In May 2014, Gabon’s Ministry of Forests adopted key regulatory and administrative texts on rural forest domain management. They include: 

1. Decree no.104/MFEPRN/SG/DGF/DEPRC/SR laying down the conditions for issuance of an authorization to fell trees for pit-sawing;
2. Decree no. 105/MFEPRN/DGF/DDF/SACF laying down the contract specifications model;
3. Circular note no. 476/MFEPRN/DGF/DDF/SPF to lift the ban on mutual agreement permits (PGG);
4. Decree no.106/MFEPRN defining the right of a village community to reserve a forest.  

The reform comes at a time where noted gaps in forest management and logging have fueled much debate within the Ministry of Forests.

The recent quarterly newsletter on the second phase of the Developing Community Alternatives to Illegal Logging Project (DACEFI2) reports the project team’s analysis of various texts as part of the review of forest codes in the sub-region. They address the issue of its value added in the management of the rural forest domain in Gabon, as a way of hailing the temporal return of Mutual Agreement Permits (PGG). The letter highlights the repercussions of these permits on forest communities and the overall mood of Gabon’s forest community…

For more information, please consult the Newsletter here.