GABON

Gabon has had commitments on sustainable forest management, in cooperation with the private sector and NGOs since the 1980s. The number of sustainable management plans has grown in recent years, particularly in concessions awarded to private companies.

The new forest policy focuses on maximising the economic contribution of Gabons forests whilst ensuring a lasting resource base through the implementation of forest management programmes and national capacity building. Phase One of the policy (1998-2000) focused on preparation of forest management plans and the establishment of sustainable management standards. Phase Two (2001-2010) focuses on the nationwide implementation of the plans. By 2010, 4 million ha will be under management plans, rising to 8.5 million ha by 2025. The government also aims to have 100,00 ha of private sector plantations and 100,000 ha of state-managed plantations by 2025.

The number of species harvested in Gabons forests is expected to be 30 by 2010 and 60 by 2025. The main productive species are redwood, ebony and okoume; pine and eucalyptus are developing as important plantation species. However, Investment is increasingly being concentrated in the management of natural forests to promote the regeneration of high-value species. Logging rates has increased significantly in recent years and 90% of Gabons log production is exported.

Gabon has one of the lowest rates of deforestation in Africa. However, a lack of forest inventory means there is very little information on the state of the forests and their real potential, and on biodiversity. A lack of resources means that many of the laws relating to protected areas, harvesting and processing are not being implemented or effectively monitored. Forest degradation is a growing problem, with increasing scarcity of high value species. FAO has identified a number of areas where training is needed, including: the ecological foundations for sustainable harvesting, data on cultural and socio-economic impacts, and the planning, monitoring and evaluation of forest exploitation.

Gabon will be one of six central African countries to benefit from a £1 million satellite, funded by the UK, which will track illegal logging and enable governments, NGOs and local communities to prevent the loss of forest. In addition, the government has expressed an interest in participating in the World Bank REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) capacity building projects.

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
01/02/2010	What Happens When the Market Shifts to China? The Gabon Timber and Thai Cassava Value Chains Rapid economic growth in China has boosted its demand for commodities. At the same time, many commodity ...	The World Bank Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network (Raphael Kaplinsky, Anne Terheggen & Julia Tijaja)
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01/09/2009	Statistics 2008 Timber trade statistics from a number of Central and West African countries for 2007-2008. ...	ATIBT (Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux)
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01/10/2008	Promoting China's Engagement in Africa: Chinese forest delegation study tour to West and Central Africa The overall intent of the 2008 study tour was to engage China, as a major consumer of African forest ...	IUCN
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01/05/2008	Timber Trade Action Plan News - Issue 5 Welcome to the fifth edition of the TTAP newsletter! This edition tells the storyof the successful Timber ...	Timber Trade Action Plan (Switzerland)
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01/02/2008	Forest Products Trade between China and Africa: An Analysis of Imports and Exports Recent media coverage of China's efforts to secure access to natural resources in Africa suggests ...	Forest Trends (Kerstin Canby, James Hewitt, Luke Bailey, Eugenia Katsigris, Sun Xiufang)
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25/05/2006	Status of Tropical Forest Management 2005 Is forest management improving in the tropics? This report sets out to answer that question. It provides ...	ITTO
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01/01/2006	Planned Research: Regional Trade Patterns – West and Central Africa The aim of the study is to identify any potential trade distortions that might arise as a result of the ...	DFID
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22/11/2005	Failing the Forests: Europe's Illegal Timber Trade Based on trade data for six key timber-producing regions – the Amazon Basin, the Baltic States, ...	WWF
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01/07/2005	Gabon: Briefing on Fiscal Reform of Gabon's Forestry Sector A briefing note on the current state of Gabon's forestry sector. ...	Greenpeace
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01/06/2003	Legal Origin of Timber as a Step Towards Sustainable Forest Management in Africa Argues that although voluntary partnerships may produce some positive outcomes at the local level, real ...	SGS for the WWF/World Bank Alliance
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30/10/2002	Forest Law Assessment in Selected African Countries This report has been produced as one of two major outputs of work commissioned by the World Bank/WWF ...	SGS for the WWF/World Bank Alliance
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01/04/2002	Chains of Destruction leading from the world's remaining ancient forests to the Japanese market This report reveals the many 'chains of destruction' in which Japan is involved, leading from ...	Greenpeace
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NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
17/07/2010	Africa looks to vast forests for carbon credit Banco, Ivory Coast - They inhabit a polluted part of Ivory Coast’s main city with few jobs and ...	Arab News
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20/05/2010	Log ban comes into effect The log export ban in Gabon takes effect as planned from midnight on 15th May. This puts an end to speculation ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report
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30/03/2010	Chinese plywood boss stopped from leaving Gabon Gabon authorities have barred the Chinese buyer of an former European plywood giant from leaving the ...	Terra Daily
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15/02/2010	Clarification on Gabon log ban At a recent meeting with Gabon’s Minister for Forests, executives of the country’s timber ...	ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organisation) Market Report
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06/11/2009	Cuban crewmen stuck in Africa after ship begins to list Sixteen Cuban crewmen were stranded Thursday in a backwater African port, with little cash and owed up ...	Miami Herald, Florida
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29/10/2009	Africa: African governments and outside powers must be accountable On the eve of the climate change summit in Copenhagen this December, momentum for action still falls ...	allAfrica.com
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02/07/2009	REDD readiness plans for Panama, Guyana approved but rejected for Indonesia The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) has approved REDD readiness plans (R-Plans) ...	Mongabay.com
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29/04/2009	Gabon scheme meets PEFC benchmark Gabon is the first African country to have a forest certification scheme that meets PEFCs sustainability ...	TTJ Timber Industry Magazine
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31/07/2008	Congo Basin sees progress on REDD preparations As discussed at the UNFCCC workshop on methodologies to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report (Japan)
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24/07/2008	14 countries win REDD funding to protect tropical forests Fourteen countries have been selected by the World Bank to receive funds for conserving their tropical ...	Mongabay.com
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17/06/2008	Spy satellite will monitor illegal logging across six African countries A spy satellite is to be trained on the vast rainforests of central Africa as part of a British project ...	Independent (UK)
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16/06/2007	China's rise: Hope or doom for Africa? 'A win-win situation' is how the Chinese government describes its economic relations with Africa. ...	Sunday Vision (Uganda)
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08/06/2007	Loggers threaten a third of rainforests in Congo Basin The rainforests of central Africa are being systematically plundered for their hardwood timber trees, ...	The Independent (UK)
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14/02/2007	Cameroun: Forest Concession Monitoring Project Takes Root The process for the implementation of the Forest concession Monitoring System in Central Africa (FORCOMS) ...	AllAfrica.com
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14/12/2006	Africa: Environmental Impact - More of the Same? (Excerpt) Today, China is Gabon's largest timber trading partner. In 2003 Gabon supplied 40 per ...	AllAfrica.com
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04/11/2006	Africa: the Chinese Takeaway CHINESE PRESIDENT Hu Jintao is touring Africa, but is the continent being stripped of its natural resources ...	Black Information Link (UK)
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23/06/2006	Conservation efforts in Congo Basin appear effective A new assessment of Africa's massive Congo Basin rain forest finds that it is less degraded than ...	Voice of America (USA)
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16/05/2006	Gabonese authorities head to the UK Some reports indicate that a delegation from Gabon government and SNBG headed to UK to possibly hold ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report
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15/05/2006	China increases investment in Africa's forest industry In addition to the ongoing investment in minerals in Africa, China is increasing its investment in the ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report
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13/12/2004	EU Illegal Logging Project Approved An EU grant of 3.5 million euros has been awarded to a partnership of EU and developing country timber ...	Timber Trade Federation (UK)
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PRESENTATIONS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
23/06/2009	TFT update - progress and challenges	Annie Adams, Tropical Forest Trust (TFT)
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23/06/2009	The domestic timber sector in the Congo Basin	Paolo Cerutti, CIFOR
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18/06/2008	Adapting to Trends and Enhancing Mutual Trust to Increase Sino-African Cooperation and Communication on Forestry: Report of forestry study tour in three African countries	Chinese State Forestry Administration (Su Ming)
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18/06/2008	The Study Tour to Africa	WWF China (Nan Li)
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18/06/2008	US efforts in Congo Basin Forest Partnership	U.S. Embassy Beijing (C Sherry Hong)
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01/11/2007	China-Africa Forest Product Trade: An overview	Forest Trends (Sun Xiufang)
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09/07/2007	SM Certification in the Congo Basin region	Interafrican Forest Industries Association (Herv Bourguignon)
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26/01/2007	China and the global market for forest products: Look at Africa and Russia	Forest Trends (Kerstin Canby)
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EVENTS

DATE	TITLE
Tuesday 24th October 2006	First International Conference of Members of Parliament on the Sustainable Management of Central African Forest Ecosystems Attended by more than 400 parliamentarians and issue experts from inter-governmental and non-governmental ...
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Tuesday 17th May 2005	Trade Forums - 'Changing International Markets for Timber: What African Producers can do' The UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and Inter-African Forest Industries Association (IFIA) have joined ...
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Monday 6th December 2004	Commission For Africa ' Forest Programme Brainstorm A brainstorming session on illegal logging held in part to feed into the Commission for Africa Report, ...
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LINKS

TITLE	DESCRIPTION	REPORT
AfriTRON: African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network	The African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network (AfriTRON), is an international network of researchers engaged in on-the-ground long-term monitoring of tropical forests. The network pools expertise and data to help answer larger-scale and longer-term questions relating to the ecology and biogeochemistry of African tropical forests. In particular AfriTRON aims to address questions of contemporary importance such as the possible impacts of regional and global environmental changes on tropical forests, and the impacts of changes in the forests themselves on the regional and global environment. This is done through partnerships between scientists across the world, students and local villages who host our field-trips.	Broken link
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Congo Basin Forest Partnership	The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is an association of almost 50 governmental and nongovernmental organisations that works to promote sustainable management of Congo Basin forest ecosystems and wildlife, and improve the lives of people living in the region. It was originally agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002.	Broken link
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Gabon: Brainforest	Brainforest conduct campaigns against the exploitation of the Gabonese forest and conduct grassroots work to ensure protection of the forest, its resources and peoples (site is in French).	Broken link
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Timber Trade Action Plan (TTAP)	TTAP is a project funded by the European Union. It is the timber industry response to the FLEGT Action Plan. TTAP offers Europe's importers, traders and their suppliers an opportunity to be at the forefront of efforts to promote legal forestry, and to access premium European markets. TTAP is currently working in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon.	Broken link
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WWF Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN)	The GFTN - a WWF-led partnership - links more than 360 companies, communities, NGOs, and entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries around the world. The goal is to create a new market for environmentally responsible forest products. Since 1991, market-driven demands from GFTN participants have increased the economic incentives for responsible forest management. This is helping to ensure that millions of acres of forests are independently and credibly certified, a guarantee that the forests are well managed and that their products come from legal and sustainable timber harvests. Click here for GFTN's Guide to Legal and Responsible Sourcing, which includes details on national legality frameworks and guides to legal documentation.	Broken link
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