Le ministère des Eaux et Forêts, représenté par le Général de Brigade, M. Maurice Ntossui Allogo, en collaboration avec l’ONG Conservation Justice (CJ), représenté par son Directeur Exécutif M. Luc Mathot, a signé ce jour deux protocoles d’accord, d’une part, avec les sociétés forestières Rougier Gabon et SOMIVAB, représentés respectivement par leurs directeurs généraux M. Stéphane Jaffret et M. Andrea Rigoni, d’autre part, avec la société Gabon Advance Wood (GAW) et la Fondation Lékédi Biodiversité représentés par Mme Sylvie Boldrini et M. Eric Willaume.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
Le ministère des Eaux et Forêts, représenté par le Général de Brigade, M. Maurice Ntossui Allogo, en collaboration avec l’ONG Conservation Justice (CJ), représenté par son Directeur Exécutif M. Luc Mathot, a signé le 1er mars 2024 deux protocoles d’accord, d’une part, avec les sociétés forestières Rougier Gabon et SOMIVAB, représentés respectivement par leurs directeurs généraux M. Stéphane Jaffret et M. Andrea Rigoni, d’autre part, avec la société Gabon Advance Wood (GAW) et la Fondation Lékédi Biodiversité représentés par Mme Sylvie Boldrini et M. Eric Willaume.
Lesdits protocoles d’accord s’inscrivent dans le cadre de la politique forestière de gestion durable des écosystèmes forestiers du Gabon. à laquelle s’ajoute la promotion des systèmes de certification de gestion forestière dont les référentiels imposent aux gestionnaires forestiers de conserver entre autres la diversité biologique (faune et flore). Les brigades faune créées ont d’abord pour rôle l’information, la sensibilisation et l’éducation environnementale, suivie de la surveillance et de la lutte contre les trafics illégaux des ressources naturelles.
D’une durée de deux ans, ces derniers permettront au ministère de mettre en place un cadre de collaboration entre les différentes parties prenantes visant à lutter contre le braconnage et les activités illicites dans les zones périphériques des Parcs Nationaux d’Ivindo et de Minkebe, dans les Unités Forestières d’Aménagement (UFA) de Rougier Gabon situées dans l’Ogooué-Ivindo ainsi que dans les UFA 1 et 2 de la Compagnie Forestière des Abeilles (CFA) et les Conventions Provisoires d’Aménagement (CPAET) GSEZ de Mvoung, Kouye et Touro, gérées et exploitées par SOMIVAB ; et enfin dans la périphérie du Parc de la Lékédi et de l’UFA Ogooué de la société Gabon Advance Wood.
Pour le ministre des Eaux et Forêts, la gestion durable des forêts et de la faune sauvage sont intrinsèquement liées car cette dernière contribue au maintien des services écologiques des forêts et à la santé des écosystèmes : « Les crimes contre la faune tels que le braconnage et le trafic illicite des espèces animales constituent des menaces aussi bien pour la santé de nos forêts que pour le développement économique et la sécurité de notre nation.
Le directeur Exécutif de l’ONG Conservation Justice explique la structure des deux brigades faune créées : « Il s’agit de Partenariats Publics-Privés, financé notamment par l’Union européenne et la coopération allemande (PPECF). Seul on va vite, ensemble on va plus loin. Les enjeux autour des vastes espaces forestiers concernés dépassent d’ailleurs le cadre du Gabon. En effet, la riche forêt gabonaise est utile pour la production de bois mais aussi pour les communautés qui en ont besoin pour leurs besoins quotidiens. Il est estimé que la forêt gabonaise séquestre chaque année 140 millions de tonnes de CO2 par an, ce qui correspond plus ou moins à ce qui est produit par 30 millions de voitures ».
Le Directeur général de Rougier Gabon, Stéphane Jaffret a déclaré : « En tant que gestionnaire forestier responsable, il nous revient de garantir l’intégrité de l’environnement et des ressources naturelles des concessions que nous gérons. Traduit dans l’axe 3 de notre politique RSE, cet engagement nous pousse à travailler en synergie avec nos parties prenantes pour améliorer la biodiversité et prévenir son extinction. »
Boris Ngounou
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction operation on 28 November 2023. The operation, carried out in the commune of Reims in south-east France, is aimed at curbing the ivory trade and raising awareness of a trade responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants, particularly those in Africa. In the space of a century, African elephant populations have plummeted by more than 90% as a result of poaching.
There are now 400,000 elephants left in Africa, a decline of 70% compared to the 1970s, when the population of this pachyderm was estimated at 1.3 million individuals. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), this decline is mainly due to poaching. In the space of a century, poaching has caused African elephant populations to fall by 90%.
To put a stop to this massacre, IFAW and the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction on 28 November 2023 in Reims, south-east France. In all, 1.8 tonnes of ivory were crushed before being burnt. This quantity of ivory, transformed into decorative objects, represents around 180 elephants, which had been slaughtered for their tusks.
In the wake of this action, IFAW France has also pledged to plant one tree in Zimbabwe for every kilogram of ivory received, in order to help restore the elephants’ habitat. According to the organisers, the destruction of African elephant habitat is one of the main causes of the erosion of biodiversity.
Nearly a tonne of ivory destroyed in 2018
This operation is part of the « I give my ivory » campaign, launched in 2015 by IFAW, which aims to encourage people who own any ivory item (tusks, trinkets, jewellery) to hand it in for destruction. An operation carried out in 2018 resulted in a tonne of ivory being crushed, helping to dry up the ivory market and send a strong message to traffickers.
« The exponential demand for the collection of these objects since the first collection in 2015 demonstrates the real need to offer private individuals a solution for disposing of their ivory, whether out of ethical conviction or because they are unable to sell it legally following the latest changes in regulations, » explains Mia Crnojevic-Cherrier, Campaigns Officer at IFAW.
The persistence of legal domestic markets for ivory in the European Union (EU) and elsewhere has enabled criminals to launder illegal ivory from poaching. It places the burden of proof of this illegality on law enforcement agencies and has confused consumers about the legal or illegal origin of the ivory available. For this reason, in May 2018, more than 90 Members of the European Parliament called for a total ban on the import and trade of ivory in the EU, and an initial public consultation, launched by the European Commission, showed that more than 90% of the 90,000 people questioned were in favour of a ban on this trade in the EU.
Fanta Mabo
African elephant: 1.8 tonnes of ivory destroyed in France to curb poaching
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction operation on 28 November 2023. The operation, carried out in the commune of Reims in south-east France, is aimed at curbing the ivory trade and raising awareness of a trade responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants, particularly those in Africa. In the space of a century, African elephant populations have plummeted by more than 90% as a result of poaching.
The European Parliament has just passed new legislation that will ban the sale of deforestation-related goods in member states. However, African researchers and specialists doubt the effectiveness of such a European measure.
After several years of lobbying, the European Parliament finally passed a law on Wednesday 19 April 2023 that bans the import of deforestation products into the European Union (EU). Voted by a very large majority, the text aims to fight against climate change and preserve biodiversity. The import into the EU of products from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal and printed paper will be banned if these products come from land where deforestation has taken place after December 2020.
« We are losing about 10 million hectares of forest worldwide every year and this instrument will put an end to that, or at least to our complicity in that deforestation, because our shelves are currently filled with chocolate, coffee, etc., soya-based products that contribute massively to the destruction of forests », explains MEP Christophe Hansen, who is also the rapporteur for the new legislation. The EU is responsible for 16% of global deforestation through its imports (mostly soy and palm oil, 2017 figures) and is the second largest destroyer of tropical forests behind China, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Ivory Coast has already committed to it
Once the text is in force, companies will have 18 months to implement the measure. Smaller companies will have a longer period. This will include providing the relevant authorities with relevant information such as geolocation details. These checks will be carried out using satellite monitoring tools. If companies fail to comply with the rules, they could be fined up to 4% of their suppliers’ annual turnover on the EU market.
Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, believes that it is ahead of the law in setting up a system for geolocating production. In the West African country, more than one million cocoa producers have been registered. They have been issued with name cards and the geolocation coordinates of their plots. « If you are not registered, your products cannot be marketed. If you usually produce five tonnes of cocoa, but we see that for this season you have gone beyond that, it means that you are at fault and you will be prosecuted, » explains Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, the Ivorian Minister of Agriculture.
The text is still criticised
For many observers, the EU law on imported deforestation is only a first step towards the desired objectives. « The European approach is good, but how can it be applied? » asks Bakary Traoré of the association Initiatives pour le Développement communautaire et la conservation de la Forêt (IDEF). « How can we check? With what means can we check the beans on site and justify their origin?
For the nature conservation organisation Greenpeace, this regulation has « loopholes », for example by excluding ecosystems such as the savannah and by failing to target European banks that finance projects that destroy forests.
During the debate, rapporteur Christophe Hansen acknowledged that the text was « not perfect », explaining that this was why three reviews were planned: after 1, 2 and 5 years. « The perfection will be for tomorrow », he announced.
Fanta Mabo
AFRICA: What can EU law do against imported deforestation?
The European Parliament has just passed new legislation that will ban the sale of deforestation-related goods in member states. However, African researchers and specialists doubt the effectiveness of such a European measure.