State of the Forests 2006

The 2006 report followed on from the 2005 report and was entitled “The Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forest, 2006”. Many partners (over 110 experts) contributed to the report, making it a CBFP flagship activity. The 2006 report is considered as a benchmark – a point zero – as regards this process to collectively assess the biodiversity and renewable natural resources in the Congo Basin.
The 2006 report provided a clearer picture of the overall state of the forests and was pivotal in guiding effective policy making and strategy development, and constitutes a base for future periodical evaluations. The 2006 report launched a more systematic process, which has since been further developed. It also responded to Axis 2 of the COMIFAC Convergence Plan, which provided for the establishment of a regional observatory.
The SoF report’s primary audience is CBFP partners, from policy and administrative decision-makers to technicians and managers. However to ensure maximum transparency, the report should also be circulated beyond this ‘specialized’ group.

As much as possible, the 2006 report has been based on measurable indicators reflecting (1) pressures on the forest and its renewable resources, (2) the state of these pressures and (3) management measures undertaken to mitigate, as much as possible, the harmful effects of principal pressures.

The report is divided into three main parts:

• Chapters 1-6 offer an overview of the Congo Basin forests, human populations in the forest, industrial logging, conservation, the threats to biodiversity and forest resources and priority actions to be undertaken.
• Chapters 7-11 provide more detailed information on specific cross-cutting themes.
• Chapters 12-23 detail the Landscapes.

Foreword and Introduction

Bibliography and Annexes

Full report 2006