Berlin (Germany), May 13th 2014 – Transparency International, through its Africa Department, has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) andagrees to abide by the cooperation framework of CBFP members to advance sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa. The vision of Transparency International (TI) is “a world in which government, politics, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption.” Read more...
The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration officially joins the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) - Kigali (Rwanda), May 27th 2014 – The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) andto abide by the CBFP cooperation framework to advance sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa. Read more...
In 2012, Belinda Margono calculates, Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of its primary forest, compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil, despite its forest being roughly a quarter the size of the Amazon. This, says Margano, was the most lost by any country... Read more...15-07-2014 16:15
The aim of this year's Petersberg Climate Dialogue was to introduce new ideas into the negotations and discussed new strategies in preparation for the World Climate Conference in Peru in 2014 (COP20/CMP10). On 14-15 July 2014, about 35 Ministers and their representatives, the Co-Chairs of the ADP, as well as the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, met in Berlin at the invitation of the governments of Peru and Germany. In an informal setting Ministers discussed how to accelerate progress in the UN climate negotiations and how to enhance climate action in their respective countries. Read more …
A statistical report is hereby presented against the initial schedule of activities planned for 2013 at the Executive Secretariat, highlighting the implementation rate of each activity... Read more...
The first session of the Summer School on National Forest Monitoring Systems (SNSF) and Measuring, Notification and Verification (MRV) in the context of REDD + was held from June 1 to 8, 2014 in Brazzaville, Congo. Hosted by COMIFAC, the meeting aimed to boost stakeholder capacities to play a greater role in the fight against deforestation and forest degradation. Read more...
From June 11 to 12, 2014, the first session of the Binational Committee for the Planning and Execution of the Sena Oura - Bouba Ndjidda (BSB Yamoussa) Binational Complex was held in the town of Garoua, Cameroon. The meeting was organized by the conservation services of both protected areas with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as part of implementation of the project "Capacity Building / Raising Awareness of Actors of Northern Savanna Ecosystems in Central Africa on the fight against poaching " Project, funded by ECCAS / EU... Read more...
...We the members of the “Network of Parliamentarians for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa (REPAR)” meeting in Nkolandom (Ebolowa), Cameroon, at the information and awareness workshop on the role and place of Parliamentarians in the implementation of Climate Change and REDD+ processes, representing the countries below: Burundi, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Chad and Cameroon;... Find more..
"Upholding the Principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the implementation of the REDD + process in the COMIFAC; ..." Read more...
On 3 and 4 June 2014, 280 individuals from 32 countries met in London to discuss how to ensure that development is planned to achieve no net loss or preferably a net gain in biodiversity. Hosted by Forest Trends, the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP), the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) at ZSL, the representatives came from companies in the extractive, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and retail sectors, from governments and intergovernmental organisations, from financial institutions, NGOs, ... Read more...
...The present document focuses on technical aspects (i.e., Steps 5-7) of this process, specifi cally on the choice of methods to quantify biodiversity losses and gains and initial calculations undertaken for forests affected at the mine site and upper pipeline. More detailed assessment that includes aquatic biodiversity and priority species is still underway... Read more...
...As the REDD+ countries move into the implementation of their stakeholder consultation and participation plans, donors should keep close oversight of how well the countries follow their plans and the results of stakeholder input. If collected, this information could be shared across countries. Countries that are leaders in stakeholder engagement could help to create peer pressure so that other countries aim to live up to international standards for the quality and extent of stakeholder engagement. Support by donors for strengthening civil society, particularly at sub-national levels, will be critical. The international REDD+ community has an important continuing role in promoting stakeholder engagement as an ongoing process throughout REDD+...
Read more … In order to finalize the implementation of the Green Economy System in Central Africa and the Green Economy Fund in Central Africa, the ECCAS General Secretariat in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Congo, the Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC) and the Central African States’ Development Bank (BDEAC), decided to hold the Conference of ECCAS Ministers in charge of Economy and Finance, Foreign Affairs and cooperation, Forestry and the Environment, on the topic of the Green Economy Fund in Central Africa and the structural transformation of the natural resources economy. The chosen theme is: DIPLOMACY, INTEGRATION-GOVERNANCE AND THE NEW TIMBER ECONOMY...
Read more … From July 10 to 11, 2014, the premises of La Falaise Hotel in Douala served as the venue for a regional meeting on the establishment of a regional network of permanent plots for COMIFAC member countries. The gathering was hosted by COMIFAC, through its MRV project. Participants consisted mainly of representatives of the forestry administration, scientific experts, representatives of academic institutions and of institutional partners, both financial and technical.
Read more … ...More importantly, 39.9% of the distribution of great ape species on unprotected lands overlaps with suitable oil palm areas. There is an urgent need to develop guidelines for the expansion of oil palm in Africa to minimize the negative effects on apes and other wildlife. There is also a need for research to support land use decisions to reconcile economic development, great ape conservation, and avoiding carbon emissions...
Read more … The Executive Secretariat of the COMIFAC informs national, sub-regional and international opinions of the holding of the next extraordinary session of Ministers’ Council which shall hold on July 16-18, 2014 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The overall objective of this conference is to assess COMIFAC performance by examining the financial accounts audit report for 2013 by the Executive Secretariat and the revised document of the Convergence Plan validated during sub-regional forum last June...
Read more … Organized by COMIFAC Executive Secretariat within the framework of collaboration between OFAC and the MNV regional project implemented by FAO, the regional discussion meeting held in Douala (Cameroon) on July 8-9, 2014 on the improvement of Central African Forest Observatory (OFAC) database supply by different national groups. This meeting was attended by representatives of the different COMIFAC countries, international organizations involved in OFAC, as well as representatives of sub-regional projects and initiatives...
Read more …APEGG and CEFDHAC advocate for the establishment of an observatory to monitor health and environmental risks in coastal parts of Congo Basin countries, the Atlantic coast serving the Congo, Gabon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon...
Read more …Since 1989, Wildlife Without Borders has provided over 2,700 grants for international conservation totaling more than $100 million. We have worked with nearly 700 partners in developing countries, who have contributed more than $200 million in matching support for grant projects, tripling the impact of our funding.
Read more … Yaoundé, Cameroon, July 2014—Law enforcement officers (police, gendarmerie, Customs), officials of ministries in charge of wildlife issues and magistrates from six COMIFAC (Central African Forest Commission) countries: Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo met last month with representatives from organizations involved in tackling wildlife crime to improve their co-ordination in fighting criminal activity in the Central Africa region. Read more...
During the 22nd Session of the Committee on Forestry - COFO, FAO launched the SFM Toolbox, an interactive web platform to support knowledge sharing for sustainable forest management implementation at local, sub-national and national levels... Read more...
In this Edition: Paying our dues - OPENING CEREMONY– Session 1: PES for sustainable forest management - Session 2: Developing innovative financing mechanisms - Session 3: Ensuring benefits for local communities - Session 4: Establishing robust governance and institutional arrangements - Key messages, summary and recommendations... The international forum explored how payments for the environmental services provided by tropical forests can support forest owners and managers to increase incomes and manage forests sustainably... Read more...
The 2012 Conference organized by the Pan African Parliament under the theme "investments and the farmland rush in Africa: parliamentarians respond " in Cotonou, portended the future of African farmers, driven by the continent’s economic and social development. Read more...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a rich land – in theory, at least. Below its soil lie some of the world’s largest reserves of copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and considerable amounts of gold and diamonds. It is the type of wealth that is measured in billions of Dollars and which has fuelled the industrial revolution in Europe and beyond. Read more..
...Combined estimates from the OECD, UNODC, UNEP and INTERPOL place the monetary value of all transnational organized environmental crime between 70–213 billion USD annually. This compares to a global ODA of ca. 135 billion USD. Whilst therefore benefiting a relatively small criminal fraternity, the illegal trade in natural resources is otherwise depriving developing economies of billions of dollars in lost revenues and development opportunities... Read more...
Poaching levels remain alarmingly high at over 20,000. More large ivory seizures in Africa than Asia for the first time - Read more...
FCMC is pleased to inform you that a new report titled “TENURE RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND REDD+: KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE RESULTS” has been released and is available for download on the FCMC website. Please download the Document: “TENURE RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND REDD+: KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE RESULTS”... Read more...
Rwanda has undergone a remarkable economic and social reconstruction in recent years and recorded consistent growth rates of 8 per cent a year between 2001 and 2012, according to the BBC's Country Profile. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank say that the country, along with many of its African neighbours, is entering an economic boom. Read more...
The urgency and seriousness of climate change call for ambition in financing adaptation and mitigation Please donwload the Document: Report of the 7th Meeting of the Board: „Initial Modalities for the Operation of the Fund’s Mitigation and Adaptation Windows and its Private Sector Facility“ ... Read more...
