African Forestry and Wildlife Sector Heads Seek to Increase Awareness of Sectors’ Contribution to Poverty Reduction in Africa

Heads of forestry and wildlife services from all over Africa are meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, for the 17th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) and the 1st ever African Forestry and Wildlife Week (AFWW).  Participants are seeking to bring to the fore the need for greater attention at the policy level of the important contribution of the two sectors towards poverty reduction and national economic development on the continent as well as the urgent need for increased resource allocations.  The meeting, which is taking place from 22-26 February, is being held with the generous support of the Government of the Republic of Congo.

Under the theme “African Forests and Wildlife: Response to the Challenges of Sustainable Livelihood Systems”, these key contributors to policy formulation will focus on the sectors’ potential to improve livelihoods, a factor which is often not sufficiently recognized.  Central to the discussions are the issues of: protected areas and the livelihoods of local communities; ecotourism and its potential for conserving forests and wildlife and alleviating poverty; dryland forestry; the role of non-wood forest products in food security and poverty reduction; climate change, forests and wildlife in Africa; and forests and wildlife information for development. 

The AFWC was established by the FAO Conference in 1959 and provides a policy and technical forum for the countries of the African region to discuss and address forest issues of importance to the continent. Drawing on regional experiences, it also provides advice to the FAO forestry programme. The AFWC also serves as a forum for information and knowledge exchange among the experts and policy-decision makers in the forestry and wildlife sectors.

Contact:

Mr Foday Bojang
Senior Forestry Officer
Secretary AFWC
FAO Regional Office for Africa
P.O. Box GP 1628
Accra , Ghana
Tel.: +233 244 319 157
Fax: +233-21-668427 or 7010943
Email: afwc@fao.org and foday.bojang@fao.org