A step towards proving the legality of timber activities has been made in Africa with the start of the Forest Concession Monitoring System for Central Africa (FORCOMS)’s first operational phase.
FORCOMS, a system of independent and voluntary monitoring of forest concessions, is a multi-agency initiative involving Global Forest Watch (GFW), the World Resources Institute (WRI), the World Conservation Union and Interafrican Forest Industries Association.
It aims to establish a steering platform and spread information about the commitments and efforts of forest companies in conforming to regulations and sustainable forest management. The information is designed for use by governments, international markets and society in general.
WRI and GFW are conducting studies to test the monitoring indicators on a large scale and discuss the system’s feasibility with different participants.
The first mission was carried out in Cameroon last November and December, with further studies currently taking place in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
