Québec (Canada), 15 August 2012 - The “Université Laval” officially confirmed its adherence to the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), thus agrees to comply with the principles of the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa, to work in close collaboration in accordance with the cooperation framework of CBFP partners and to support the implementation of COMIFAC Convergence Plan.

By becoming a CBFP member, Université LAVAL expects to improve on its effectiveness and to increase its impact within the Congo Basin, in collaboration with its local and international partners.

Université LAVAL is involved in advanced research and higher training of highly qualified personnel, in accordance with sustainable development goals.The Faculty of Forestery and Geomatics (FFGG) is endowed with more than a century of experience in forestry which it shares worldwide. This Faculty is the only one that trains forestry engineers in Québec. It is with the Faculty of Forestry of the University of British Columbia, the two major Forestry Schools in Canada. Its expertise and achievements in the forestry domain at international level are remarkable. Among which, four decades of technical cooperation in forestry with Central African countries. Thus, the Faculty has contributed and continues to contribute directly to strategic points 7 "Capacity building, Actors' Participation, Information, Training” and 8 “Research – Development” of COMIFAC Convergence Plan, which introduces the common vision of the ten member countries concerning the conservation and the sustainable management of Congo Basin forests, expressed by Heads of States during their Summit held n Yaounde in 1999.

One of the recent achievements of the faculty's  in international cooperation is the support project in favour of training in the management of natural resources in the Congo Basin (FOGRN-BC), http://www.projetfogrn-bc.ulaval.ca, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and for which Université LAVAL is the Canadian Accompanying Agency (CAA). Launched officially in august 2008, this training aims at increasing the offer of human resources endowed with updated skills in tropical forestry in order to better take up the challenges of the 21^st century in terms of sustainable management and use of natural resources in the Congo basin. The initiative which supports eight partner institutions aims primarily at revamping forestry teaching in the DRC and strengthening it in two Congo Basin countries (Cameroon and Gabon). It stands out with its ambition to include in teaching programmes new concepts in ecological forestry and ecological agriculture which are in line with current global changes. Professors of the Faculty are significantly involved in this project. They participate in the development of theoretical knowledge teaching materials in the forestry sector, resources management and land planning. This material shall be transferred to partner academic institutions (RDC, Gabon and Cameroon) to support forestry teaching. Since May 2009, many lecturers are involved in teaching missions with the aim of supporting the boosting of forestry teaching in the DRC. At the end of the project (2013), about 100 forestry engineers shall be trained. Within the framework of a PhD programme in forestry, geomatic and wood sciences at Université Laval, lecturers from the Faculty supervise the research work of twelve partner university lecturers in three countries.

In partnership with the network of forestry and environmental training institutions of Central Africa, FOGRN-BC project served as levy for another major support project, the Extended Training Programme in the Management of Natural resources in nine Congo Basin countries (PEFOGRN-BC) funded since July 2011 by the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) and managed by the African Development Bank (BAD). The purpose of this sub-regional project is to reinforce training and research-related actions in order to reduce deforestation and the depletion of natural resources in the Congo Basin.

The results acquired and the desire to maintain the commitment of Université LAVAL to research and the training of highly qualified scientific personnel can only be maintained or increased through exchange and the development of synergies with all the actors involved in the conservation and the sustainable management of forest ecosystems within COMIFAC.

Welcome to our New Partner "Université Laval"!

To learn more, consult the website of Université LAVAL: http://www2.ulaval.ca