2024-03-28T16:20:26Zhttp://aquadocs.org/oai/requestoai:aquadocs.org:1834/3212021-05-19T06:21:47Zcom_1834_1337col_1834_5156col_1834_17751
Biodiversity Planning Support Programme Integration of Biodiversity into National Forest Planning Programmes: The Case of Gabon
Nasi, R.
Biodiversity
Forestry
With a very high forest cover (over 80%) and low population density (below 5 inhbts/km2),
Gabon is still a forest biodiversity rich country. Gabon's forests are amongst the richest in Africa
in terms of botanical diversity and endemism for example, 22% of plants described in the Flora of
Gabon are endemic and the forests of Gabon have more plant species (estimated at 8000 species)
than all of the forests of West Africa combined. The fauna is also rich, estimated at more than 190
mammal species, including at least 20 species of monkeys, more than 600 species of birds, 70
species of reptiles and 100 species of amphibians. About 35,000 gorillas and 64,000 chimpanzees
dwell in Gabon forests and elephants number between 60,000 and 74,000 individuals.
The network of protected area seems adequate in size (about 10% of the territory) but some
important ecosystems are still inadequately protected and most of the protected areas are
understaffed and under funded.
Forest biodiversity loss is probably not critical so far but hunting for bushmeat, often but not
always linked to opening of forest areas by logging companies is a serious problem.
Gabon is Party to several Conventions (Biological Diversity, CITES, RAMSAR, London, etc.)
and a member of the International Tropical Timber Organisation and of the African Timber
Organisation.
The civil society is emerging but remains fairly weak and is essentially represented by small
NGOs developed in urban areas. It has only a small influence on national level decisions about
forest and biodiversity.
Forest and environment sectors have governed by two major laws that are still lacking a proper set
of implementation texts though they were passed in 1982 for the Forestry law and in 1993 for the
Environment law. These texts have been developed without integrating requirements from the
CBD and without real cross-sectoral integration. The forestry law is currently revised but the new
text (likely to pass in 2001) although better than the previous one because the implementation
decrees are already written does not really integrate CBD concerns.
Gabon has initiated several national planning processes. The NFAP was initiated with the support
and under the push of the donor community (especially France) while the NEAP and NASP-BD
were essentially a result of the signing of the CBD and were funded by GEF. These various
planning exercises have been conducted in parallel without real integration and communication.
It seems however that the situation is now improving as in December 1999, a Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (CPSE) was created within the Ministry, under the co-ordination
of the General Secretary, in order to:
(i) ensure the follow-up and the implementation of the main conclusions and
recommendations of NEAP and NFAP,
(ii) create a coherent institutional framework within the Ministry,
(iii) assure appropriate information transfer to institutional and non institutional
stakeholders of the sector,
(iv) prepare the financial mechanisms to support the sector.
A Letter of General Policy is also prepared by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment to
summarize the results of the national exercises of environmental planning (NFAP, NEAP, NSAPBD)
and the orientation of the new Forestry Code in terms of policies, operational priorities and
axes of implementation for the development of the forestry and environment sectors.
This seems a serious effort to have a better integration of environmental and forestry issues.
Nevertheless, this is happening as all planning exercises are completed and validated.
Some progresses have been made thanks to a reorganisation of the agencies involved in
environmental and forestry planning exercises but it remains to be seen if implementation and
integration of the new legislations become a reality.
UNEP
GEF
Unpublished
2005-07-12T11:30:09Z
2005-07-12T11:30:09Z
2001-08
Working Paper
Non-Refereed
Paper prepared for an international workshop on
http://hdl.handle.net/1834/321
en
937879 bytes
application/pdf
Gabon
UNEP