State of the Forests 2005
In January 2004, after being in existence for two years, the CARPE program produced a first summary
report on the State of the Forest in Central Africa. The report was published in January 2005 and
disseminated at the Summit of Heads of State in Brazzaville in February 2005. It was not a detailed
scientific report nor a document to solicit additional funding. Instead, it represented a first effort
to present, and where feasible quantify, the various steps needed to be taken collectively by all CBFP
partners in order to achieve the sustainable management of forest resources.
As a first step, the preliminary report did not comprehensively reflect the important efforts deployed
in the region, the pressures being exerted on the forests or the overall state of the Congo Basin
forests. Accurately reflecting these dynamics is challenging as the pressures and the understanding of
the pressures on the forest are not uniform across the region.