The international conference on Africa's forests by the Paris City Council will take place on 6 October

As we announced last week, the international conference in Paris to understand and preserve the Central African forest and its populations will bring together local authorities, representatives of associations, universities and entrepreneurship, as well as experts and major European and African witnesses who will call for the need to act to preserve this region. The conference will run all day, starting at 9:00 am.

It will be articulated around plenary sessions and talk tables, and will focus on 4 crucial issues:

The preservation of the African equatorial forest and its biodiversity
The central role of the populations
The fight against global warming
The development of new agricultural and food practices

We return to this conference to underline that it was organized by the Paris City Council and should lead to a deep reflection on the value of legal and certified timber production for the future of Central African forests. More than ever, sustainably managed forests are a solution for the future of tropical forest basins, for the fight against deforestation and of course for the climate. Markets must recognize the efforts of companies and governments that promote certification.

The City of Paris, which chairs the Société pour la Livraison des Ouvrages Olympiques (SOLIDEO), should set an example and open the door to certified tropical wood, instead of banning it from its specifications, especially as many personalities concerned with sustainable production will be attending the conference.

This conference will be supported by an international scientific committee and many personalities will be invited to participate and to make commitments in favor of the preservation of the forests of Central Africa and its populations.

Speakers will include people with whom ATIBT works and interacts, such as Jean Bakouma, Director of Congo Basin Conservation at WWF, Claude Garcia, researcher at CIRAD, Stéphane Glannaz, commercial director at Precious Wood, and Alain Karsenty, economist at CIRAD, as well as the Gabonese Minister of Water, Forests, Sea and Environment Lee White, or the Cameroonian Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo. The complete panel of speakers is available here.

It is possible to register online for the conference.