Management of Congo Basin forest resources

The quest for sustainability

1st International Conference on Biodiversity in the Congo Basin

UNIKIS – Kisangani, 8 June 2014

D. Andrew Wardell, Robert Nasi, Paolo Cerruti, Guillaume Lescuyer, Richard Eba’a Atyi et al

“C’est donc, en tout premier lieu, en perfectionnantl’agriculture indigene quel’on assurera l’avenir de la foret” (p. 77)

Tondeur, G., 1938

An early landscape approach?

Contents

Forestry as a science of empire

Post-independence paradigm shifts

State of the Forests

Policies and practices– Wood products

• Timber

• Domestic wood

• Wood energy

– Non wood products

– Environmental services

Future directions

Forestry as a science of empire The King’s Rain Forest (1601 – Trinidad and

Tobago) The ‘empire forestry mix’ w/e 1855 (Barton,

2002; Grove, 1995 and 1997; Rajiv Rajan, 2006; Wardell, 2006)– National networks of protected areas (forest reserves,

national parks, game controlled areas etc)– Extraction of timber as a source of revenue (after 1900

- to help pay for colonial administration)– ‘Scientific forestry’ – regulation of timber and woodfuel

extraction, ‘control’ of bushfires, reforestation etc Congo Belge – shaped by experiences of other

(European) colonial powers and after WW II also influenced other colonial forestry departments in Anglophone and francophone Africa

Congo Belge Exploration and prospections (1899-1938 – De Wildeman,

Delevoy, Lebrun, Leplae et al) L’Union Professionnelle des Producteurs de Bois du Congo

Belge (w/e 1933) Les Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge (w/e 1925) Arrete royal du 29 juin 1933 (l’organisation administrative

de la colonie) Decret du 4 avril 1934 sur l’exploitation des forets

domaniales Reserve Floristique de Yangambi (w/e 1939) Decret du 14 avril 1949 relative au regime forestier Commission d’Etude des Bois du Congo (1950) Ordonnance legislative No. 52/66 du 7 February 1958 sur

le regime forestier du Congo Belge L’Exposition universelle et international de Bruxelles

(1958) – “..un nouvel age du bois” (Peche, 1958)

Post-independence paradigm shifts

1962: “Silent Spring” 1972: Stockholm 1983: AIBT 1986: OIBT 1987: “Our Common Future” 1992: Rio 1993: FSC 1994: AIBT (2) 2002: Rio +10 2005-7: REDD 2011: AIBT (3) 2012: Rio +20 2013: Global Landscapes Forum,

Warsaw

Timber production Sustained timber

production Sustainable timber

production Sustainable production

of multiple goods Sustained provision of

ecosystem services Ecosystem approach Landscape approach

but focus still on timber

State of the Forests

• Primary forest clearing increased by a factor of two between 2000‐2005 and 2005‐2010• Forest degradation (2000‐2010) within logging permit areas was 3.8 times higher• Forest degradation (2000‐2010) within protected areas was 3.7 times lower• (Zhuravleva et al, 2013)• Annual rates of primary forest loss (1990‐2000) were double post‐conflict decade (2000‐

2010) (Nackoney et al, 2014)

International, formal timber

Colonial forestry –timber (1890s-1960)

Timber rush (1941-1975)

Silviculture and resource assessment (1950-1990; CTFT, FAO, OFI)

Forest management (1965, 1993-present; i.a. CIRAD, CIFOR)

Certification /Legality (1995, 2002-present; i.a. CIRAD, CIFOR)

State of Forests 2010

Impact of management and certification on harvest intensity

Cerutti et al. 2011

Managed and certified concessions have a significantly reduced harvesting intensity

Social impacts of certification Congo Basin - largest area of certified tropical forest certified in

the world (ca. 5.3 million ha) but only ca. 7-13% of all FMUs in the region

FSC certification requires setting and monitoring multiple criteria with annual evaluations, and has resulted i.a. in:

Improved working and living conditions in sawmills, during forestry operations and at bases vie

Facilitating the legitimacy and effectiveness of active local institutions to ensure a continuous dialogue with concessionaires

Existence of clear and more equitable benefit sharing mechanisms

BUT the presence of an FSC certified FMU has not been associated with any significant changes in (customary) local agricultural, hunting and NTFP collection practices

Source: Cerruti, P., Lescuyer, G. et al, 2014. Social impacts of the Forest Stewardship Council Certification. An assessment in the Congo Basin CIFOR Occasional Paper #103.

Domestic, informal timber

Total ignorance till the mid 90s

Initial studies (1995-2005)

Empirical research by CIFOR (2007 - 2014)

Policy recognition but inadequate legal frameworks

Estimations des volumes de sciages consommés sur 12 mois

Volumes de bois (m3/an) Cameroun Gabon Congo RDC RCA(Ydé, Dla, Bta) (Libreville) (P‐N, Bzv) (villes) (Bangui)

Production de sciages informels pour les marchés domestiques

662 000 50 000 99 000 850 000 33 000

Production de sciages informels pour l’exportation officieuse 

60 000 0 0 112 000 6 000

Production totale de sciages informels 

722 000 50 000 99 000 962 000 39 000

Production de sciages formels (provenant de déchets industriels ou de petits permis) pour les marchés domestiques

198 000 20 000 10 500 62 000 34 000

Exportations officielles de sciages industriels 

343 000 150 000 93 000 29 000 41 000

Production totale de sciages légaux (consommation intérieure + exportations officielles)

541 000 170 000 104 500 91 000 75 000

Production informelle / production totale (%) 

57 23 49 91 34

80 000m3

6 000m312 000m3

150 000m3

> 50,000 full time jobs (more than the formal sector)

Turn over of about 40 billion CFA/year ($80 million/year)

Affordable building material for local population (80% cheaper than export sawn wood)

CIFOR – Cameroon, 2001; Gabon, 2011; RCA, 2014 and DRC, 2014

Wood energy

A non issue in the humid part of the region

Early warnings (mid 70s; CTFT)

Full blown but localized problem (empirical research in DRC; i.a.CIRAD, CIFOR)

Still not really recognized and remains a ‘wicked problem’ and poor people issue

Kinshasa: 4,700,000 m3/yr Kisangani: 200,000 m3/yr

cf. Formal timber sector for DRC: < 300,000 m3/yr

17,664

3,200 1,315

75,446

190 1,070

Cameroon CAR Congo DRC EquatorialGuinea

Gabon

State of Forests 2010; Makala project; Schure, 2014

Before and after?

Luki forest reserve, Bas Congo

Degraded lands, Bas Congo

In 28 years, the quantity of carbon stored in the vegetation around Kinshasa has decreased by ca. 30%

Makala project

Non wood products

A non issue before the 80s

“Discovery” and overselling (1990s)

NTFP Domestication (1990-present; ICRAF)

Bushmeat crisis (2000 –present; BCTF, NGOs, ZSL, CIFOR)

Management Plans still focus on timber

Inappropriate legal frameworks

613,600,000378,641,309

12,197,5038,089,580

4,040,0002,874,9282,799,330

1,574,661989,504847,182730,325585,586

430,639284,013269,083249,938244,420

171,175124,489

94,80361,105

31,50018,000

11,8685,911

78.9

1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 100,000,0001,000,000,000

Fish (Silures & other species)Fuelwood (wood, charcoal & sawdust)

Gnetum africanum, Gnetum bulchoziumIrvingia gabonensis, Irvingia wombulu

Acacia senegal, Acacia polyacanthaPrunus africana

BushmeatRaphia spp.

Dacryodes edulisPausinystalia johimbe

Ricinodendron heudelotiiVoacanga africana

Cola nitidaRattans

Cola acuminataGarcinia kola

Apiculture: beeswaxGarcinia lucida

Tetrapleura tetrapteraRauvolfia vomitoriaApiculture: honey

Chinconia spp.Kigelia africana

Baillonella toxispermaCarpolobia lutea,  Carpolobia albea

Piper guineensis

US$  (2010 equivalent) 

Annual market value of key NTFPs in Cameroon 

State of Forests 2010

Estimates of the bushmeat trade range from US$42 to US$205 million per year in West-Central Africa. Current harvest in excess of 5 million tonnes annually 30 to 80% of the protein intake of many rural populationsLooming food security issue

Gender issues

• NTFP play a disproportionately important role in the livelihoods and well-being of women (and children)

• The collection of fuelwood or other wild products is often a task for women and children

• Women play an important role in the different value chains of these products and derive crucial income from the sales

• Women generally invest back their income into household food and wellbeing; men more into non essential goods

Ingram et al, 2014

Regional guidelines for the sustainable management of NTFPs developed for the 10 member countries of COMIFAC).

Adopted by the Conference of Ministers of COMIFAC– This in turn has resulted in raising the status of NTFPs within

the forestry administration in most countries. Gabon and Cameroon have now created directorates

within their forestry administration for the design and implementation of all policies related to NTFPs(FAO, ICRAF, CIFOR…)

But still lacking for bushmeat (and fish)

Raised awareness

Environmental services

Background noise since Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Recognition: Biodiversity, water, eco-tourism, carbon (REDD)

FSC – Certification of Ecosystem Services (see special guide -http://bit.ly/HCVForCES)

Payment for Environmental Services offers potential

But infancy stage in the region and market(s) at scale not realized (inc.forest carbon)

Forest Good or Service (in

discounted US$/ha or in US$/ha/yr)

General(Pearce &

Pearce 2001)

Cameroon(Lescuyer

2007)

Gabon(National

Park)(Lescuyer

2006)

Cameroon (community

forests)(Akoa Akoa,

2007)

Timber 200 ‐ 4,400 560 98 25‐78

Fuelwood 40 61 NA 165

NTFPs 0 ‐ 100 41 ‐ 70 3 172

Genetic resources 0 ‐ 3,000 7 1< Na

Recreation 2 ‐ 470 19 4 34

Watershed benefits 15 ‐ 850 54 ‐ 270 0 998

Climate benefits (carbon) 360 ‐ 2,200 842 ‐ 2,265 211 632

Option values 2 ‐12 3 NA NA

Non‐use values 4,400 19 ‐ 32 24 NA

Conservation concessions:€ 13 million per year for the Ngoyla Mintom forest (Karsenty, 2007); € 10 million for the forest reserve of Dzanga-Sangha (Lescuyer, 2008)

Certification has yet to provide the expected “premium” on the sensitive markets

REDD+ (carbon) although the obvious candidate of choice does not stand against opportunity costs of agro-business development (e.g. oil palm)

The economics are not good…

State of Forests 2010; FORAFAMA project

Future directions

Competing land uses – agriculture, bio-energy, mining Large-scale land acquisitions (Gabon, Cameroon and DRC) Mining including oil and gas reserves (e.g. Virunga NP,

North Kivu, DRC) New end markets partic. in the Asia-Pacific region

(declining timber exports to the EU) Global capital flows and new South-South investments

– 32% share of global capital flows to emerging economies in 2012 (cf. 5% in 2000)

– US$1.9 trillion in “South-South” foreign investments between emerging economies

New trans-boundary regulations (e.g. FLEGT-VPA and EU-TR, Lacey Act)

The undelivered ‘promise’ of (forest) carbon finance Focus remains on timber…and the continuing challenges of

promoting multiple use forest management and intensifying smallholder production systems

Emerging trends in the Congo Basin

Focus still remains on wood supplies.....

e.g. Gabon – supplied logs to China • Investment Charter, 1998; Private Investment Promotion

Agency (APIP), 2000 and new Forest Law, 016, 2001• Gabon – largest African supplier of logs to China until

logging ban introduced in 2010• Chinese companies currently own 121 concession

permits (out of total of 500 active permits) to manage and log 2.67 million ha of forested land esp. in the Province of Ogooue Ivindo (half of these belong to 5 companies)

• Annual timber exports ca. 1 million m3 (70% of total)• Timber investments by private companies and

individuals (not known if backed by Chinese development banks or not)

• Special Economic Zone has not attracted new investments

Conclusions

The quest for globally acceptable definitions of sustainable forest management (SFM) (or forest degradation?) is pointless

SFM should be defined by societal demands and designed across sectors at the landscape level whilst accommodating new forms of land-use

Outcomes should be monitored based on agreed objectives; unrealistic, unachievable or vague targets are of little use

Informal sectors should be recognized and clear regulatory frameworks established notably for domestic timber, woodfuels and bushmeatresources

Private-public sector collaboration should become the norm rather than the exception

Improved governance and law enforcement with clearly-defined short, medium and long-term targets

Equitable burden and benefit sharing between national and sub-national governments

Strengthen capacity building efforts notably wrt land use planning, exchange of information (up, down and across) and to re-build a professional cadre

Increased transparency in decision-making notably wrt land administration (e.g. identification of truly-available land with local communities) and investments (domestic/FDI)

Progressively remove perverse incentives and introduce more positive incentives for farmers to forgo deforestation

Develop and monitor forest-friendly supply chains with robust social and environmental safeguards

Multiple interventions are needed

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Thank you – Merci