The meeting, organised by the Inter-African Forest Industries Association (IFIA), the French ministry of foreign affairs and others, heard that 5 million ha of concessions in the Congo Basin now have a certificate of legality, with a further 5 million ha committed to achieving legality.
IFIA general-secretary Hervé Bourguignon said about half the region’s forest concessions were in the process of sustainable management. But he said application of such management plans relied on commercialisation of secondary species which were not yet accepted on the market at profitable prices.
Speakers from WWF, the EU and IFIA stressed the importance of co-ordinating the different legal and sustainable timber initiatives currently under way in order to avoid duplication.
Delegates also heard about the progress of the Forest Stewardship Council and Pan-African Forest Certification schemes. More than 6 million ha of concessions are aiming for FSC certification, while PAFC-Gabon certifications are planned.