CIFOR scientist Robert Nasi gave this presentation on 10 October 2012 during the 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11).

1. Non‐Timber Forest Products:
contribution to national economy and
sustainable use in the Congo Basin
Robert Nasi
JRC‐CIFOR Side Event
CBD COP11, Hyderabad, India, 10/10/2012

2. Forests are more than timber

3. Cameroon
Forest Good or Gabon
General Cameroon (community
Service (in discounted (National Park)
(Pearce & (Lescuyer forests)
US$/ha or in (Lescuyer
Pearce 2001) 2007) (Akoa Akoa,
US$/ha/yr) 2006)
2007)
Timber 200 ‐ 4,400 560 98 25‐78
Not
Fuelwood 40 61 165
assessed
NTFPs 0 ‐ 100 41 ‐ 70 3 172
Genetic resources 0 ‐ 3,000 7 1< Not assessed
Recreation 2 ‐ 470 19 4 34
Watershed
15 ‐ 850 54 ‐ 270 0 998
benefits
Climate benefits 360 ‐ 2,200 842 ‐ 2,265 211 632
Not
Option values 2 ‐12 3 Not assessed
assessed
Non‐use values 4,400 19 ‐ 32 24 Not assessed

4. What is the importance
of non‐timber forest
products for the
livelihoods of the Congo
Basin people and for the
environment?
Is the level of use
sustainable?
Can we manage?

5. Non-wood forest
products
•Chap.7: Non‐timber forest products:
contribution to national economy and
strategies for sustainable management
(http://www.observatoire‐
comifac.net/docs/edf2010/EN/SOF_2010_EN_Ch
ap_7.pdf

6. Countries
Priority NTFPS (trade Regional
&/or consumption) priority Eq Guinea Congo DRC Cameroon CAR Gabon
√ √ √ √ √ √
Bushmeat
- - √ √ √ √
Fuelwood 6 countries
√ √ √ √ √ √
Cola acuminata & C. Nítida
√ √ √ √ √
Gnetum spp
√ √ √ √ √
Rattans
√ √ √ √ √
Darcyodes edulis
Elaeis guineensis 5 countries √ √ √ √ √
√ √ √ √ √
Raphia spp.
√ √ √ √ √
Snails, larvae & insects
√ √ √ √
Piper guineensis
√ √ √ √
Aframomum spp. 4 countries
√ √ √ √
Irvingia spp.
√ √ √
Prunus africana
√ √ √
Marantaceae
√ √ √
Rauwolfia vomitoria
√ √ √
Baillonella toxisperma 3 countries
√ √ √
Coula edulis
√ √ √
Mushrooms
√ √ √
Honey
√ √ √ √
Garcinia kola
√ √
Ricinodendron heudelotii
√ √
Garcinia lucida
2 countries √ √
Dioscorea liebrechtsiana
√ √ √
Alstonia boonei

9. Wood energy:
fuelwood and
charcoal
• Chap.5: Contribution of woodfuel to meet the
energy needs of the population of Central
Africa: prospects for sustainable management of
available resources
(http://www.observatoire‐
comifac.net/docs/edf2010/EN/SOF_2010_EN_Chap_5.
pdf)

10. Fuel wood and charcoal represent 90% of all wood removal from
forests in Africa (FAO, 2011)
Wood for energy traded in
Kinshasa and Kisangani vs.
official timber production
Schure et al. 2011

12. Bushmeat
• Chap. 6: The role of wildlife for food security in
Central Africa: a threat to biodiversity?
(http://www.observatoire‐
comifac.net/docs/edf2010/EN/SOF_2010_EN_Chap_6.
pdf)

13. Bushmeat hunting in
Congo Basin
• The estimated value of
bushmeat trade ranges from
US$42 to US$205 million per
year in West‐Central Africa.
• 30 to 80% of the protein
intake of many rural
populations with few
existing alternatives
(Nasi et al., 2011)
THINKING beyond the canopy

14. Bushmeat
Consumption
Population (x1000)
Dense (tonne/meat/yr)
Extracted
Basin Forest
(t/yr)
(km2) Rural Urban Rural Urban
Amazon
3,938,000 14,425 24,352 909,000 small 1,299,000
Congo
1,612,000 57,046 41,199 2,909,000 289,000 4,569,000
If bushmeat consumption in the Congo Basin was to be replaced by locally
produced beef, an area as large as 25 million hectares might have to be
converted to pastures.
Nasi, Van Vliet, Taber 2011

15. Common management
issues

16. Factors affecting sustainability
• Nature of the resource
• Informal nature of the value chains
• Lack of knowledge and recognition of the sector
• Inappropriate policies and governance
• Demography, poverty and hunger
• Increased commercialization
• Logging and other resource extraction activities
• Fragmentation and land‐use changes
• Agricultural sector expansion

17. Barriers and solutions
Main Barriers Specific solutions
Sensitization at the level of elites
Bad governance, influence of Strengthen local governance
elites and corruption
Strengthen law enforcement capacity
Create incentives to encourage the private
Lack of motivation from sector to engage in taking NTFP into account
small or economically
unstable logging companies Strengthen technical capacities at the level of
national services and the private sector
Unclear definition of
Clarify and formalize roles and
responsabilities among
responsabilities
stakeholders
( modified from TRAFFIC workshop, Libreville, June 2010)

18. Barriers and solutions
Main barriers Specific solutions
Allocation of a specific budget for wildlife
isssues
Additional costs are Logging revenues (taxes etc.) should also be
incurred to consider NTFP in allocated to support management efforts
management
Partnerships among stakeholders are crucial
External funding is needed
High demand of bushmeat Sensitization of urban consumers
from external urban areas
and little control/knowledge Better knowledge of the market chain
about the market chain
Lack of largely validated
Develop research and coordinate the
scientific methods and
validation of monitoring methods
protocols to monitor NTFP

19. Gender issues
• NTFP play a disproportionately important
role in the livelihoods and well‐being of
women (and children)
• The collection of fuelwood or other wild
products is often a task for women and
children
• Women play an important role in the
different value chains of these products and
derive crucial income from the sales
• Women generally invest back their income
into household food and wellbeing; men
more into non essential goods

20. Les forêts du bassin du Congo ‐ Etat des Forêts 2010.
The Forests of the Congo Basin – State of the Forests 2010.
(http://www.observatoire‐comifac.net/index.php)
Eds : de Wasseige C., de Marcken P., Bayol N., Hiol Hiol F., Mayaux Ph., Desclée B., Nasi R., Billand A., Defourny P et Eba’a R.
Pictures: CIFOR, R. Nasi, N. Van Vliet, J. Okouyi Okouyi, C. Doumenge, D. Wilkie, E.
Mvula, J.M. Kahindo, T. Kilensele