PROGRESS TOWARDS RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY IN THE CONGO BASIN: Experience with multiactor approach

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PROGRESS TOWARDS RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY IN THE
CONGO BASIN Experience with multi-actor approach
Elie Hakizumwami, Regional Forest
Officer WWF-Regional Programme for Central Africa
WFC, Buenos Aires, October 18 23, 2009
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IMPORTANCE OF CONGO BASIN FORESTS

• The worlds second contiguous tropical forest
  representing over 15 (180 million hectares) of
  the worlds remaining tropical forest.
• Over 50 of the forest outside of protected areas
  are productive forests
• Rich in oil, mines, gas, and fertile soil
• Carbon sink and water reservoir

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BIOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Biological importance Conservation of biological
diversity including flagship species (elephants,
gorillas, bongos, etc.)
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SOCIAL CONTEXT

• Population
• More than 75 millions people inhabit the Congo
  Basin
• Approximately 30 millions people from over 150
  ethnic group live in the forests
• Settled or nomadic people

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SOCIAL CONTEXT (continued)
About 70 of people depend on forest products and
services for their subsistence and income
generation (bush meat, fruits, medicines,
firewood, shelter, etc.)
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SOCIAL CONTEXT (continued)

• Economically marginalized areas
• Remote areas quasi abandoned by the governments
• Insufficient and/or poor basic infrastructure
  (schools, road network, power connection,
  airlines connection, etc.)
• Limited access to the market
• Drift from rural to urban areas

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ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Key markets for timber from the Congo Basin SE
Asia China, India, Thailand (45) Southern
Europe France, Italy, Spain, Portugal
(35) Northern Europe Netherlands, UK, Germany
(10) Rest of the world (10)
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ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
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March 2003 Launch of GFTN-Central Africa (in
Yaoundé, Cameroon)
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Biodiversity Targets
THE GREEN HEART OF AFRICA NETWORK INITIATIVE
Vision By 2020, the unique forest, freshwater
landscapes and species resources in the Green
Heart of Africa are managed sustainably so that
biodiversity is conserved, ecosystem functions
and services are maintained, global climate is
stabilized, and sustainable development and
economic growth improves the livelihoods of the
people of Central Africa
Forests
Apes
Transformational Outcomes 1. The natural
resources in the Congo Basin are effectively
conserved through sustainable financing
mechanisms 2. Governance mechanisms are improved
and made more effective, and ensure equitable
distribution of benefits 3. The negative impacts
of extractive industry and infrastructure
developments on biodiversity and livelihoods are
minimized
Small Primates
Elephants
Riverine Systems
Crocodiles
Freshwater fish communities
Wetlands /Swamp Forests and associated
Floodplain lakes
Sustainable Financing
Effective Governance
Livelihoods
Bushmeat and Wildlife Trade
Freshwater
Land Use Planning
Sustainable Forest Management and Timber Trade
Extractives and Infrastructure
Forest Carbon Finance
Themes/key strategies
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WHERE GFTN OPERATES?
Russia
Europe 9 countries
       
    
      
       
       
    
North America 2 countries
       
    
      
       
       
    
      
South America Caribbean 6 countries
Africa 6 countries
Asia / Oceania 7 countries
       
32 countries
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MAIN FOCUS

• Four (4) Congo Basin countries (Cameroon, Congo,
  CAR and Gabon) signed FLEGT-VPAs with the EU by
  2010,
• Seven (7) millions hectares of Congo Basin
  Forests under credible certification and 5
  millions in the process towards certification by
  2012,

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MAIN FOCUS

• Enabling conditions (advocacy, capacity building,
  tools)
• Management of (HCVs)
• Reduced Impact logging (Forest based Carbon)
• Improvement of livelihood of local communities
• Market link for certified timber (MTNI)
• Strategic partnerships
• Effective and strategic communication

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KEY TARGET

• Logging companies
• Communities including indigenous people
• Government institutions
• Key buyer countries
• WWF Network
• Strategic partners

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WHY RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY?
Promote responsible forestry to reduce footprint
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ACTIVITIES (continued)

• Awareness building for key actors, including
  decision makers to create conditions for
  government support to the promotion of
  responsible forestry

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KEY ACTIVITIES (continued)

• Capacity building for key actors (auditors,
  logging companies staff,, staff from public
  administration, local NGOs, Individual experts
  etc.)

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KEY ACTIVITIES (continued)
Market links between producers and buyers
(countries and individual companies) for FSC
certified timber
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KEY ACTIVITIES (continued)

• Promotion of transparency and communication

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KEY ACTIVITIES (continued)
Regional consultation framework between key
actors on credible certification in the Congo
Basin
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KEY ACTIVITIES (continued)

• Support to the development of standards
  appropriate for Sustainable management and
  certification of forests in the Congo Basin
  (ATO/ITTO PCI FSC Regional standard, Timber
  Legality standards)

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

• Seven companies totalling about 3.3 Millions
  hectares are Participants of GFTN-Central Africa
• Five companies totalling about 4 Millions
  hectares are Applicants to GFTN-Central Africa
• Almost 4.7 Million hectares certified in the
  Congo Basin including more than 2 Millions
  managed by GFTN Members
• More than 2 Millions hectares of forests are
  subject of action plan implementation for the
  progress towards FSC certification

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STATUS OF FSC CERTIFICATION
We still have a long way to go!!!
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STATUS OF FSC CERTIFICATION
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EFFECTS
Shift from logger Company to responsible manager
Company
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EFFECT
Better housing for employees
Shift from Logger Company to Responsible Manager
Company
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EFFETS
Social responsibility

• Establishment of consultation frameworks between
  logging companies and local communities conflict
  resolutions
• Management of HCVs and RIL

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CHALLENGES

• Insufficient government institutional capacity
  for law enforcement
• Challenging social and institutional context
• Presence of important market for illegal and non
  certified timber
• Lack of appropriate technology for maximum
  recovery percentage of timber transformation
• Remoteness of companies
• World financial crisis
• High rate of illiteracy constitutes one of the
  major hindrance of local development

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PERSPECTIVES

• Pursue awareness building and recruitment of new
  companies
• Provide timely technical support to companies
• Facilitate regional reflection on credible
  certification in the Congo Basin involving
  representatives of key forestry players
• Pursue promotion of market links between Central
  African countries and key timber buyer countries
• Provide support to FSC to ensure its
  effectiveness in the Congo Basin is provided
• Provide support to FLEGT Process (validation of
  the standards for the verification of legality
  for (CAR, DRC and Gabon), capacity building for
  local NGOs, etc.)
• Promote partnerships with other organisations and
  institutions

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STRATEGIC TECHNICAL PARTNERS
ONG Locales
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FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP
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OPPORTUNITIES

• Political commitment
• Yaoundé Declaration
• Heads of State Treaty
• UN Resolution N 54
• Congo Basin Forests Partnership (CBFP)
• EU-FLEGT Process
• Governments support

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OPPORTUNITIES (continued)

• Support from WWF Network
• Partnership with other organizations and key
  players
• Collaboration with forestry Industry (IFIA,
  ATIBT)
• Decentralization of Certification Bodies (SGS,
  VERITAS, SMARTWOOD) Cut down of the cost of
  certification.

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OPPORTUNITIES (Continued)
Commitment of public market in certain countries
to source certified timber
Frances commitment can also be seen in her
decisions to ensure that public procurement of
timber is now solely from certified producers,
since eco-certification is one of the most
effective instruments for the sustainable
management of forest areas (President Jacques
Chirac, Brazzaville, February 2005).
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CONCLUSIONS

• Strategic partnership involving key actors
  (Government Institutions, Financial partners,
  Environmental NGOs, Logging companies, Research
  institution, Training Institutions, Local
  communities, Individual resource persons
• Pragmatic and multi-actor approach is necessary
  to promote responsible forestry
• Involvement of the governments in the process of
  promotion of forest certification is critical
  because of their role in creating enabling
  conditions for the success of forest
  certification.
• FSC certification contributes to development of
  forests people. However, the development of
  forest people is a long-term process and needs
  huge resources which some time go beyond
  companys financial capacity
• Some issues of FSC certification such as HCVF and
  RIL are still new in the Congo Basin. Capacity
  building on them is very necessary.

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CAN FSC CERTIFICATION BE A SOLUTION FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF FORESTS PEOPLE?

• YES, BUT
• Development of forest people is a long-term
  process and needs huge and sustainable financing
• FSC certification alone can never be a solution
  to the development of local communities.
  Certification must be seen as part of the global
  sustainable development strategy involving
  different actors
• With responsible companies, FSC certification can
  only contribute but the needs of people some time
  go beyond companys financial capacity
• Certification must not overshadow the
  governments responsibility to take care of
  development of her people in rural areas
• Good governance and effective law enforcement are
  instrumental for the success of responsible
  forestry. This is responsibility of public
  administration (Government).

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