1 September 2022, Kinshasa – Concrete action is needed to halt ‘alarming trends’ of deforestation and forest degradation in Africa, the 23rd Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) heard last week in Kinshasa.

Participants from 53 countries took part in the meeting under the theme “The role of forests and wildlife in building resilience and recovery from crises and threats”.

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the AFWC provides one of the region’s most important inter-governmental forums for discussion of issues relating to forestry and wildlife on the continent.

Attendees heard Africa hosts 16 percent of the world’s forests and that deforestation rates in the region have slowed by 23 percent from 2000 to 2018. However, when rates of deforestation and forest expansion are considered, the average annual rate of net forest loss in Africa rose to 3.9 million hectares from 2010 to 2020, the region’s highest net loss of forest area in three decades. In particular, cropland expansion but also the conversion of forests to grassland were cited as the main drivers of forest losses in the region.

The Commission invited Member Nations to step up efforts to halt deforestation by strengthening forest governance and supporting more sustainable agrifood systems, helping to increase productivity on existing agricultural land including through agroforestry. Actions should target smallholder farmers and benefit women and other marginalized groups, the Commission underlined.

Restoring forest ecosystems and managing wildlife

Other discussions at this 23rd session of the AFWC focussed on addressing forest degradation through the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), sustainable wildlife management, and how sustainable wood and non-wood forest products can support carbon neutral and resilient bioeconomies and societies.

The Commission called for increased funding allocations for forest restoration and addressing drivers of forest degradation, such as unsustainable timber and fuelwood harvesting, particularly in the context of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

There was also a call to share lessons learned and upscale good practices on sustainable wildlife management, and to work with FAO in developing innovative strategies to manage human-wildlife conflicts nationally and across boundaries.

Working towards a forest-based bioeconomy in Africa

The AFWC invited action to support the development of sustainable planted forests to meet an expected increase in demand for industrial wood and fuelwood in Africa. It also called for the development of policies to support the transition to a bioeconomy, increasing the sustainability, legality and productivity of wood production.

The Commission, which normally takes place every two years, comes amid a global push to build back “better and greener” after the pandemic, with a renewed emphasis on the importance of forests – and the Indigenous People and local communities who act as forest guardians – in the fight against climate change, as highlighted at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November last year.

The 23rd session of the AFWC was hosted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 22 to 26 August.

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