Reflect of forest Certification at the Congo Basin

The Seminar with experts from abroad took place at Hotel Sawa, Douala.

A seminar to reflect on the certification of the forest at the Congo Basin has held in Douala on February 25 at Hotel Sawa. The seminar has as objectives, to share experiences of certification of forest in the Congo Basin, to identify the opportunities, constrain and potential solutions to promote credible forest certification and the benefits for the Congo Basin. The outcome of the seminar was to ensure participants understand the advantages to certify the Forests at the Congo Basin, the participants have a consensus on the potential solutions on the promotion of credible forest certification at the Basin and finally to set up a reflection group on the certification of the forests at the Congo Basin.
The seminar had as participants; international bodies, non governmental organisations, Forestry industrialists, research institutions, parliamentarians from Congo environmentalists, among others.
In some years back the forests at the Congo Basin was considered as impossible to be certified. The logging companies were not doing well. But later a good number of logging companies which operated in that area practiced responsible logging such that some of the companies have earned the FSC which indicates the wood is from well managed forests.
In a meeting that held in 2008 in Cape Town a committee was put in place to examine the Certification of the Congo Basin and the objective was to discuss the problems and strategies to certify the forests in Central Africa. It was from here that the seminar in Douala was agreed and has held in Hotel Sawa.
Speaking to the Preess,Elie Hakizumwami of WWF said the certification of the forests in this region will allow the local community to benefit from forests management, it will avoid controversy around the Congo Basin and diversification will also be preserved.
A parliamentarian from Congo, Ndinga- Makanda Accel Arnaud said the problem of utilising the ecosystem was not going too well and there was need to put things in other.
Talking to an industrialist, Etienne Kuzong of Wijma Douala encouraged the idea of certifying the forest. He said since their certification in 2005, they do receive certified contracts, their job is moving well they have not sacked anybody. He claimed all of theses benefits have come as a result of certification especially in difficult times as this.