<strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Use</strong> (sustainable forest management) <strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Use</strong> (sustainable forest management) 67
<strong>Assessment</strong>, <strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Use</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> <strong>Biodiversity</strong> 20 SUGGESTED ACTIONS FOR AN IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF FOREST BIODIVERSITY IN GABON Célestine Mengue Medou Université du Québec à Montréal 3 Keywords : assessment; fauna; flora; biodiversity loss; corrective measures Context Located in Central Africa, Gabon owns a dense rain-forest (21 million hectares) hosting one <strong>of</strong> the largest African biodiversity with 8000 plant, 150 mammalian <strong>and</strong> 600 bird species. In 1960 the area granted to forest harvesting was less than 3 million hectares. As <strong>of</strong> 2000, that area has increased to 11 million hectares (WRI, 2000), representing about 60% <strong>of</strong> the national territory. The increased rate <strong>of</strong> forest <strong>and</strong> mining permits delivery is not without consequences on forest biological diversity as the current rate <strong>of</strong> harvesting mainly for timber is unsustainable (Glastar, 1999). Method The direct factors (forest harvesting, mining, poaching, road construction) <strong>and</strong> indirect factors (socioeconomic crisis, poverty, institutional deficiencies) that lead to the loss <strong>of</strong> Gabon’s forest biological diversity were studied/identified. On their basis, short-, mid- <strong>and</strong> long-term measures are proposed which could stop the present trend <strong>of</strong> biodiversity loss <strong>and</strong> allow for the restoration <strong>of</strong> the forest cover up to a level that could at the same time meet human needs as well as economic <strong>and</strong> environmental requirements <strong>of</strong> the goods <strong>and</strong> services <strong>of</strong> forest biodiversity. Results In Gabon, forestry is the main cause <strong>of</strong> biodiversity loss, followed by mining. <strong>Forest</strong>ry is carried out without following the established country’s norms. It affects, in particular, protected areas because <strong>of</strong> a lack <strong>of</strong> control mechanisms <strong>and</strong> conflicts between mining <strong>and</strong> forestry policies/legislation. The impacts <strong>of</strong> logging on animals can be illustrated by the decline in the density <strong>of</strong> chimpanzee (up to 30%) in the Lopé reservation. In the so-called Bee <strong>Forest</strong>, road constructions have affected 70% <strong>of</strong> the primates <strong>and</strong> drastically decreased their number. As for the impact on the flora, damages are mainly seen at the ground <strong>and</strong> canopy levels. Some studies <strong>of</strong> the impact <strong>of</strong> forestry show that deforestation in Gabon has caused a loss <strong>of</strong> 20 to 50 percent <strong>of</strong> forest cover. The ecology <strong>of</strong> more than 70% <strong>of</strong> animal species living on seeds produced by trees shows that these species, such as the multipurpose Baillonella sp., Irvingia gabonensis, <strong>and</strong> Tieghemella sp., suffer from the reduction in tree population density caused by forest fragmentation. Regeneration <strong>of</strong> these species is low in areas where animals responsible for seed dispersal have become rare. The reduction in faunal population is caused by a range <strong>of</strong> interlinked pressures, including essentially socioeconomic crises (e.g. increasing unemployment) <strong>and</strong> behavioral factors (food habits) as well as emerging diseases (Ebola virus). Bush meat consumption is the main source <strong>of</strong> animal proteins to complement food obtained through agriculture. In fact, annual consumption <strong>of</strong> bush meat amounts to 17,500 tons representing 95% <strong>of</strong> animal proteins in the diet <strong>of</strong> the Gabonese population (Pfeffer, 1996). Poaching is reaching alarming levels. A recent study by WWF in the Minkébé forest in the northern part <strong>of</strong> the country shows that some hunters are killing between 8 to 12 animals per week, whether the species is protected or not. 3 This study was carried out as part <strong>of</strong> an internship at the Secretariat <strong>of</strong> the Convention on Biological Diversity 68