05.04.2019
30 March last week, ATIBT and UFIGA contributed to a national information forum organised by ROSCEVAC in Libreville, to inform civil society about the issues of climate change and deforestation.
For many years already Gabon has engaged to international agreements to combat climate change. But it’s only recently that Gabon decided to participate to the REDD+ mechanism.
The 30th of March, the Network of civil society organisations for a green economy in Central Africa (ROSCEVAC) organised a national information forum in Libreville to inform civil society about greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation. ATIBT and UFIGA were invited to share the engagements of the private wood sector to the different strategic axes of the REDD+ process. Several subjects were shared with the forum participants.
For example, with regard to the fight against deforestation, research and training efforts are undertaken to reinforce the reduced impact logging (RIL), whether this is at the level of harvesting, planning of evacuation track or road construction.
Different initiatives of reforestation which are undertaken by forestry companies have also been presented. These initiatives are put in place in partnership with the local population, whether it is for pure wood plantations or cacao plantations shaded by trees of wood species.
To stimulate plantation and agroforestry development more studies and analyses of field experiences are necessary in order to fill the gaps in regulatory frameworks. To reduce deforestation, training and support are also needed to improve agriculture practices, which today are primarily based on burn and slash methods. Gabon has engaged to continue studies in order to define a national land-use plan, and in particular zones that will be designated to agroindustry plantations. This initiative is well received by the wood sector which seeks to secure forest concessions in which forestry companies have invested for sustainable forest management plans and development of the wood industry.
