biodiversity issues as well as social issues have become an integral part of the forest management plan. 

 In the context of the forest management plan, forest industries adapt their production tool to better 

 integrate the different functions of the forest (economic, social and environmental). 



Logging companies are responsible for their employees during working hours. They are not responsible; 

 neither do they have the authority, to prohibit hunting by local populations. Logging firms are requested 

 by the Law to make an inventory of big games. The study should indicate how information on fauna is 

 used and how they influence the behaviour of logging operators and the people. 



Based on a better knowledge of constraints, strengths and weaknesses of current practices related to the 

 management of biodiversity in forest concessions, the study will suggest main actions to assist the forest 

 industries through: 



• Participatory formulation of and support to the pilot implementation of the operational 

 mechanisms relative to logging industries. These have the potential of reducing the impacts of 

 industrial timber harvesting activities on biodiversity; 



• The concerted definition of protocols which combine scientific accuracy with acceptable 

 economic and operational feasibility for the collection and monitoring of data on biodiversity. 

 These monitoring protocols will be essential to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of 

 the measures in the field. 



• Support to Administrations in charge of the elaboration and implementation of biodiversity 

 norms to which enterprises are subject. These administrations will need to enhance their human 

 and operational capacities in order to carry out the monitoring. 



This study is in line with the support that forestry administrations and the forest industrial sub-sector as a 

 whole, have received over the last ten years. This is a remarkable progress from the limited focus on 

 economic production of industrial wood to a more integrated approach of sustainable development. 



ABBREVIATIONS 



ITTTA: 



CIFOR: 



CIRAD: 



COMIFAC : 



FSC: 



OFAC: 



ITTO: 



PAFC: 



PFBC: 



PFNL: 



FORAF Project : 



lUCN: 



EU: 



International Technical Tropical Timber Association 



Center for International Forestry Research 



Agricultural Research Centre for International Development 



Central Africa Forest Commission 



Forest Stewardship Council 



Institute for Central Africa Forests 



International Tropical Timber Organization 



Gabon Forest Certification Scheme 



Partnership for the Congo Basin Forests 



Produits Forestiers Non Ligneux 



EU's Contribution to OFAC (see OFAC) 



International Union for Conservation of Nature 



European Union 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 



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