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COMIFAC Forest Conservation Framework: Towards Better Forest Management in Central Africa?
Abstract
Protected areas in Central Africa are a panacea as several million people are not schooled on the benefits of sustainably managing forests. Of perennial concern is the land tenure system which could provide incentives for forest management and conservation. Within this context, this article examines COMIFAC’s forest conservation strategies for the Congo Basin
and insinuates that the current protective approach to forest management, as opposed to a developmental conservation strategy, has led local communities resisting the application of enacted forest laws in the various countries in the subregion. This article supports broad-based community/stakeholder participation in the management process of any forest conservatory in the subregion. In as much as Western concepts of forest conservation are environmentally sustainable, traditional African systems need recognition in mainstream policy formulation and application.
and insinuates that the current protective approach to forest management, as opposed to a developmental conservation strategy, has led local communities resisting the application of enacted forest laws in the various countries in the subregion. This article supports broad-based community/stakeholder participation in the management process of any forest conservatory in the subregion. In as much as Western concepts of forest conservation are environmentally sustainable, traditional African systems need recognition in mainstream policy formulation and application.
