The Courier

© Marie-Martine Buckens

The African “baobab”

Of the three ACP regions, it is Africa that has the lion’s share of forest resources. According to the latest estimates issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO, 2005 figures), forests cover 26% of the African continent, or around 627 million hectares. The regional variations are considerable. With 278 million hectares, central and West Africa tops the list (45% of the surface area), due not least to the Congo Basin that has the world’s second largest tropical forest cover. South-East Africa has 226 million hectares or 27% forest cover, followed by the countries of the Sahel with 123 million hectares, representing just 8% of the surface area. Most of the EU’s actions for conservation and sustainable management are concentrated in the Congo Basin (see main article).

The Caribbean mosaic

With just 3.8% forest cover, Haiti is an extreme case. In the other Caribbean countries, the situation varies considerably. There is Suriname and Guyana, admittedly linked to the Amazonian Forest, where despite the growing presence of unscrupulous loggers the forest cover remains close to 94% in the former case and 76% in the latter. Then there is Belize in Central America where the European Commission financed a project for the sustainable management of the forests which still cover 72% of the territory. The ACP and Caribbean islands have 6 million hectares of forests, representing 26% of their total surface area.
Increasingly less peaceful forests

Of all the Pacific ACP countries, Papua New Guinea has the largest forest mass (29.5 million hectares, or 65% of the surface area). But it is a forest mass that has been under threat for the past decade due to the presence of loggers who often operate illegally. The EC recently financed a training development programme in this country (IRECDP programme) to enable local communities to benefit from their forest resources. The situation is scarcely any better on the Solomon Islands (2.2 million hectares of forests covering 78% of the islands) where the EU supported a project advocating an alternative use of forests to counter destructive tree felling practices that result in a serious deterioration of the forests, environmental damage and social problems. Finally, there are the islands of Fiji and Vanuatu with a 55% and 36% forest cover, respectively.

Sustainable exploitation of the Tanzanian mangroves

Zanzibar has approximately 19,748 hectares of mangrove forests, including 5,829 hectares on Unguja Island and 13,919 hectares on Pemba Island. Historically, Zanzibar’s mangroves have been exploited for tannin, a wood used for both construction and fuel. Since 1965 all the mangrove forests have been under the direct authority of the forests department that has used various means to control their exploitation. Despite considerable illegal tree felling, over the past 50 years these actions have had some success. Mangrove resources are threatened indirectly by the growing demand for wood, falling agricultural incomes, the reduction of fish stocks, the absence of means of subsistence and demographic growth. This has prompted a number of initiatives to encourage conservation. These include: management by the population in the village of Kisakasaka; policy and legislative improvements; management, conservation and development of the coastal zone in Chwaka Bay; the Integrated Coastal Area Management Programme (ICAM) and the conservation project for Jozani-Chwaka Bay.

Study by Masoud, T.S., Wild, R.G. Mangrove management and conservation: present and future, 2004. CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU – www.cta.int)

Ecotourism on Dominica

The island of Dominica is rich in natural beauty and biodiversity. The mountainous terrain, abundant rainfall, clear freshwater streams, luxuriant forests and a unique variety of flora and fauna are all valuable assets in making it an ecotourism destination. About 65% of Dominica’s surface area is covered in natural vegetation, including the most extensive rainforest in the Lesser Antilles. Recent years have seen a rapid growth in tourism, based principally on the island’s natural resources. In the 1989–1993 period, Dominica recorded the highest annual growth of any of the Caribbean islands in terms of visitor expenditure. The island’s economic future depends largely on the management and sustainability of its natural resources.

Study by Hypolite, E., Green, G.C., Burley, J. CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU – www.cta.int)

Trees ‘outside forests’ on small Pacific islands

For many small and developing island states of the Pacific the planting of trees outside forests, when combined with traditional agriforestry practices and the associated traditional knowledge, offers a remedy for deforestation. This can also help conserve biodiversity and sustainable development. In December 2001 a regional seminar on trees outside forests was held in Nadi (Fiji). This sought to give high priority to actions supporting the protection and planting of trees outside forests. Participants looked at the national records of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands, Kiribati and Palau. Technically, trees outside forests include woods covering less than 0.5 hectares, tree cover on agricultural land, trees in an urban environment, trees alongside roads and waterways, as well as trees on common land, including in villages and farms. They include a variety of species, such as: breadfruit, paper mulberry, gardenia, casuarina, thuya orentalis, pine, cashew nut, sandalwood, coconut palm and mangroves.

International Forestry Review (RU), 2002, vol. 4 (4), special issue, p. 268-276. CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural cooperation ACP-EU – www.cta.int)

Tropical forests: A threatened resource
Forests under close surveillance
ACP: a forest mosaic