Global Forest

Organized by WRI, WWF and COMIFAC, the sub-regional workshop held in Kinshasa, analyzed the current management systems and distribution of forest area tax revenues in the sub-region and their contribution to the socio-economic development of the people in the Congo Basin. The main objective of the workshop was to identify the principal strengths, weaknesses and lessons learned needed to support the formulation and implementation of forest tax revenue monitoring systems. By identifying this information, improvements can be made to forest governance systems in the Congo Basin. The workshop was success in motivating actors within Central Africa to work towards improving their forest tax revenues systems.

The first Legislators Forum of the G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue convened in conjunction with the G8 meeting in Berlin to discuss policy initiatives on legislation, procurement, transparency and financing to tackle illegal logging. Hosted by GLOBE International (Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment), the Dialogue featured attendance by UK PM Tony Blair, Barry Gardiner, UK Minister and GLOBE co-chair, Ministers from Malaysia and Cameroon, and other government and private sector representatives.

WRI has partnered with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and a regional environmental NGO, SPOK, to convene a multi-stakeholder partnership to map areas at risk for poor and illegal practices. Beginning in the Republic of Karelia, in northern European Russia, the partnership has set out to initiate a process that aims to help forest industry and investors manage risk all across Russia and l everage market incentives for improvement of forestry practices. The OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development brought together 13 ministers (including Indonesia, Japan, Ghana) along with other stakeholders to discuss ways to strengthen international efforts to stop illegal actions in the forestry sector.

In a bold move to improve forest management, the Gabonese Ministry of Forest Economy, Water, Fishery, and National Parks has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WRI for the creation of a forest resource database and atlas, and dissemination of all collected information. This new partnership demonstrates a significant attempt to curtail further forest degradation in Central Africa by incorporating on-the-ground knowledge with systematic satellite technology, to provide an accurate base of forest information.