November 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) welcomed the publication of the 2013 edition of the ‘State of the Forests of the Congo Basin,’ which was prepared by the Observatoire des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OFAC). The report reveals that forests in Central Africa directly support the livelihoods of 60 million people and provide indirect sustenance benefits to an additional 40 million urban dwellers.

The report is unique in that it includes a strong focus on agroforestry, woodlands in savannas and steppes, and forest plantations, rather than covering only dense rain forest. The report also features sections on the projected impacts of climate change on forests and the potential for REDD+. It maps forest cover and provides case studies and good practice examples.

Overall, the publication identifies a number of drivers of loss including charcoal production, agricultural expansion, construction and infrastructure, and illegal logging. Industrial logging is not cited as a significant driver of loss due to the limited scale of most activities and the focus on a few highly valued species.

In addition to forests, the report discusses land use in the region including the allocation of forest tenure and use rights and perceptions of conservation and development in multiple land use areas. [Publication: The Forests of the Congo Basin – State of the Forest 2013] [FAO news website]