About Payment on Ecosystem services. Congo Basin

1. Payment for Ecosystem Services for adding
value to certified forests in Central Africa.
The case for FSC
18 November 2021
Esteban Toja
Certification Advisor FSC Congo Basin

2. 2
The African Rainforest Landscape
 200 M. ha of tropical dense forest in the Congo Basin
 It spreads over six countries
• Forest management in concessions (industrial, community)
• Slash and burn agriculture
• Use of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP)
• Industrial agriculture: palm oil, cacao, coffee
• Rubber plantations
• Mining - overlapping with forest permits
• Conservation
 Industrial agriculture less developed than in other tropical
regions
 Strong dependence of rural populations on forest resources
and services for daily survival

3. 3
Congo Basin forests in the climate pact
N. Harris et al., « Global Maps of Twenty-First Century Forest Carbon Fluxes », Nature Climate Change, n° 11, 2021, disponible sur:
www.nature.com.
Paris Climate Agreement 2015
Article 5
….policy approaches and
positive incentives for
activities relating to reducing
emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation, and
the role of conservation,
sustainable management of
forests and enhancement of
forest carbon stocks in
developing countries.

4. 4
The industrial forest sector in Central Africa Landscapes
Industrial concession is a fundamental land use category
• 50 M. ha. Industrial timber concessions allocated
They articulate the landscape, economically and logistically
• First private employer in the region
• Presence in remote rural areas
• Introduce monetary liquidity in rural communities
• Use and maintain national road network
• Potential for engaging in rural development projects
Industrial concession can be a major development force that
builds synergies with the other land use activites in the
landscape
One of the mechanisms for this is FSC Certification
Extract of OFAC Poster. Original map form Land Cover of the Congo Basin UCL, 2017.
https://www.observatoire-comifac.net/docs/postersA0/PosterA0_CF_certifications_Shangai_v190930_FINAL.pdf

5. 5
Certification and Payment for Ecosystem Services
FSC concessionaires are models of good
management - 5 Million ha.
• Selective logging management
• Biodiversity protection
• Best labour practices
• local communities rights
• partnerships with research institutions
• Strong commitment for finding innovative best
practices to improve forest management
All this actions are costly and difficult to
maintain with only the timber certified
premium price
In countries with deficient forest governance
We need new sources of revenue!
We need Payment for Ecosystem Services to
ensure the maintenance of an economic
activity that conserves the a forest cover
1. Maintenance of carbon stocks and Emission Removals
2. Biodiversity protection of emblematic species for conservation
3. Conservation of areas of primary HCV forests
4. Enhancement of social and economic wellbeing of local communities
FSC launched in 2018 the Procedure for Ecosystems Services FSC PRO 30-006

6. FSC certification enhances positive outcomes in landscapes
Expanding FSC certified surfaces in the Congo Basin
and linking it to Ecosystem Services Markets will
produce important benefits for the other actors and
activities in the landscape
• Support community forestry in the adjacent community
concessions
• Help strengthen the network and market access of
NTFP of local populations
• Participate in NGO association for social development
to the regions where they operate - education/health
• Strengthen compliance of the environmental
overlapping mining activities
• Promote new agriculture value chains in adjacent areas
(coffee, cacao)

7. Merci!
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