Workshop participants in Congo Brazzaville are discussing the sustainable management of forest resources.

Managers of reserved areas in the Congo Basin want to derive more income by ensuring that the resources are managed sustainably. In this regard, stakeholders on August 19, 2014, began meeting in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, to chart out a new cross-border ecotourism promotion strategy.

Organised by the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha International Commission, CICOS, participants are expected to draw up work plans on the joint management of cross-border wildlife resources in line with current international norms. They will also seek to proffer suggestions on ensuring an enabling environment for the promotion of international ecotourism by involving local people in the sustainable management of wildlife resources in their communities.   

The Congo Basin spans across six countries - Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, the Congo Basin is one of the most important wilderness areas still left in the world. At 500 million acres, it is the world’s second-largest tropical forest. The region boasts a mosaic of rivers, forests, savannas, swamps and flooded forests teeming with animals such as gorillas, elephants and buffaloes.

There are approximately 10, 000 tropical plant species, 30 per cent unique to the region. Endangered wildlife, including forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain gorillas, inhabit the lush forests. Some 400 other mammal species, 1,000 bird species and 700 species of fish, are also found there. The Congo Basin has been inhabited by humans for more than 50,000 years. It provides food, fresh water and shelter to more than 75 million people who belong to nearly 150 distinct ethnic groups.