CONGO African Countries Agree to Curb Illegal Timber Trade in the Congo Basin Brazzaville (FAO Press release) - Governments from Africas main timber producing countries, together with timber industry representatives and civil society organizations agreed to jointly combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) last Friday said following an international wood industry meeting in Brazzaville. Covering an area of 300 million hectares, the Congo Basin harbors the worlds second largest tropical forest. It is also a major supplier of illegal timber, part of a global trade that cost governments some US $10 billion per year in lost tax revenues worldwide. At an international forum held in Congos capital Brazzaville from 21-22 October, representatives of six African countries - the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte dIvoire and Gabon - adopted the Brazzaville Declaration, marking an unprecedented commitment towards the sustainable and legal development of the wood industry in the region. The Declaration was adopted jointly with timber industry representatives and civil society organizations. It engages partners to implement measures that improve timber tracking, transparency and forest governance. We must ensure that our forest resources contribute to the development of the countries in this region, said Raymond Mbitikon, Executive Secretary of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC). This is what the Brazzaville Declaration sets out to achieve, he added.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 16:22:06 +0000
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