The Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forests 2021

The “State of the Forests of the Congo Basin” report is published periodically to present the state of the forest ecosystems of Central Africa and how they are managed. Following the 2015 edition devoted entirely to climate change, the 2021 report takes up several themes and is presented in four parts.

The report begins by examining the state of the resource, which is increasingly recognized across the world as a forest area crucial for carbon sequestration and for the conservation of biological diversity. The Congo Basin forest ecosystems are then put into perspective within the global context of discussions that can guide the management and governance of the entire world’s tropical forests for decades to come. The report then addresses topical issues such as peatland management and the relationship between the biodiversity management and the emergence or re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. And COVID-19 features notably in the chapter on this topic. Finally, the report identifies the main challenges that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the Congo Basin, with the goal of ensuring that management contributes to improving the livelihoods and living environment of local communities and indigenous peoples.

Table of contents

Acronyms

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Part 1: Central African forests: The state of forest resources and their management

1. Distribution of forest types and changes in their classification


2. The evolution of the wood subsector in the Congo Basin


3. Forest Plantations in Central Africa


4. Aligning international financial flows and the COMIFAC Convergence Plan


5. Implementation of REDD+ Activities in Central African Countries

Part 2: Congo Basin forests in international discourse

6. Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into Forest Management in Central Africa: current status, challenges and improvement options


7. Central African countries’ international commitments on climate changei


8. Addressing imported deforestation and zero deforestation commitments

Part 3: Emerging issues for Central African forests

9. Peatlands of the Central Congo Basin, current realities and perspectives


10. Emergence/Re-emergence of Infectious Agents and Epidemic Risks in Central African Forests

Part 4: Congo Basin forests: Issues and challenges

11. Land Use Planning and Impacts on the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa


12. Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Central Africa


13. The rights of local and indigenous peoples in the light of forest and conservation policies

State of the Congo Basin Forests in 2021: Overall conclusions

Bibliography

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