Sustainably managing
tropical production forests

Sustaining Cameroon’s forests

There was a time when logging companies in Cameroon plundered the forest—all eyes on profit rather than the future. Forestry reforms introduced by the government over the past decade sought to change this, and companies must now draw up management plans for sustainable harvesting. However, CIFOR research has revealed flaws in a key law governing forest management. Painstaking data crunching has convinced the government that it is time to revise the law. more

Logging for biodiversity

Industrial timber production can have disastrous effects on biodiversity. However, it doesn’t need to be like that. When sensitively and sustainably managed, production forests can yield a profit for timber companies without destroying biodiversity. The International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) new biodiversity guidelines show how it can be done. CIFOR scientists helped to formulate and shape the guidelines. more

Reforming the bushmeat trade

Hunting for food threatens the survival of many tropical forest species. But blanket bans against hunting could make life worse, not better, both for wildlife and for millions of people who depend on bushmeat for their survival. Instead, local people should be given the rights and responsibility to hunt the more resilient species at sustainable levels. This is a key recommendation of Conservation and use of wildlife-based resources: the bushmeat crisis, published by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). CIFOR scientists contributed to the research and writing of the report. more