8 March 2013: The Program on Forests (PROFOR) has released a World Bank report, titled “Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin,” which examines the link between economic development and deforestation in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo.

The report notes the lack of analytic tools to assess forest cover change within the framework of economic factors and emerging REDD+ opportunities. It concludes, however, that the Congo Basin forest is projected to be less vulnerable to shocks than other major tropical forest basins. In particular, the publication examines shocks related to the agriculture, energy, transport infrastructure, logging and mining sectors. It also investigates how REDD+ can contribute to forest conservation and sustainable use as economic development continues.

Finally the report presents a series of suggestions for aligning forest preservation with economic growth including: participatory land use planning, institutional capacity building, agricultural expansion targeted at degraded lands, wood-fuel supply chain formalization, expanded SFM practices and high environmental standards for the mining sector. [PROFOR Press Release] [Publication: Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin: Reconciling Economic Growth and Forest Protection]