Vital Forest Graphics

J he forests of Central Africa have suf- fered less from large scale clearance than forests in many other parts of the world. During the 1990s deforestation rates in Central Africa were estimated to be 0.35 per cent per year. In the 2000 to 2005 period, deforestation rates in the region showed marked differences between the countries concerned; while 1 per cent of Cameroon’s forests were lost every year during this period, the figure was 0.24 per cent for the Demo- cratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and 0.05 per cent for Gabon (FAO 2006a). About 1 000 different tree species have been recorded in the area, with some 100 species having commercial The Congo Basin forests are under threat from deforestation, degradation and fragmentation, even in areas that have not yet been opened up by log- ging operations. Satellite images show that forest loss and degradation are also caused by the displacement of people due to war and conflict, and the impact of mining activities. The images also highlight destruction in previ- ously untouched forest areas particu- larly along the tributaries of the Congo River, most likely related to population growth and settlement. In the densely populated mountainous regions and high plateaus of western Cameroon and the east of DRC, the shortening of fallow periods, combined with the con- version of abandoned fields into pas- ture prevent any forest regeneration. Across the region 76 per cent of for- ests have been identified as productive or commercially exploitable. By 2000 nearly all productive forests outside protected areas in the central Congo The forests of Central Africa The forests of Central Africa are the world’s second largest moist tropical forests, exceeded in area only by the Amazon Basin forests value, though only 40-50 species are at present harvested and sold. The north- ern and southern parts of the region consist of semi-deciduous forests, with an abundance of commercially valuable species such as the African mahogany (Khaya spp. ). The central part of the Congo Basin largely consists of gallery and swamp forest. In the eastern part of the region as many as 300 tree spe- cies can be found on a single hectare. Some 30 million people, comprising 150 different ethnic groups live in the forests of Central Africa. The majority are indigenous and include the Pyg- mies, as well as many groups of Bantu origin that have been forest dwellers for more than 1000 years and have inter- mixed with Pygmy, Ubangi and Sudanic populations. They are distinguished among themselves by their degree of nomadism (hunter-gatherer) and their dependence on farming, mainly trad- itional shifting-agriculture. Most com- munities exist at subsistence levels.

Forest conservation and wood production

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Million ha

Million cubic metres

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Total forest

Production

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

GABON

CAMEROON

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CAMEROON

GABON

CONGO

CONGO

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

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40 VITAL FOREST GRAPHICS