Forest Caucus Report

A Newsletter of the Canadian Environmental Network Forest Caucus

Sustainable Forest Management in the Guinean-Congolian Bioregion - Collaboration, Not Duplication

Of the most notable needs identified by the participants of a XII World Forestry Congress side event labeled Environment and Poverty Eradication in the Guinean-Congolian Bioregion was the need for a central forum in addressing sustainable forest management in the Guinean-Congolian bioregion. One Sky – The Canadian Institute of Sustainable Living, represented by Mike Simpson, and CNRG International Inc., represented by Larry McCulloch, hosted the event. The event was attended by representatives from all areas, including government, non-government, and private sector. The geographic backgrounds of participants straddled the globe from Canada to Europe to West and Central Africa. The meeting objectives were simple and several: to allow participants the opportunity to introduce themselves and their project areas, to give examples of frameworks for sustainable resource management, to provide examples of donor programming, to identify mechanisms for collaboration, and to plan a strategy for future action.

In achieving the set objectives, four hours of presentations and dialogue offered up numerous opportunities. Every participant was given time to introduce themselves and their area of programming. A contact list was procured from the participants to be circulated to each participant. Denis Durand of Tecsult International Ltée and Larry McCulloch, both of whom operate in West and Central Africa, gave examples of a framework for sustainable resource management. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) representatives gave Canadian examples of donor programming in Nigeria and Cameroon. The most important mechanism for collaboration identified included setting up/joining an existing listserve in order to open communication barriers, particularly those between government/non-government agencies. The strategy for future action included the research/set-up of a listserve, identifying a time and place for a follow-up meeting in the bioregion, and determining the scope of potential future activities.