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Contribution of the Pilot Initiatives of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) to the Sustainable Management of Protected Areas in Central Africa
The 15th edition of the World Forestry Congress (WFC) was hosted in Seoul, South Korea, from 2nd – 6th May 2022. This landmark conference of the world’s forestry sector serves as an international platform for exchange between government representatives, civil society organisations and development partners. It is also a forum for drafting recommendations and declarations on key forestry issues, namely, sustainable management, desertification, biodiversity conservation, etc. Thus, the conference is of great strategic importance for the Congo Basin which, as the second green lung of the planet, also has many claims to make.
Traditional fishing traps
On this occasion, during a conference held in the COMIFAC - ECCAS Hall[1], the GIZ Regional Support Project for COMIFAC presented the results of two of its five pilot initiatives (PIs), which were designed to impact the conservation and sustainable use of forest resources at the local, national, and sub-regional levels. The pilot initiatives selected stem from the COMIFAC Convergence Plan, the 2018-2025 strategic framework of the Network of Indigenous and Local Peoples - REPALEAC and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising out of their Utilisation (ABS). The two pilot initiatives presented in Seoul concern: i) the contribution of traditional knowledge to biodiversity conservation in Central Africa, the case of the Sangha Tri-national (TNS) and the bi-national Boumba Ndjida - Sena Oura complex (BSB Yamoussa) and ii) Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): the importance of an effective involvement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
The contribution of traditional knowledge to biodiversity conservation in Central Africa: Case of the Sangha Tri-national (TNS) and the BSB Yamoussa
The pilot initiative captioned: “Support for the use of local and indigenous knowledge, innovations, and practices already identified in the management of protected areas” was implemented in close collaboration with the Network of Indigenous and Local Communities for the Management of Central African Forest Ecosystems (REPALEAC). It was carried out using a two-stage methodological approach. Firstly, date collection on traditional knowledge from indigenous populations and local communities (PACL) listed within the protected area groups of the Yamoussa BSB (Cameroon, Chad) and the Sangha Tri-national - TNS (Cameroon, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo). On the other hand, several workshops were organised on a local and sub-regional scale to facilitate exchanges between the various actors and stakeholders and to strengthening their capacities, such as the innovative concept of “Useful Holidays for Biodiversity” organised around the BSB Yamoussa complex, which contributed to valorising traditional knowledge between adults and young people.
This pilot initiative has clearly contributed to valorising and highlighting PACL’s traditional knowledge, thus ensuring its generational sustainability. Although some of this knowledge is used on a daily basis by protected area managers or researchers (e.g., tracking and other signs of animals during wildlife inventories), its valorisation remains in most cases unrecognised by the holders. Moreover, the gradual loss of the transmission rituals of this traditional knowledge among the younger generations should be considered. This is why it is vital, to maintain these rituals within traditional groups, to ensure that their contribution to the conservation of Central African forest ecosystems is taken into account.
However, the use of this knowledge requires compliance with intellectual property requirements as defined by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI). Rather, any process of collecting promoting/valorising traditional knowledge of PACL implies their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as defined by ILO Convention No. 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As a result, FPIC has been a requirement for our approach throughout this initiative.
2- Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): the importance of effective involvement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
FPIC is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007). It gives them the right freely give or withhold their consent (without intimidation or manipulation) to any development project that is likely to impact on their way of life and well-being. To contribute to the systematic application of FPIC in all processes related to the management of protected areas by its member states, COMIFAC, in collaboration with REPALEAC, has implemented the PI: “Support for the development of a mutual approach to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in protected areas in the COMIFAC area based on existing experiences: Case of TNS and BSB Yamoussa”.
A participatory and phased methodology was chosen for its implementation in the TNS. As a result, several local and sub-regional workshops were organised, bringing together different actors in the TNS to improve on their capacity in FPIC and human rights. Thus, a FPIC approach was tested as part of the reviewing process of the Lobeke National Park management plan, in collaboration with the Cameroon TNS branch, COMIFAC, REPALEAC, and the GIZ Regional Project in support of COMIFAC. This dual-purpose capacity building aims at: (1) providing information on FPIC and the concerns of local people for conservation purposes; (2) providing people with information on FPIC, the management plan review process, and the importance of local people’s participation.
It was noted that a lack of information and communication could quickly lead to confusion and misunderstanding among stakeholders in the sustainable management of protected areas. Providing relevant information and building the capacity of all stakeholders is therefore of utmost importance. Although the implementation of the FPIC approach requires time, it is one of the most effective ways of involving and inclusively engaging PACLs in the sustainable management of protected areas and their peripheral zones.
At the end of the implementation process, guidebooks (Sub-regional Guide to FPIC) and catalogues (Catalogue of Traditional Knowledge) were produced for national and sub-regional use. These products stem from experiences and lessons learnt on site, and are designed to be used in other COMIFAC sites.
The Multi-stakeholder Dialogue of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) between representatives of donor countries, civil society, the private sector, INGOs and multilaterals in dialogue with representatives of Central African countries will take place on Friday 8 December 2023, 14:00-15:30 at the COMIFAC Initiatives Pavilion, Blue Zone. Theme of the event:“The Central African Forests, vital global biodiversity and carbon reserves: a major challenge for domestic and international mobilisation”.
On day one of UN climate talks in Dubai, negotiators rubber-stamped plans to get the fund up and running. The arrangements had been hashed out by a transitional committee over five fraught meetings in the past year. The Cop28 president Sultan Al Jaber hailed the decision as “historic”, with a broad smile, after watching delegates burst into a round of applause.
As a main operating entity under the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), GCF takes guidance from the Conference of Parties (COP) on its policies, programming priorities, and eligibility criteria. The GCF delegation will be observing the official negotiations, and hosting and taking part in various events.
UN Climate Change News, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 29 November 2023 – The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 will open tomorrow with a resounding call to accelerate collective climate action. The conference takes place in what is already known to be the hottest year ever recorded in human history and as the impacts of the climate crisis wreak unprecedented havoc on human life and livelihoods around the world.
On Saturday 28 October 2023, partners of the CBFP attending the Summit of the Three World Tropical Basins of Amazonia, Congo and Borneo-Mekong in the Republic of Congo met at the Kintele Conference Centre in Brazzaville. The meeting provided an opportunity for the partners present at the summit to discuss the implementation of the CBFP Roadmap for the next two years and to prepare for forthcoming international and regional events, with a view to strengthening synergies between the partners and building coalitions in a spirit of partnership in order to create an active dynamic between the partners and colleges of the CBFP.
The Three Basins Summit took place in Brazzaville from 26 to 28 October 2023. At least ten Heads of State from the continent (Congo, DRCongo, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Sao Tome and Principe) attended the event. In a press briefing held on his arrival at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport on Sunday 30 October, the President of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Evariste Ndayishimiye, stated that in his report presented in his capacity as Chairman of the Central African Forests Commission, COMIFAC, 208 public areas covering 800 hectares were protected and 800 million forests had been preserved. However, he stressed the need for industrialised countries to join Africa in the fight against atmospheric pollution.
Brazzaville, 30 October 2023. The official launch of the activities of the France - Gabon Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) took place on Thursday 26 October 2023 in Room 6 of the Kintele Conference Centre in Congo Brazzaville. Please download the roadmap of the Co-Facilitation..
Bangui, Central African Republic, 06 November 2023 - The Executive Secretary, Hervé MAIDOU, and the Administrative and Financial Director, François DAYANG, took part in the funeral of the late Idriss AMIT, Minister of Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, who died on 3 November 2023 in Douala, Cameroon.
To read: West African producers - generally dull international demand; Slump in Malaysia’s exports; Indonesian industry ready to intensify presence in Asian markets; Peeler logs now more readily available in Northern India; Incentives for Peruvian companies obtaining voluntary forest certification; Japanese importers confused over new government requirement; Action required now by tropical wood suppliers to meet EUDR requirements; US wooden furniture imports at lowest since March..
We are pleased to inform you about the launch of the call for nominations for the Migrants4Climate Award (M4C), an initiative of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) in partnership with the GFMD France 2022-2023 Chair and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
On Friday 27 October 2023, the High-Level Dialogue between the Forest Ministers of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) and the private sector of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) took place in Brazzaville on the sidelines of the Summit of the Three Global Tropical Basins of Amazonia, Congo and Borneo-Mekong.
The fifty-ninth session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC), the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), opened in Pattaya, Thailand, with a call from the host country for ITTO to continue promoting legal trade in tropical timber and encouraging the use of wood derived from sustainable forest management (SFM). To fulfil their mandate, ITTC member countries took some crucial decisions to navigate the challenging financial and organizational conditions that have buffeted their organization in recent years.
The opening session highlighted the role of crop diversity for food security, environmental sustainability, and resilience of food systems, including for future generations. The need to ensure close collaboration with the Convention on Biological Diversity was one of the key messages of the day.
The French delegation will be present during the two weeks of COP28 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). As well as taking part in the climate negotiations, it will be running a France Pavilion throughout the international event, from 30 November to 12 December 2023. The Pavilion will provide a forum for meetings and discussions on key climate issues, and will offer a wide range of events, including themed sessions, presentations of public policies and press events.
Improved management and conservation could, by 2030, increase the value of DRC's forest-based ecosystem services by US$1.76 billion/year8 over the BAU scenario, and by US$3.8 billion/year by 2050. A comparison of net present values of costs and benefits shows that for every $1 invested today in landscape and forest restoration, DRC stands to gain $15 in benefits by 2050…
David began his career in journalism in his homeland of Cameroon as a writer for The Post Newspaper, before transitioning to broadcasting. He then worked for Radio Reine, Radio Environment, and the Cameroon Radio Television Corporation, while freelancing for Reuters and RFI.
In 2023, Mongabay is officially expanding its coverage of environmental and conservation news in Africa by launching a news bureau dedicated to producing our renowned and award-winning brand of journalism in both French and English. The new bureau, Mongabay Africa, will create original reporting on issues relevant to the conservation of Africa’s wildlife and their habitats, development pressures and the activities of natural resource industries, and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and communities across the continent.
The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) concluded its thirty-seventh meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia with major outcomes for climate action. During the three-day meeting, the Board approved 15 proposals totaling USD 736.4 million to fund new climate projects in developing countries. A total of USD 3.6 billion when co-financing is included.
The 14th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) Commemoration and the 19thComprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform convened from October 30th to November 2nd, 2023, in Lusaka, Zambia. The event was structured under the theme, “Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement in the Context of CAADP Commitments for Safer and Healthier Diets.” This vital assembly sought to explore the strategic synergy between implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and fostering healthier, safer diets through the prism of CAADP commitments.
The Canada–African Development Bank Climate Fund (CACF), established to support gender-affirmative climate change projects in Africa, has approved $36.3 million to two private sector operations to advance climate adaptation in the African continent.
African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN), a platform for high-level political engagement to advance nutrition in Africa, has joined two crucial forums for advancing policy dialogue on agriculture and nutrition in Africa. ALN representatives attended the commemoration the 14th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) and 19th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP).
The Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest forest has distinct meteorological characteristics, and its ecosystem is controlled by complex interactions between many climatic phenomena that act across scales (Fig. 1). While it receives little attention compared to the Amazon Basin, due to its location, the Congo rainforest also contributes to processes responsible for interhemispheric climatic communications in Africa. At the larger scale, the basin regulates the global tropical circulation by serving as one of the world’s most convectively active regions. Therefore, the Basin offers a unique natural laboratory for climate science explorations and the implications for people and ecosystems. But, why has this green heart of Africa been neglected and what should we do about it?.
Durban ( South Africa), October 31 to November 01, 2023– How can we breathe new life and energy into the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region? The issue was at the heart of the Regional Retreat on the review of the impact of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation on the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region, and recommendations for revitalization efforts, held in Durban, South Africa, from October 31 to 01.November 1, 2023.
To elevate women from the micro to macro status, the African Union Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) outlines the pathways to achieve the holistic empowerment of women. The GEWE strategy complements other policy frameworks by the African Union aimed at promoting the rights of women and girls and advocates for adequately resourced gender structures within formal and non-formal institutions and bodies to ensure that women at the grassroot and executive levels, have opportunities that to allow them to reach their full potential.
Government policymakers, mining sector leaders, and civil society will convene to focus on the many issues connected to “Sharing Mining Benefits in the Energy Transition. Setting the tone during the opening of the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Interim Co-President and Co-CEO, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), noted that critical minerals are the backbone of the clean energy transition. She urged mining countries seeking to tap the booming demand for these minerals to take “immediate and bold action” to ensure they expand their share of benefits while doing so in an equitable and environmentally and socially responsible manner.
7 November 2023 Compliance issues were in the spotlight throughout the day, escalating into a vote: two votes were held in the afternoon to help the Standing Committee reach a decision on recommendations related to compliance in the EU and the UK.
The second Summit of the world's three tropical forest basins was held from October 26 to 28, 2023 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. It brought together leaders from the Amazon, the Congo and the Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia region to form a global coalition. Its aim was to implement, within the framework of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, the first global coalition for the restoration of 350 million hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) – Malabo Implementation Guidelines for National Level Design and Implementation of Bankable Agriculture and Food Systems Programmes, is a groundbreaking roadmap to revolutionise food systems across the African continent. Recognising the paramount importance of food systems in achieving human well-being, as highlighted in the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, these guidelines provide a comprehensive roadmap for a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food future.
October 27, 2023 (ENTEBBE, Uganda): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) yesterday wrapped-up its Blue Economy Project’s 2nd Steering Committee Meeting in Entebbe with field visits to Mahati Marine Transport Base and Kasenyi fishing landing site.
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (Oct. 28, 2023) – The Executive Secretariat of the Central African Forest Commission (or Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale - COMIFAC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of Target 3 of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
ATIBT is speeding up the process of revitalizing the UNIBOIS trade union to get its members more involved in the VPA FLEGT process. As part of the implementation of the Support of the Private Sector in the Republic of Congo (ASP Congo) project, and in particular the " UNIBOIS Support for change" activity, ATIBT organized a meeting on Tuesday April 24 October 2023 at the Mikael Hotel in Brazzaville, to take stock of the project's mid-term activities and assess the state of implementation of the roadmap defined and validated at the start of the project by both parties.
In a significant move towards enhanced partnerships and coordination, the United States has officially announced its intent to join the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) as an Executive Board member. The announcement was made during a side event of the Three Basins Summit attended by Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso and Minister of the Environment of Congo-Brazzaville Arlette Soudan-Nonault. The Summit was held in Brazzaville from October 26-28, 2023,
CAFI is launching a call for Expressions of Interest today to all relevant implementing organisations interested in investing in private sector companies in our partner countries (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the Gabonese Republic, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic) to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the following sectors...
COMIFAC, the GIZ Regional Support Project for COMIFAC, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) France – Gabon Facilitation, the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), the EU Funded Support Project to the Central African Forests Observatory (RIOFAC and The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund (FTNS)hereby launch a call for proposals to host side events lasting no more than 60 minutes under the « COMIFAC – Central Africa Initiatives », at the COP28 venue from 30th November to 12th December 2023. Applications should be submitted before 31 October 2023.
In a declaration issued at the end of the Summit of the world's three great basins of the Amazon, the Congo and Borneo-Mekong on Saturday 28 October 2023 in Brazzaville, the Heads of State and Government undertook, among other things, to: to strengthen cooperation between the three basins, which are home to 80% of the world's tropical forests and two-thirds of terrestrial biodiversity; to recognise the unity of enhanced cooperation between the three basins; to recognise the sovereign management of biodiversity, forests and associated resources by the countries that make up the three basins; to pool and capitalise on the knowledge, experience, resources and achievements existing in each of the basins; and to introduce a sustainable system of remuneration for the ecosystem services provided by the three basins".
