About this event

Central Africa is home to the second largest continuous block of rainforest on the planet after the Amazon Basin. The area hosts a wealth of biodiversity and provides vital regional and global ecological services. Although attention to forest issues in the region has increased since the Rio Summit in 1992, there is still much to be done to address the new threats facing these important forests and the challenge of managing them sustainably.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, CIFOR is organizing with its partners a two-day policy and science conference entitled "Sustainable forest management in Central Africa: Yesterday, today and tomorrow." Bringing together the region's leading policy makers, donors, media, researchers and forest experts, the conference will provide a forum for open discussion of the most critical issues and challenges facing the sustainable management of Central Africa's forests, the biodiversity they embrace and the people who depend on them.

The conference will aim to evaluate the impact of research, forest laws and policy development in Central Africa since the Rio Summit, through identifying research and policy gaps, opportunities and constraints, and providing a platform for collaboration. The implementation of REDD+, forest financing, food security, and forest certification will be among the many topics discussed.

Participants will collaborate to identify the most critical research questions and the most strategic policy approaches for sustainable management of the region's forest resources now and for the future.