Biodiversity conservation in logged forests under management 



Tropical forest is so complex that it is not feasible to comprehend it all without long-term concerted 

 efforts. Biodiversity abounds considerably in its broadest sense at the level of ecosystems, species and 

 intraspecies. Thus, it is impossible to monitor and manage it comprehensively: there is a need to make 

 choices (lUCN, 2007). For example, the behavior of fauna in rain forests (reproduction, feeding habits, 

 etc.) as well as its interactions with other species and with their habitat and the vegetation remain largely 

 unknown. Consequently, in several cases, data collected on fauna by logging companies during their 

 management inventories, are new for the scientific world (Billand, 2005) with inventory methods 

 constantly updated. Our knowledge of the field of study is limited and we are faced with vital issues: 

 what are the aspects and priorities for the protection of logged forests; how to collect reliable data and 

 how to establish a monitoring mechanism to assess the success of management measures that have 

 already been put into operation (lUCN, 2007). 



Currently, twenty five to thirty million inhabitants in Central Africa live in direct contact with this 

 ecosystem and more than three million depend on it for survival (Billand, 2005). The human society as a 

 whole is responsible for the environment and has to take drastic decisions. However, depending on the 

 territorial scale and the country, protection priorities could vary according to various cultural values and 

 different levels of economic and social development. Different choices will inevitably be made in terms 

 of biodiversity conservation strategies and priorities. (lUCN, 2007) 



The present format of forest management in central Africa subregion began emerging twenty years ago. 

 The first forest management plan was formally implemented in 1998 (Concession IFB/Ngotto, CAR). 

 However, the principles for the formulation of forest management plans originated from activities and 

 studies several decades old (more than 60 years). It is estimated that more than half of forest concessions 

 in Central Africa are in the process of drawing up plans for their management. Others are already being 

 managed, with 30 millions hectares (Mha) out of approximately 55 Mha of concessions. These are part 

 and parcel of the 130 Mha of production forests in the sub-region (Nasi, Cassagne, Billand, 2006). 



The preliminary phase of management requires different studies that enable managers to know the 

 presence, number and the distribution of species as well as their importance and threats. These studies 

 consist of: 



• Tree inventory 



• Multi-resources inventory (fauna. Non- Wood Forest Product -NWFP) 



• Socio-economic inventory 



It is worth noting that, in these initial studies, the focus was mainly on the collection of data related to 

 stumpage of commercial value. Consequently, the methodological settings of the inventories have been 

 first calibrated to sample the variable 'tree' with the best cost-accuracy ratio possible. The statistical 

 accuracy of forest management inventories is calculated today at 95%, a value commonly accepted by 

 national standards, which translates into a sample ratio of about 1% to 1.5%. Concerns related to 

 biodiversity and social issues were secondary. In most of the cases, biodiversity inventories and NWFP 

 are aligned according to the measuring devices for trees, which is not necessarily optimal. 



Laws differ according to countries concerning the types of studies to be conducted. Moreover, not all 

 countries have at their disposal a framework or set of rules detailing the methods to follow. For example 

 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has been obligatory since 2007 to follow operational guidelines 

 for forest management in order to validate methods and results. The Central African Republic adopted 

 national forest management standards in 2002. 



FAO, CIRAD, CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research), lUCN (International Union for 

 Conservation of Nature), ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization), ITTTA (International 

 Technical Tropical Timber Association) and other organizations produce manuals and management 

 guidelines to assist managers and logging operators. One of the most recent examples is the study on the 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 - 52 



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