The European Union (EU) delegation in Brazzaville has asked the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT) to draw up and implement a project to support the private sector in Congo. The aim is to promote the involvement of forestry sector companies operating in the Congo in responsible forest management, in line with the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (APV-FLEGT) signed between the Republic of Congo and the European Union in 2010.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
The European Union (EU) delegation in Brazzaville has asked the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT) to draw up and implement a project to support the private sector in Congo. The aim is to promote the involvement of forestry sector companies operating in the Congo in responsible forest management, in line with the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (APV-FLEGT) signed between the Republic of Congo and the European Union in 2010.
Restoring the image of logging in the Congo. That’s what the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT) is working to achieve. In a press release published on January 15, 2024, the organization, which implements international projects dedicated to the sustainable and responsible management of tropical forests, claims to have been approached to this end by the European Union (EU) delegation in Brazzaville. For the EU, the Congolese timber industry is often the subject of prejudice due to a lack of awareness of the efforts made to achieve sustainable forest management.
To improve perceptions of the Congolese timber industry, the ATIBT has been tasked with developing and implementing the Appui au secteur privé (ASP) project in Congo. This initiative aims to improve forest governance by strengthening the capacities of professional associations such as Unibois and the Fédération Forêt d’Unicongo (Union Patronale et Interprofessionnelle du Congo), as well as forest sector companies operating in this Central African country. The aim is to encourage their involvement in responsible forest management, in line with the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (APV-FLEGT) signed between Congo and the EU in 2010.
For ATIBT, the main aim of this project is to encourage a change in perception, by showing that « forestry companies, far from the stereotypes, are committed to a responsible approach. By promoting these positive actions, the aim is to create a dynamic conducive to greater recognition of the efforts made by the private forestry sector to ensure the sustainability of Congo’s forests, while encouraging the diversification and development of less-exploited forest resources ».
A timber industry accused of catastrophic deforestation
A study, published on January 13, 2017 by a team of experts led by Professor Peter Potapov of the University of Maryland, reveals that between 2000 and 2013, Africa saw 101,000 km2 disappear, or 10% of its intact forest landscapes. Over 90% of this loss occurred in the forests of the Congo Basin, the world’s second largest tropical forest. The study concludes that, at this rate, all the countries of the Congo Basin, with the exception of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will see all their intact forest landscapes disappear over the next 60 years. An ecological catastrophe in the making.
Fanta Mabo
As part of its « Alliance for Biodiversity Protection and Development » project, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership agreement with Sofibanque to support the development of inclusive and sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises in the Haut-Uele province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This partnership aims to improve living conditions for local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
In the province of Haut-Uele, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the lack of employment opportunities in the formal sector and the poor diversification of business sectors are hampering economic development and damaging biodiversity. Faced with a lack of opportunities, local populations are turning to poaching, illegal logging and artisanal gold mining.
To reverse this trend, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership between its « Alliance for the Protection of Biodiversity and Development » (APBD) project, implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), and Sofibanque, a commercial bank based in Kinshasa. The project aims to improve the living conditions of local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
USAID’s APBD project will achieve its objectives by mobilizing the resources of public and private partners, in the form of subsidized interventions, partnerships and cost-sharing agreements, or as an intermediary between third parties. These interventions are structured around four components. Improving access to economic and financial opportunities, sustainable private sector development, capacity building for responsible artisanal mining, and integrated and effective management of Garamba National Park.
« By combining the experience and financial products provided by Sofibanque with the expertise of ASI and Global Communities in supporting SMEs, the APBD project aims to demonstrate that supporting local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a powerful way of diversifying the local economy and creating jobs. In addition, it is a means of creating market opportunities that will encourage communities to engage in more sustainable livelihoods and reduce their pressure on the protected areas of Garamba National Park, » said Kevin Kiffer, APBD Project Manager.
The APBD project is the second of its kind to be launched in Haut-Uele province in the space of 7 months. In May 2023, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in the DRC, the Korean Embassy, and the DR Congolese Ministry of the Environment launched the Integrated Program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in Haut-Uélé province. Funded by the Republic of Korea ($9 million) and the UNDP ($1 million), the project aims to combat climate change and improve economic conditions for indigenous populations.
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DRC: Haut-Uele hosts new Usaid-funded resilience project
As part of its « Alliance for Biodiversity Protection and Development » project, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership agreement with Sofibanque to support the development of inclusive and sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises in the Haut-Uele province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This partnership aims to improve living conditions for local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
Dans le cadre d’une mission conjointe entre les agents de la police judiciaire de Makokou, la Direction de la Lutte Contre le Braconnage et la Direction Provinciale des Eaux et Forêts, appuyés par l’ONG Conservation Justice, une opération ciblée dans un quartier de la ville de Booué, dans le département de la Lopé, province de l’Ogooué-Ivindo, a été organisée ce 13 janvier 2024.
En
effet, cette opération a conduit à l'interpellation de trois individus en
flagrant délit de détention et de tentative de commercialisation de deux
pointes d'ivoire. Les présumés trafiquants ont été pris sur le fait en tentant
de vendre les deux pointes d'ivoire dissimulées dans un sac de riz.
Au
cours de l'interrogatoire, il a été établi qu'il s'agissait de deux citoyens
gabonais répondant aux initiales
A.S.M. et M.M,
les présumés trafiquants
ont reconnu s'être
rendus sur le
lieu de l'appréhension pour vendre lesdites pointes. L'un d'eux
travaille à l'Unité de Production de Traverse en Béton Armé (UPTBA),
sous-traitant de SETRAG.
Suite
aux aveux du présumé trafiquant A.S.M. au cours de l'interrogatoire, une
perquisition à son domicile a été menée, révélant la détention d'une arme de
chasse qui a été saisie. Les trois présumés trafiquants, ainsi que les saisies,
ont été transportés à Makokou.
Actuellement,
les trois présumés trafiquants d'ivoire sont en garde à vue dans les locaux de
la Police Judiciaire de Makokou, en attente de leur présentation devant le
Procureur de la République. Cette interpellation, illustre l'efficacité des
opérations conjointes entre les forces de l'ordre, les Eaux et Forêts et
Conservation Justice et témoigne de l'engagement du Gabon à protéger sa
biodiversité et à sanctionner sévèrement ceux qui se livrent à des activités illégales
mettant en danger la faune, conformément aux dispositions de la législation.
GABON : Trois trafiquants d’ivoire, interpelés à Booué
Dans le cadre d’une mission conjointe entre les agents de la police judiciaire de Makokou, la Direction de la Lutte Contre le Braconnage et la Direction Provinciale des Eaux et Forêts, appuyés par l’ONG Conservation Justice, une opération ciblée dans un quartier de la ville de Booué, dans le département de la Lopé, province de l’Ogooué-Ivindo, a été organisée ce 13 janvier 2024.
Motorists and generators are cited as the main sources of air quality deterioration in Lagos State, Nigeria. In a statement issued on 15 January 2024, the local government stresses the need for green and improved air throughout the state to ensure healthy living.
On Monday 15 January 2024, in Lagos, Nigeria, the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) issued a statement noting that current air quality in many parts of the state is poor. According to IQAIR, a platform that publishes real-time data on air quality, the air pollution index in Lagos is currently 152 US AQIs, 13.4 times higher than the concentration of PM2.5 particles recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
PM2.5 are fine particles, emitted mainly during combustion processes. They have a diameter of 2.5 microns (μm). Like all particles, they are made up of a mixture of different chemical compounds.
Stressing the need for green and improved air throughout the State to ensure a healthy life, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, Director General of LASEPA said that such a high level of air pollution is dangerous for human health. Residents of the affected areas could suffer from respiratory diseases such as lung infections, asthma, cystic fibrosis, mesothelioma, pulmonary hypertension and runny noses, among others.
Second leading risk factor for death in Africa
Having identified emissions from generators in residential areas and vehicle emissions as the main causes of poor air quality in certain regions, LASEPA is urging people to switch to biofuels, which are safer and more environmentally friendly than diesel or petrol.
The agency is also advocating reducing the number of vehicles on the roads by carpooling or preferring public transport to people putting their cars on the road every day.
This situation is becoming more widespread across the continent. According to the report on « The state of air quality and its effects on health in Africa » recently produced by the State of Global Air initiative, air pollution is the second most common risk factor for death in Africa. In 2019, for example, air pollution contributed to 1.1 million deaths, 63% of which were linked to exposure to household air pollution (HAP).
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NIGERIA: cars and generators explode air pollution in Lagos
Motorists and generators are cited as the main sources of air quality deterioration in Lagos State, Nigeria. In a statement issued on 15 January 2024, the local government stresses the need for green and improved air throughout the state to ensure healthy living.
The United Nations (UN) presents Africa as the epicentre of the world’s humanitarian crises in 2024. Of the 26 countries for which the United Nations is calling for the mobilisation of 46.4 billion dollars in international aid, fourteen are in Africa. The multiplication of climatic disasters and their corollaries of armed conflict have forced more than 130 million people into urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Because of the consequences of climate disruption, Africa will be the scene of the world’s major humanitarian crises in 2024. In its analysis of the 20 countries in the world where the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further in 2024, the American non-governmental organisation (NGO) International Rescue Committee (IRC) notes that 11 of these countries are in Africa. They include Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
For the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the number of African countries to be closely monitored in 2024 goes beyond 11. Of the 26 countries for which Unicef is requesting the mobilisation of 46.4 billion dollars in international aid this year, fourteen are on the continent. The biggest crises are concentrated in three countries: Ethiopia, Sudan and the DRC, where the population affected varies between 20 million and 26 million, depending on the country.
The consequences of climate change
This concentration of global humanitarian crises in Africa also has a climatic origin. Here, most humanitarian crises arise from vulnerability to the effects of climate change and armed conflict. « They are increasingly occurring in the same regions and at the same time. More than half the conflicts that have broken out since 1995 have occurred in the countries most exposed to global warming and least able to adapt to it », explains the IRC.
In a report presented on 24 May 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) establishes a causal link between climate change and the rise in armed conflicts in Africa. The report, entitled « On the Road to Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement », identifies the causes of the explosion in the activities of non-state armed groups, and points the finger at the climate crisis as a catalyst for the escalation of violence on the continent.
Fanta Mabo
AFRICA: climate causes the most serious humanitarian crises of 2024
The United Nations (UN) presents Africa as the epicentre of the world’s humanitarian crises in 2024. Of the 26 countries for which the United Nations is calling for the mobilisation of 46.4 billion dollars in international aid, fourteen are in Africa. The multiplication of climatic disasters and their corollaries of armed conflict have forced more than 130 million people into urgent need of humanitarian assistance.