Participatory Land-Use Planning for Priority Landscapes of the Congo Basin
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17 Participatory land-use planning for priority landscapes of the Congo Basin L. Usongo and J. Nagahuedi Central Africa’s conservation entral Africa holds over 15 assessment of ecosystem representative- approach is based on land-use percent of the world’s remain- ness, biodiversity significance, socio- planning in 12 priority landscapes, Cing tropical forest, the second economic importance and geopolitical involving establishment of core largest contiguous forest on the planet. and strategic factors. The participatory protected areas surrounded by The forest provides food, raw materi- selection process involved national gov- multiple-use zones. als, freshwater and shelter for over 75 ernments, conservation organizations million people and is a major source of and local stakeholders. wealth for the region. However, forest resources are threatened by overexploi- A REGION RICH IN NATURAL tation, clearing for agriculture and com- RESOURCES mercial bushmeat trade, all exacerbated The tropical forests of Central Africa by high population growth. cover more than 193 million hectares As described in this article, the – an area almost four times the size Yaoundé process, the Central African of France (CBFP, 2006; ITTO, 2004). Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and About 76 percent of the total forest area the Congo Basin Forest Partnership is production forest (Table 1) (CBFP, (CBFP) provide an enabling institutional 2006). Lying at the equator, the region environment fostering regional coop- harbours among the richest concentra- eration in forest conservation and rural tions of terrestrial biodiversity in the development based on effective land-use world. Although records are incomplete, planning. The core of the Convergence the Congo Basin is known to be home to Plan endorsed by COMIFAC countries in over 10 000 species of plants, perhaps 80 2002 – the road map for conservation ini- percent of which are endemic. The region tiatives in the Congo Basin – is land-use supports the world’s largest assemblage planning in 12 priority landscapes, which of tropical forest vertebrates: about 1 000 are large ecosystems with consistent bird species (16 threatened, 36 percent biological and socio-economic features. endemic) and some 400 mammals which These landscapes were selected using an include 23 threatened species such as ecoregional planning approach based on western and eastern gorillas, chimpan- TABLE 1. Total forest area and proportion of production forests in the Congo Basin Country Total forest Production forest (million ha) Leonard Usongo is Senior Conservation (million ha) (% of total) Biologist, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) &HQWUDO$IULFD5HJLRQDO3URJUDPPH2I¿FH Cameroon 19.6 12.0 61 (CARPO), Yaoundé, Cameroon. Central African Republic 6.3 3.5 56 Jonas Nagahuedi is Executive Secretary, Central African Forests Commission (Commission des Congo 22.3 13.0 58 forêts d’Afrique Centrale, COMIFAC), Yaoundé, Democratic Republic of the Congo 108.3 98.0 83 Cameroon. Equatorial Guinea 1.5 1.5 79 Adapted from a paper presented at the symposium Gabon 22.1 17.0 77 “Our Common Ground: Innovations in Land Use Total 180.5 137.0 76 Decision-Making”, 8–9 May 2007, Vancouver, Canada. Source: CBFP, 2006. Unasylva 230, Vol. 59, 2008 18 TABLE 2. Human welfare indicators for some Central African countries Country Area Population Growth Fertility rate Age structure Life Infant Literacy (km2) (%) (births/ (%) expectancy mortality >15 years female) (years) (deaths/1 000 of age <14 15-64 >64 births) (%) Cameroon 475 440 17 340 702 2.47 4.39 41 56 3 51 64 79 Central African Republic 622 980 4 303 356 1.53 4.41 42 54 4 44 86 51 Congo 342 000 3 702 314 2.6 6.07 47 51 3 53 85 84 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2 345 410 62 660 551 3.07 6.43 47 50 3 52 86 66 Equatorial Guinea 28 051 540 109 2.05 4.55 42 56 4 50 89 86 Gabon 267 667 1 424 906 2.13 4.74 42 54 4 55 55 63 Source: CIA, 2007. zees, bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) (Table 2). All countries in Central have a largely interdependent social rela- and forest elephants (WWF, 2002). Africa except Gabon (which has rela- tionship with the Bantu made complex The Congo is the world’s second richest tively high urbanization and per capita by ethnic rivalries. river system for fish (700 species) and income) have high population growth Bantu farmers practice slash-and-burn is distinguished by exceptional levels rates and a predominantly young popu- subsistence agriculture; forest is felled of endemism in both fish and molluscs. lation. Low literacy rates and lack of and burned, providing nutrients for the The Congo Basin forests also provide education, particularly among women, crops. In addition to food crops, many valuable global ecological services by are recognized factors in the high fertil- farmers maintain small plots of cocoa absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, ity rates and are critical issues facing grown under shade. Cocoa is grown for thereby helping to slow the rate of global both conservation and human develop- export and its production is thus linked climate change. ment in Central Africa. High population to world market prices. The Congo Basin contains four of Afri- growth rates ultimately also affect the All the nations in the region are depend- ca’s freshwater ecoregions identified environment. ent on extractive industries (oil, min- by the World Wide Fund for Nature Ethnically, the main tribal groups liv- ing, timber, wildlife and other non-wood (WWF, 2008) as globally outstanding ing in the Congo Basin are Bantu groups forest products [NWFPs]) for a large per- for their high diversity of freshwater and pygmies. Baka, BaAka and Bakola centage of their gross domestic product species. Between 75 and 95 percent of pygmies were formerly hunter-gatherers (GDP), almost all their foreign exchange the rainfall in the Congo Basin is esti- but are now becoming increasingly set- and much of their tax revenues. Well mated to come from recycled water gen- tled, both through their own choice and capitalized and technically competent erated by evapotranspiration within the because of government policies. They multinational corporations dominate region. In this feature the region differs dramatically from other major tropical Baka pygmies, watersheds of the world; the Amazon indigenous hunter-gatherers Basin, for example, recycles only about in the forests of 50 percent of its water (WWF, 2002). southeastern For this reason, central African forests Cameroon, are increasingly are probably more sensitive and less becoming settled resilient ecologically than other tropical moist forests. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT Central African nations rank among the lowest in the world on most human welfare indicators and among the high- D. ROUGE est in population growth and fertility Unasylva 230, Vol. 59, 2008 19 most extractive industries except arti- percent of national GDP. Export of pri- Wildlife killed as food in Central Africa sanal gold and diamond mining. mary wood products from Cameroon, the amounts to 1 million tonnes each year The region’s forests are a major source Central African Republic, the Congo, (Eves et al., 2002). Bushmeat cheaply of local and national economic growth the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides a varied source of high-quality with revenues generated from logging, and Gabon generated US$995 million protein. It contributes between 30 and mining, hunting, fishing and trade in in 2003 (ITTO, 2004). 80 percent of the protein consumed by other NWFPs. The timber industry is Wildlife also provides important rev- forest-dwelling families in the Congo an important source of national rev- enue and employment, in particular for Basin. Furthermore, bushmeat hunting enue and employment in all countries rural communities. In most of Central is a low-risk economic activity requir- in Central Africa and will be a major Africa, the rural revenue produced by ing almost no capital investment and determinant of the future state of forests both legal and illegal trade in bushmeat producing very quick financial returns. in the region (Brunner and Ekoko, 2000). is probably equivalent or even superior Therefore sustainable village hunting Timber exports contribute at least 40 to that produced by the logging industry. has an important role in alleviating poverty among the most economically 1 Future biodiversity threat vulnerable people. THREATS TO FORESTS AND BIODIVERSITY w5 The rich resource base of the Congo Basin provides immense opportunities Bangui for economic growth and sustainable Douala development. However, much of the Yaounde w1d Malabo resource use and development has been w1f uncoordinated, uncontrolled and unsus- w1c w1e tainable. Future threats to biodiversity w3b w1a w1h w3a are estimated to be high throughout w1b Kisangani the region (Figure 1). Allowing further Libreville w1g w3c environmental degradation to occur will c3b w3f diminish the very resources on which w3d future economic development and the c3a w2b w3e livelihoods of the people depend. c1a c3c w2a The threats to the Congo Basin have a w2c c1d number of diverse and interlinked root causes. These include local and glo- c1b Brazzaville Kinshasa bal demands for forest products such c1c as timber, meat and ivory – which are Kananga frequently met through unsustainable 200 0 200 km means of production – as well as global mineral and oil markets. Many NWFPs Threats are also overexploited. Problems are Highest Guinean-Congolian forest region compounded by inadequacies in both High Moderate funding and capacity for sustainable Low resource management at all levels, c1a Gamba w1c Nki-Boumba w2c Léfini and the lack of alternative livelihood c1b Mayombe (Conkouati) w1d Ngotto w3a Lac Télé opportunities for local people engaged c1c Cabinda-Bas Congo w1e Sangha Tri-national w3b Mankanza Swamp c1d Tchibanga w1f Dja Faunal Reserve w3c Giri in unsustainable production. c3a Koulamoutou w1g Mingouli w3d Lac Ntomba Climate change is also likely to have c3b Lopé-Abeilles-Chaillu w1h Lobaye-Sangha-Likouala- w3e Mai Ndombe c3c Louesse Ivindo Buffer w3f Ubangui-Congo Buffer important impacts on forests and river w1a Minkébé Complex w2a Leconi-Bateke-Léfini w5 Bam-Djérem basins.