In November 2010, the Central African Forest Observatory (OFAC) became a specialized unit of the Executive Secretariat of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), a regional organization composed of eleven Member States and promotes regional coordination and cooperation on forest governance, conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources.
This year, OFAC published one of its two flagship publications: the 2021 State of the Forests of the Congo Basin report. This document is published periodically to provide up-to-date information on the forest ecosystems of Central Africa and their management environment. The 2015 edition was entirely devoted to the health of these ecosystems as it relates to climate change. The 2021 report consists of four parts, the first of which provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of the resource – which is increasingly recognized worldwide as a massive forest that plays an essential role in carbon sequestration and the conservation of biological diversity.
The report situates the forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin in a global context that’s currently characterized by debates that will guide the management of the world’s tropical forests for decades to come. It also addresses topical issues such as peatland management. The drafting process was particularly affected by questions on the relationship between biodiversity resource management and the emergence/re-emergence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.
Languages: French/English (Simultaneous Translation)
CIFOR-ICRAF speakers
Moderator
Florence Palla
Agenda
Opening remarks
Honoré Tabuna, ECCAS
Speech
Hervé Maidou, SE COMIFAC
Speech
Philippe Mayaux, European Union
Presentation of the publication
Richard Eba’a, CIFOR-ICRAF
Presentation Chapter 09 – Peatlands of the Central Congo Basin
Denis Sonwa, CIFOR-ICRAF
Presentation Chapter 11 – Land Use Planning and Impacts on the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa
Philippe Guizol, CIRAD/CIFOR
Presentation Chapter 13 – The Rights of Local and Indigenous Populations in the Face of Forestry and Conservation Policies
Raphaël Tsanga, CIFOR-ICRAF
Invited comments
FAO, CBFP, Civil Society, Private Sector