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Introduction

Illustrative image THE COUNTRIES OF THE Central African region, through which the huge Congo River and its tributaries flow, are rich in natural resources - oil, diamonds and other minerals, as well as forests. But despite this wealth, the countries' peoples are among the poorest in the world and their governments remain deeply indebted to multilateral institutions and the former colonial powers.

The six Central African countries featured in this report - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon - all contain large expanses of rainforest that have provided livelihoods, building materials and medicines to millions of forest-dependent peoples. These countries' governments, often under strict structural adjustment and liberalisation policies imposed by multilateral and bilateral creditors, are promoting industrial timber exploitation in most of their forest areas whilst local people have no opportunities to participate meaningfully in deciding how best to use forest resources. Although governments and creditors actively promote transnational private investment in the forestry sector, they have done little to establish a framework for controlling these private interests. Forestry and environment laws, which provide a minimum operating standard, are often unclear and are rarely enforced. This has led to forest policies that, on the one hand, undermine the livelihoods and increase the insecurity of local peoples whilst, on the other, facilitate the dominance of unaccountable corporations.

Transnational companies should not separate their operations from the broader political framework within which they operate. Political conflicts within countries add to the difficulties of operating there and also throw up ethical dilemmas about direct or indirect support for repressive regimes and factions. Timber sector revenues may fuel conflict directly, as has happened in Liberia and Cambodia. If logging advances into areas of existing conflict within the Central African region, political, social and economic problems will be exacerbated, particularly if the prevalent haphazard and illegal forestry practices continue. Insecurity generated by unsustainable logging operations, such as loss of rights to forest resources and declining food availability, may also produce conflict in the longer term.

Forests Monitor believes that there should be regulatory frameworks within which transnational corporations operate, both in the countries of operation and in the countries where they are headquartered, that foster accountability and that put the needs and rights of forest-dependent peoples at the heart of their actions. Increasingly, civil society in Africa is finding a voice to speak out against human rights abuses, the burden of debt and environmental degradation. Such movements should be supported so that they can play an increasing role in defining and establishing equitable development goals that respect forest-dependent peoples' livelihoods and knowledge.

This report examines the political, social and economic context for forest management polices in each of the six Central African countries and focuses on the transnational logging companies headquartered in the European Union (EU) that operate there. The reasons for this focus are three-fold. Firstly, the EU continues to play an important role politically and economically in Central Africa, directly and indirectly shaping forest development and conservation policies. Secondly, EU-based logging companies continue to be significant players in the forestry sector of the region, controlling most of the logging concessions and processing plants and playing an active role in international fora on forest management in the region. Thirdly, the EU continues to be the primary destination for exports of timber products from the region. For these reasons, EU member states, and the multilateral institutions of which they are a part, can and should play a strategic role in establishing sustainable principles by which EU-headquartered companies should operate.