9 February 2015: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) released an occasional paper on improving the management of small-scale timber industries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The paper notes that small-scale activities extract thirteen times more timber than large enterprise and, as such, improving the sustainability of the sector would have a significant impact on forests.

Overall the paper suggests that regulations governing small-scale logging should be revised as they are currently incomplete and contradictory, resulting in very little effective regulation of the sector and high levels of illegal activity. The paper also notes that small-scale logging is a high-risk enterprise as access to transport and milling facilities is difficult, allowing for exploitation. Accordingly, the paper suggests that facilitating access to technologies and allowing for increased decentralization could enhance the contribution of small-scale enterprises to local livelihoods.

Finally, the paper notes that the onus is currently on small-scale loggers to determine the sustainability of site selection and tree removal. However, this is often beyond the capacity of artisanal loggers and significant improvements could be achieved if the local and national governments took a stronger role. CIFOR is part of the CGIAR Consortium. [CIFOR Press Release] [Publication: The Domestic Market for Small-scale Chainsaw Milling in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Present situation, opportunities and challenges]