REM Rapport Annuel No. 1 OIF Congo Brazzaville - Forests Monitor

Despite the progress announced by the Forest Administration in increasing transparency,
including the adoption of a rating system, 45 REM’s observations have revealed several
irregularities in the process to allocate the Enyellé Ibenga FMU, as well as difficulty in
obtaining the documents necessary for effective independent monitoring.
With the aim of increasing the transparency and competitiveness of the process, REM
recommends that regulations defining the modalities for selecting candidates and allocating
logging permits be adopted, in accordance with the World Bank’s conclusions. It would be
desirable to wait until such a text has been adopted before issuing any new calls for tender
for the development of forest management units or logging units.
1.2.2. Conditions under which the Mambili MFU Was Re-Sized
In accordance with Order No. 3010/MEFE/CAB/DGEF/DF/SGF of 4 July 2003, the Mambili
FMU was created with a surface area of approximately 174,833 hectares located in the
Central administrative forestry unit. After a call for tender issued in 2004, 46 the Forest
Commission approved the Mambili Wood dossier on the condition that additional ecological
and socio-economic studies be conducted. 47 These studies were conducted in 2005, validated
by the MEFE in 2006, 48,49 and led to the signature of the agreement.
During the Mambili Wood agreement signing ceremony on 05 June 2007, the DGEF 50
mentioned the nature of the agreement, including the size of the Mambili FMU which was set
at 174,833 ha. However, it seems that, in the agreement that was signed by the parties on 5
June and approved by order on 02 August, 51,52 the surface area of the Mambili FMU is
114,200 ha, the new boundaries of which refer to Order No. 5051 53 of 19 June 2007 (Figure
2).
The process by which the Mambili FMU was re-sized caused REM to make several
comments that were discussed during Reading Committee meetings.
45 The World Bank does not yet deem this system to be satisfactorily able to comply with the competition conditions for
calls for tender.
46 Order No. 5172/MEFE/CAB/DGEF/DF/SGF issuing a call for tender for the development of the Mambili FMU located in
zone III (Cuvette) of the Northern Forest sector.
47 Forest Commission meeting minutes on the examination of the responses to the call for tender for the development of
the Mambili and Ivindo FMUs, 6 January 2005.
48 Koubouana F., 2005. Etude écologique complémentaire à l'inventaire de planification de l'UFA Mambili, 68 pages.
49 Mambili Forest Management Unit, Socioe‐conomic Study, conducted by G. Boungou, 2005, 79 pages
50 Cf. Video recording of the signing ceremony for the Mambili Wood agreement on 05 June 2007 in Makoua.
51 Order No. 5268/MEF/CAB approving the Agreement
52 The delay between the date of signature and the date effectively entered in the agreement was caused by the
administrative validation process for the agreement. On this subject, forest law simply states, in Article 74, paragraph 1,
“once the applications are approved by the Forest Committee, the agreements are then prepared by the Water and Forest
Administration, and then approved and signed by the Minister of Water and Forests, who finally confirms this approval
with an order.”
53 Order No. 5051 of 19 June 2007, creating and defining the Forest Management Units in the forest estate in zones III
Cuvette and IV Cuvette West
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