Logging company Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) has made a big stride towards Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification by declaring more than 450,000ha of its 1.47 million ha forest concession in Congo off-limits to harvesting.
The move, together with the earlier protection of the 25,000ha Goualougo Triangle, means more than 30% of CIB’s total concession area will be permanently protected.
The two new protected areas, the Djéké Triangle and the Mombongo/Bomassa zone, are being protected as part of the company’s work on FSC principles 6 & 9 (Environmental Impact and High Conservation Value Forests) in consultation with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Mondika Research Centre.
CIB’s Robert Hunink said: “These two areas are important because the Djéké Triangle is home to the world’s only group of habituated western lowland gorillas, while the Mombongo/Bomassa zone is abundant with bongo antelope and forest elephants.”
WCS and CIB have also identified no harvest zones around forest clearings which act as critical wildlife habitat and around villages to help protect traditional livelihoods. Flooded forests and wetland areas are also excluded from logging.
CIB plans to be ready for its first FSC assessment towards the end of 2005/early 2006.
