Markets drive conservation in Central Africa

Certification has shown that commercial forestry can co-exist with conservation objectives in the Congo Basin, according to conclusions reached at an international seminar “Forest management as a tool for cooperation and rural development in Central Africa”, organized yesterday in Madrid by WWF/Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs of Spain. 

Many studies show that best practices, such as certified forests, can contribute to the conservation of key species and the integrity of ecosystems, although there is still room for improvement to ensure that certified forests always reach the best conservation standards. 

“Growth in certification is the best social, economic and environmental option for the development of forestry across the region. It offers a transparent model that drives improvements in standards and addresses key issues through a multi-stakeholder process. As such, certification of forests in the Congo Basin should at least treble within the next five years to reach 15 million hectares,” said George White, Head of GFTN.

Much has been achieved since the first seminar that took place in 2006.  Certification has grown in the Congo Basin from around 41,000 hectares in 2006 to almost 5.2 million hectares today. That’s the equivalent expansion in size from the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena (41,000 ha) to a nation roughly the size of Costa Rica (5.11 million ha). 

In recent years, legislative processes both in the Congo Basin and Europe to combat illegal trade of forest products also started to change the market landscape, increasing focus on legality in the region and boosting public procurement in favour of legal and certified forest products. 

Yet many challenges still remain. Felix Romero, Head of Forest Programme, WWF Spain: “Strong market signals to increase the demand for FSC, or at least for “legal timber, are even more important as they were in 2006.  The market remains an important driver and is a key condition for both legality and certification. But market demand within Europe generally, and in Spain specifically, needs to further increase. There is a need for more private sector involvement and more international cooperation in responsible forest management and trade. “

The Congo Basin is the second largest tropical forest after the Amazon, representing 180 million hectares – more than 15% of all the worldwide tropical forests . As a main consumer and second biggest European importer of African tropical wood, Spain has a major trading relationship with Congo Basin forest industries, with the volume of timber trade between Spain and the Congo Basin reaching 0.8 million m³ per year. That’s a volume a few stories shorter than the 102-story Empire State building, which measures in at just over 1 million cubic meters.  

The event was opened with a speech by Mr. Henri Djombo, Minister of Sustainable Development, Forestry Economy and the Environment of the Republic of Congo, Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International and Ms. Felicidad Montero Pleite, Under-secretary of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs of Spain. Interventions were made, amongst others, by the German Development Bank, the Central African Forest Commission, the London Zoological Society and the Interafrican Forest Industries Association.  

Unsung heroes: the life of a wildlife ranger in the Congo 

The effort to save wildlife from destruction worldwide has many heroes. Some receive accolades for their work, but others live in obscurity, doing good—sometimes even dangerous—work everyday with little recognition. These are not scientists or big-name conservationists, but wildlife rangers, NGO staff members, and low level officials. One of these conservation heroes is Bunda Bokitsi, chief guard of the Etate Patrol Post for Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a nation known for a prolonged civil war, desperate poverty, and corruption—as well as an astounding natural heritage—Bunda Bokitsi works everyday to secure Salonga National Park from poachers, bushmeat hunters, and trappers. In his years of service as a wildlife ranger, and now chief guard, Bokitsi has not only put his life on the line, but has also been falsely imprisoned and even tortured.

“If, for example, today I receive the instruction to follow poachers in the forest, I see such situations as if either the poacher or I will have to leave this world,” Bokitsi told mongabay.com. “Poachers are destroying where we are living. In 2002, when I was the chief of the patrol post at Boangui, I found two poachers with guns and two big elephant tusks in the forest while I was on patrol […] One of the poachers ran away, the other started shooting at us. I returned fire and was finally able to capture him; his name was Batuka. [We] recuperated the ivory. In situations like that, it becomes body to body. Anything can happen.”

Bokitsi is one of the year’s recipients of the Alexander Abraham award, established in part to give recognition to conservation heroes on the frontlines in Asia and Africa. Many of its awards are given posthumously to those who have lost lives in the battle to save the world’s wild places. This year seven men were honored who had lost lives in duty; nine others, including Bokitsi, also received awards.

Read more:http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1101-hance_interview_bunda.html?homepg#ixzz1dn094Uuv