GUINEA-BISSAU

Despite a very small land area, Guinea-Bissau has extensive natural resources, including tropical forests. More than 70% of the country is forested, more than 45% of which is primary forest.

Deforestation is occurring at a slower rate than in some neighbouring countries, at less than 0.5% per year. However, there is concern about the potential impacts of increasing development in the current era of political stability, following a civil war in 1998. Coastal mangrove swamps, some of the most important in Africa, are being cleared for rice fields and hydroelectric projects, and forest clearance for agriculture, coal production, felling for fuelwood and timber, and hunting and poaching have resulted in forest degradation and loss and soil erosion. There are currently no protected areas.

Guinea-Bissau is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world and the current moves towards economic development are starting from a very low base. Every sector has suffered from government indecision and inaction and the World Bank, IMF and UNDP have provided emergency budgetary support in recent years.

Guinea Bissau is a signatory to the Accra Declaration which resulted from a FAO/ITTO workshop held in Accra, Ghana in July 2008, which explored the problems and possible solutions to the illegal extraction of forest resources in tropical West Africa.

NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
18/06/2008	Fish and timber in West Africa need more sustainable EU policies say MEPs Fish and timber are natural resources often not managed in a sustainable way in West Africa due to inadequate ...	European Parliament (EU)
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22/01/2006	Goodbye to West Africa's rainforests West Africa's once verdant and extensive rainforests are now a historical footnote. Gone to build ...	Mongabay.com
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EVENTS

DATE	TITLE
Tuesday 15th July 2008	FAO/ITTO Regional Workshop on Improving Forest Law Compliance and Governance in Tropical West Africa Over the past two years, FAO and ITTO have assisted countries in the Amazon region, Central Africa, Central ...
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