A new report by the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and members of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership has revealed that the annual rates of gross deforestation in the Congo Basin have doubled since 1990.

The report, State of the Forest, is the most recent comprehensive assessment of forest cover in the six-national Congo Basin and bases its findings on the latest satellite monitoring data.

The report cites population growth, immigration, economic development and global demand for natural resources as the major pressures on the forests. And it lists five primary drivers of deforestation: fuel wood extraction; agriculture; mining and oil extraction; expansion of biofuels; and logging.

Although logging is listed as a threat, the report says that log production “in the formal sector” accounts for just 3% of global tropical timber production – far less than in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Source:TTJ

Posted and edited by Riona, Hanbao News Department

Contact: rionach@cltimber.com