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The virtual meeting of the CBFP Scientific College was held online on June 26, 2021 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Please download here below the minutes of the meeting:
210526_Report_CBFP Scientific College Meeting.pdf (150.1 KiB)
Participants:
Richard Eba´a Atyi (Co-Leader of College), Donald Iponga (Co-Leader of College), Christian Ruck (CBFP Facilitator), Dany Pokem, Claus-Michael Falkenberg, Robert Nasi, Guillaume Lescuyer, Benoit Mertens, Denis Depommier, Pierre Defourny, Sandrine Andong, Denis Sonwa, Virginia Zaunbrecher, Claude Kachaka, Marius Ekue, Aurelian Mbzibain, Vivian Rossi, Xiao Jianmin, Johannes Haas
Agenda
Assessment of deforestation and forest degradation and direct drivers using SEPAL
After the Co-Leader Richary Atyi welcomed all participants and introduced them to the agenda of the meeting, the floor was given to CBFP Facilitator Dr. Christian Ruck representing the German Facilitation to the partnership. The Facilitator gave a short overview of the activities the Facilitation has pursued since the last virtual meeting of the College. He stressed that the work on the Declaration supported by all members of the CBFP has continued since its official adoption at the CBFP Council Meeting in Kinshasa in December 2020. He also noted that the Facilitation is preparing for upcoming key conferences in multilateral environmental politics, such as the Conferences of Parties of UNFCCC on climate and of CBD on biodiversity. In this regard, the Facilitation is commissioning several thematic short-term studies on pertinent issues of forest and environmental politics, such as on REDD+ in the Congo Basin, on ecotourism, on sustainable value chains and on transhumance. Furthermore, he asked the Scientific College to help prepare the Facilitation and the Regional College of our Partnership for these upcoming conferences and preparatory negotiations. In particular, a numerical estimation of the Congo Basin´s “value” to safeguarding the global climate is needed to politically lobby for a more appropriate share of climate funding to be directed towards the Congo Basin rainforests. Thanks to the outstanding importance of the Congo Basin rainforest ecosystems for carbon sequestration and for other global and local ecosystem services, their crucial role for global climate mitigation and adaptation should be reflected more adequately also in financial terms. Reacting to a question from Pierre Defourny, Facilitator Dr. Ruck clarified that scientific evidence is needed to underscore political lobbying for the Congo Basin and make it more effective. Currently, the Facilitation is using the figure of 5% as demand for an appropriate share of all climate funding to be directed towards the Congo Basin rainforests. Additional input or other estimations are more than welcome.
Thereafter, Claus Michael Falkenberg introduced the College to ongoing work on the Declaration after it had been officially adopted by the CBFP Council in Kinshasa in December 2020. He clarified that the text has remained the same in principle and only minor adjustments have been made reacting to demands from the regional college, for example a formulation towards “zero deforestation” as objective instead of “no deforestation”. He also noted that – as had been agreed in Kinshasa – the Declaration has been sent to all COMIFAC Ministers in order for a cross-sectoral revision of the document with different concerned Ministries in the COMIFAC countries. Claus Falkenberg also explained that the Declaration is planned to be signed by the COMIFAC Ministers to give it more political weight and that it is envisaged to integrate key points of the Declaration into the NDCs of all COMIFAC states which are being revised currently. Having said that, it was stressed that the Declaration gains political weight through its elaboration in a participatory consultative process including all CBFP Colleges prior to the last Council Meeting. This demonstrates that the Declaration is more than an additional declaration by states, but that it was instead elaborated and is supported by all stakeholder groups represented in CBFP Colleges. It is thus a “joint perspective of the Congo Basin” and can be used as basic documents for negotiations on additional funding and international support to the region in exchange for commitments and actions on forest conservation and sustainable use.
On the following agenda point, Prof. Damase Khasa introduced the College to the status quo of a CAFI-funded and FAO-executed regional study on drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Congo Basin. Prof. Khasa is representing the CBFP Scientific College in the technical committee of this study. The presentation is attached. It was discussed how the mentioned study is overlapping with comparable regional studies, e.g. a recent study by OFAC and Vancutsem et al. (2021). The discussion in the College clarified that there are some overlaps but that when FAO and CAFI designed the current study project, the recent papers had not been published yet. Furthermore, different perspectives on the same question van be very helpful. Also, one focus of the project is to specifically use open-access sources such as SEPAL, to improve the methodology of deforestation monitoring and to make this methodology available to partner countries so they can reproduce studies and ideally create a feeling of ownership. Results will be shared in early 2022 in the form of a white paper as well as by means of several peer reviewed articles.
Co-Leader Richard Atyi then informed the College that the regional “State of the Forests of the Congo Basin” study is being finalized and that it is planned to publish the report by the end of 2021. He underlined that this regular effort is carried mainly by voluntary contributions of numerous scientists working on Congo Basin forest issues.
Concerning any other business, the University of Louvain will be hosting a large conference on land use issues in 2022 while the Global Landscapes Forum on drylands in Africa will take place online already beginning of June 2021.
In the closing remarks by the Facilitator Dr. Ruck and Co-Leader Richard Atyi, the College was also informed that the German Facilitation to the CBFP has been extended until the end of the year 2022. The Facilitator thanked the College for all provided support and encouraged the group to jointly keep pursuing the fight for conservation and sustainable use of the Congo Basin´s rainforests.
Please download the Documents here below:
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On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The International Day observance will take place online on Friday, 9 August 2024. This year’s theme is: Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.
CBFP, which is one of the oldest Type 2 partnerships in the United Nations system, registered in the ECOSOC and UN DESA partnerships, and strengthened in SDG 17, is calling on its partners to make the conclusions of the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development their own... the call is crystallised in advocacy for Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership with diverse stakeholders for sustainable developmen. In Fact, Partnerships are the glue for SDG implementation and is been essential to making the Agenda a reality.
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Side event organized by the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme on the 04/06 from 8h30 to 9h30 am. United Nations member states are committed to reducing hunger, improving health, and conserving natural resources through the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, promoting sustainable wildlife management and equitable benefits. However, in Central Africa, the unsustainable wild meat trade threatens food security and biodiversity, making these goals challenging to achieve.
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Approximately 5% for Central African countries and the bulk for other geographical zones... towards an "Accelerator for the preservation of the Congo Basin forests and peripheries" towards Belém COP 30 Climate post Glasgow?
... WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative and researchers from Land & Carbon Lab have partnered with Meta to develop a groundbreaking AI foundation model that we’ve used to produce the world’s first global map of tree canopy height at a 1-meter resolution, allowing the detection of single trees at a global scale...
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Libreville, Gabon 22 April 2024, Rainforest Trust has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Rainforest Trust is now one of 129 member countries and organizations working together in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership to promote sustainable resource management, combat climate change and its impacts, improve living conditions and protect the unique biodiversity of Central Africa’s tropical forest.
The French-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 3-5 June 2024. If you wish to attend the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP) of the CBFP and related events, please register before 05 May, 23:59, 2024 by completing the form below and clicking on the button “register”. It will not be possible to attend the meeting without a properly completed registration procedure.
The 20th Meeting of the Parties to the CBFP (MOP20) will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 3 to 5 June 2024. The MOP20 is organised by the Co-Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Please find the provisional programme of the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the CBFP (MOP20).
The French-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 3-5 June 2024. If you wish to cover the 20th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) of the CBFP and associated meetings, please register before 16 May 2024 by filling in the form below and clicking on the "register" button.
The "Youth Forum for the Forests of Central Africa 2024" is scheduled to take place over 2 days from 31 May to 1 June in Kinshasa. It will bring together 150 young people from Central Africa and Europe who are committed to protecting forests and preserving the environment. This forum is organised by the Franco-Gabonese facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), a 128-member initiative that serves as a platform for multi-sectoral dialogue on forest conservation. The Youth Forum will be a preliminary event to the CBFP Meeting of the Parties, which will take place from 3 to 5 June in Kinshasa, and will serve as a general assembly for its members.
Abuja, 19 April 2024, His Excellency Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, Federal Minister of the Environment of Nigeria and His Excellency Jules Doret Ndongo, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife of Cameroon sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation of transborder ecosystems and the sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources along their common border of more than 1,500 km.
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The Co-Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the "Signing Ceremony of the Framework Cooperation Agreement on the Conservation of Transboundary Ecosystems and Sustainable Management of Forest and Wildlife Resources between the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon" will take place on Friday 19 April 2024 at 10:00 am at the Continental Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. In conjunction with this signing ceremony, a technical round table on the implementation of the framework cooperation agreement on the conservation of transboundary ecosystems and the sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources between Nigeria and Cameroon will be held at 12 noon on Thursday 18 April at the same hotel.
The Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) is deeply saddened to announce the death of Mrs Sylvie Louisette NGO YEBEL Epse FOUNGA, Communications Expert of Cameroonian nationality, at the COMIFAC Executive Secretariat. She was murdered and her body found on Sunday 7 April 2024 at around 8.30 am in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
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CIDT wishes to recruit an enthusiastic, people-centred international development professional to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team. To be considered for this post you will have an understanding and experience of global sustainable development work and be prepared to work both in UK and overseas. You will be qualified to master’s level in one or more of the following core areas of our work: Global Sustainable /International development/ Development Studies, Development Effectiveness, Gender and Social Inclusion, Sustainable Livelihoods, Natural Resource Management, Forest Governance or Education and Development and have expertise in the related fields.
This brief note sets out the principle of an ecological bonus-malus mechanism, designed to change behaviour by modifying the relative prices of products, while aiming for budget neutrality (no tax losses for the State). It applies in particular to the agricultural and forestry sectors, but can also be applied to other areas. We are currently working with various colleagues on the timber and cocoa sectors, and on an automated simulator with a user-friendly interface that can be easily used by government departments and their partners who would like to test the tool and, if necessary, implement it.
The Co-Facilitation of France and Gabon of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to announce the selection of COMIFAC by the CBD Secretariat as a centre for technical and scientific cooperation for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Framework for Biodiversity in Central Africa. With the highest score in Africa, COMIFAC ranks 4th in the world. The co-facilitation congratulates COMIFAC on this major distinction.
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The Franco-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) organised the 13th meeting of the Governing Council of the CBFP by video conference on Tuesday 9 April 2024. Please, download the report...
Many countries have recently adopted bioenergy as part of a critical strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. Because of increased efficiency and lower production costs, along with legislative support and investment incentives, bioenergy use is swiftly becoming a renewable energy substitute for fossil fuels. The study provides a better understanding of bioenergy issues, potential and sustainability to inform countries in the global South and provide guidance on integrating bioenergy into their national energy plans by proposing a simplified sustainability framework for wood-based bioenergy.