Watch with information on forest concessions and allocations in the country. In turn, WRI will produce reports on the state of forest concessions in Cameroon and create maps that will enable MINEF officials to detect illegal logging in the country.

Maps of logging roads created by Global Forest Watch from satellite imagery, combined with accurate information on where logging may legally take place, will permit the identification of problem areas and prioritize them for field audits. Satellite imagery makes it possible to detect new logging roads outside of active concession areas and in national parks. They will also help to determine whether the rate and extent of logging follows forest management plans.

The information will be publicly available and can be accessed through the website, www.globalforestwatch.org.

"We can employ the latest modern technologies like satellite imagery, but without the cooperation of the government and our local partners, we can never successfully provide the needed data to conserve Cameroon's remaining forests," said Dirk Bryant, founder and co-director of Global Forest Watch.

About 76 percent or over 17 million hectares of Cameroon's forests - totaling some 22.8 million hectares -- have either been logged or are allocated as logging concessions. Less than a fifth of the country's unprotected forests, mostly in central and eastern Cameroon, remain free from logging. Only about 6 percent or 1.4 million hectares of Cameroon's forests are protected as national parks or reserves.

However, recent studies by Global Forest Watch reveals that large tracts of Cameroon's forests which were originally thought of as untouched have already been accessed by logging roads. The most severe impact of logging and road construction on wildlife in Central Africa is the expanded movement of commercial hunters into remote forests. Commercial-scale hunting of this kind, much of it to supply urban markets, has left many forests empty of key animal species.

Cameroon's forests contain some of the Congo Basin's most biologically diverse and most threatened forests. The region's tropical forests, which covered more than 198 million hectares in 1995, are the second largest contiguous rain forests in the world after those of the Amazon. It runs through six Central African countries, including Cameroon.

Global Forest Watch currently works with 75 partners in 8 countries, though it hopes to eventually expand to 21 countries and cover 80 percent of the world's remaining intact forests. In Cameroon, Global Forest Watch works in partnership with Cameroon Environmental Watch and under this new agreement, will be working with the government and international field organizations.

Click here to read the full convention for collaboration between GFW and the Government of Cameroon (591KB PDF, in French).

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GFW Cameroon Documents Concession Allocation in 1999/2000

Yaoundé, Cameroon, February 12, 2001 - A new report has been released which documents the latest round of logging concession allocations in Cameroon. Download the report, "1999 - 2000 Allocation of Logging Permits in Cameroon: Fine-Tuning Central Africa’s First Auction System", or view an interactive map of the new logging concession allocations.

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GFW Cameroon Launches French Version of State of the Forest Report

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Report Reveals Threats to Cameroon's Growing Timber Industry

Yaoundé, Cameroon, June 19, 2000 - A new report on Cameroon's forests reveals that the country's rapidly-expanding timber industry will continue to grow only if its forests are well-managed and monitored and its new forestry laws consistently implemented.

"The stakes are high," said Henriette Bikié (tel: +237/205 097; email: gfwc@gcnet.cm), one of the authors of the report, An Overview of Logging in Cameroon, released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI) as part of its new initiative, Global Forest Watch. "Cameroon ranks among the world's top five tropical log exporters. Timber generates more than a quarter of Cameroon's nonpetroleum export revenues, along with some US$60 million in taxes."

As the country's oil reserves dry up, timber exports are projected to constitute an increasing share of foreign exchange revenue in coming years. Timber production has increased by 35 percent since 1980.

However, Cameroon's timber industry depends mostly on five species of trees. With Asia rapidly surpassing Europe as the primary market for Cameroon's timber, the trend may be to more extensive harvesting because Asian buyers might be interested in a wider range of species than their European counterparts.

The most intact forests in the country are in southeastern Cameroon. It also has the highest logging rates and the most extensive concessions. Twenty-five logging companies and individuals control three-quarters of Cameroon's forest concessions.

Beyond the economic value of timber, Cameroon's forests contains some of the Congo Basin's most biologically diverse and most threatened forests. The Congo Basin's tropical forests, which covered more than 198 million hectares in 1995, are the second largest contiguous rain forests in the world after those of the Amazon. It runs through six Central African countries, including Cameroon.

About 76 percent or over 17 million hectares of Cameroon's forests - totaling some 22.8 million hectares -- have either been logged or are allocated as logging concessions. Less than a fifth of the country's unprotected forests, mostly in central and eastern Cameroon, remains free from logging.

Only about 6 percent or 1.4 million hectares of Cameroon's forests are protected as national parks or reserves. "However, agricultural encroachment, poaching and illegal logging threaten all these areas," said Bikié.

In 1994, Cameroon adopted a new forestry law that, if enforced, would help reduce the environmental and social costs of logging, while generating greater tax revenues. The Global Forest Watch report reveals that while it is still a long way from being implemented, it has already produced a 40 percent increase in tax revenues generated per cubic meter of wood produced.

However, the new open auction system, which awards forest concessions to the highest bidder, has slowed down because of irregularities. At least 5 of the 23 new concessions granted under the new law in 1997 violates the law and 12 others may be questionable. More than half of existing licenses, which are to be phased out in favor of the new concessions, operate in violation of the law.

Although the number of violation reports issued for illegal logging and related activity declined dramatically from 1985-1999, enforcement is still lacking. These reports often languish in administrative files or are terminated as a result of the intervention of an influential person.

"Given its economic and environmental implications, logging had to be carefully monitored if Cameroon wants to safeguard its forest resources for future generations," said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. "If managed properly, Cameroon's forests could offer long-term revenues without compromising the ecosystem's natural functions.

The report and maps for Cameroon and similar ones for Gabon represent the first time that logging across the Congo Basin is being systematically documented and monitored.

Global Forest Watch (www.globalforestwatch.org), launched early this year, combines on-the-ground knowledge with digital and satellite technology to provide accurate forest information to anyone with access to the Internet. While the first two reports for Central Africa focused mostly on logging, Global Forest Watch will expand its monitoring scope to other large-scale human activities such as mining, oil extraction and hunting.

Global Forest Watch currently works with 75 partners in 7 countries. In 5 years, this international network will span 21 countries and cover 80 percent of the world's remaining intact forests. In Cameroon, Global Forest Watch is composed of the following non governmental organizations: Cameroon Environmental Watch, Centre pour l'Environnement et le Développement, and Centre International d'Etudes Forestières et Environnementales; as well as of a focal point within the government ministry in charge of forests.

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GFW Gabon Launched

Libreville, Gabon, June 23, 2000 - Global Forest Watch Gabon held its national launch on June 23 in Libreville at the Rapontchombo Hotel. News of Global Forest Watch Gabon’s work was covered in two national papers, L’Union and Le Cri du Pangolin. The report represented an unprecedented coordinated effort among NGOs in Gabon.

In fact, this type of research signifies one of the first acts of civil society to provide input on the forestry situation in Gabon. Global Forest Watch Gabon plans to continue to work closely with government to ensure the highest level of accuracy and objectivity in its products.

Global Forest Watch Gabon is currently in the process of hiring a new national coordinator. However, partner NGOs are excited about future collaboration on forest management issues.

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Report Shows Gabon’s Dependence on Exports of Okoumé for Logging Industry

Libreville, Gabon, June 15, 2000 – A new report released today reveals that Gabon’s forests are rapidly being conceded to a handful of logging companies who export primarily one species of trees to only a few countries around the world.

"Gabon has vast forest resources but the rapid growth of logging activity threatens it," said Bruno Mikissa, one of the authors of the report, A First Look at Logging in Gabon, released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI) as part of its new initiative, Global Forest Watch. Although the authors acknowledge that more information is needed, this is the first report to present up-to-date and peer-reviewed information on the logging industry in Gabon.

While at least two-thirds of Gabon’s original forest is estimated to remain, the \actual extent of current forest cover is unknown. In 1995, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that it was around 18 million hectares, out of Gabon’s total land areas of 26.8 million hectares.

The report says that with declining oil revenues, the pressure to exploit the country’s forests will continue to grow. The FAO estimates that at the current rate of clearing, Gabon will lose half its forests over the next 100 years.

In 1957, fewer than 10 percent of Gabon’s forests were allocated as logging concessions. Today, more than half are allocated as logging concessions and these areas have more than doubled in the last five years.

In 1997, 221 companies and individuals held logging concessions, of which 13 companies held 50 percent of the total area or about 21 percent of Gabon’s total forest cover. The five largest concession holders are Rougier-Gabon, La Compagnie Forestière du Gabon (CFG), Leroy-Gabon, La Compagnie Equatoriale des Bois (CEB) and Lutexfo/Soforga. Although registered in Gabon, they are controlled by European companies.

The Global Forest Watch report states that Gabon’s logging industry is vulnerable to market swings because it is dependent on one species of tree, the Okoumé (Aucouméa kleineana). It is found only in Gabon, in parts of the Congo and in Equatorial Guinea. Although the tree has been used in the new National Library of Paris and in the Eurostar Train, it is primarily exported to make plywood.

More than 90 percent of Gabon’s log production is exported, about half of it to Asian countries. Of this volume, 73 percent are Okoumé. China has now replaced France as the primary export market of Gabonese wood. However, exports to Asia fell by 73 percent in 1998 due to the Asian economic crisis, while exports to Europe fell 38 percent.

"To maintain current Okoumé production levels, Gabon can no longer rely on establishing new concessions in previously unexploited regions," warns Omer Ntougou. Logging concessions already cover most of the forests that contain Okoumé.

The report states that the new Forestry Law, first proposed in 1997, provides an opportunity to help rectify the problems that face forestry by setting new standards for better natural resources management. "If enacted and implemented in its current form, this would represent a first step towards managing forests for long-term gain, rather than short-term profit," said Emmanuel Bayani, member of Global Forest Watch – Gabon. The report also highlights the limited resources available to the Ministry of Forests in relation to their responsibilities.

Gabon’s forests contains some of the Congo Basin’s most biologically diverse and most threatened forests. The Congo Basin’s tropical forests, which covered more than 198 million hectares in 1995, are the second largest contiguous rain forests in the world after those of the Amazon. It runs through six Central African countries, including Gabon.

The report and maps for Gabon and similar ones for Cameroon represent the first time that logging across the Congo Basin is being systematically documented and monitored. Global Forest Watch (www.globalforestwatch.org), launched early this year, combines on-the-ground knowledge with digital and satellite technology to provide accurate forest information to anyone with access to the Internet. While the first two reports for Central Africa focused mostly on logging, Global Forest Watch will expand its monitoring scope to other large-scale human activities such as mining, oil extraction and hunting.

Global Forest Watch currently works with 75 partners in 7 countries. In 5 years, this international network will span 21 countries and cover 80 percent of the world’s remaining intact forests. In Gabon, Global Forest Watch is composed of the following non governmental organizations: Amis de la Nature, Culture et Environnement, Amis du Pangolin, Aventures Sans Frontières, Centre d'Activité pour le Développement Durable et l'Environnement, Comité Inter-Associations Jeunesse et Environnement, Forêt et Développement, et Image Gabon Nature.

Download report

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Other News

Global Forest Watch welcomes all comments.  Articles posted in this section have not been reviewed by Global Forest Watch.  They are posted as they are received, and will not be edited or translated into other languages.

An Agreement in Favor of Gabon’s Biodiversity

IFIA Interafrican Forest Industries Association
Association interafricaine des industries forestières
Siège : S.P.I.B. Côte d’Ivoire
Secrétariat Général :
6, avenue de St Mandé 75012 Paris
Tel. : +33 1 43 42 42 00
Fax : +33 1 43 42 55 22
e-mail : 106422.711@compuserve.com

IFIA communiqué Lopé Gabon
Paris, July 18th 2000

Under the presidency and on initiative of His Excellency, The Minister of Forests, Fishing, and Reforestation, in charge of the Environment and the Protection of Nature.

A stakeholders meeting took place on June 30th and July 11th, 2000 in order to define clear statutes which will put an end to the legal duality of the Lopé reserve, which has been authorizing forest harvesting activities in a conservation area. This large stakeholders consultation, which regrouped the undersigned parties, has achieved the following consensus:

• The principle of permanently withholding the Lopé reserve from forest harvesting has been confirmed.

• Towards this objective, Leroy Gabon renounces its forest harvesting activities in 61.000 ha of the Lot 32 and Rougier Gabon hands over 18.000 ha of the Lot 31 and proposes the sanctuarization of Mont Iboundji;

• The government, for its part, sensitive to the technical point of view in biodiversity matters stated by ECOFAC and WCS, has decided to modify the limits of the reserve as follows:

• The eastern flank, rich in Okoumé, but of lesser biodiversity, is being excluded from the reserve and conceded to Leroy Gabon.

• The mountainous South-Western part of very high biodiversity value is being integrated into the reserve; this area will be subtracted from a Bordamur concession.

Finally, this solution rationalizes the natural limits of the reserve and increments significantly its biodiversity value.

The undersigned parties congratulate themselves on behalf of the consensual spirit which has made this agreement possible and oblige themselves to publicize this agreement as exemplary progress in the management of protected areas in Gabon.

The parties of this agreement are:

The Minister Richard Onouviet, the Chief of the Delegation of the European Union, the Directors of the companies Leroy-Gabon et Rougier-Gabon, the representative of ONF-International/ SYLVAFRICA and the NGOs WWF-CARPO, WCS and ECOFAC.

This agreement, which has brought together the representatives of the sovereign Republic of Gabon as forest owner, the representative of the European Union, the two forest concessionaries (both IFIA members), the representative of ONF-International/SYLVAFRICA and the field NGOs, confirms :

1. The shared concern of each operator in the protected areas management.

2. The very positive evolution of relations between these operators.

3. The demonstration that an accord between three of the concerned operators, is certainly the best instrument of progress.

IFIA or the concerned parties can be contacted for further information.

IFIA, the Interafrican Forest Industries Association includes through the national syndicates of 7 countries some 300 companies of the formal forestry and timber sector in Africa.

For further information, see the Global Forest Watch Gabon report A First Look at Logging in Gabon.

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