FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT Regional Assessment 2022

This document is an annex to the 2022 Regional Assessment by the Forest Declaration Assessment, focusing on tracking progress toward forest goals in the Congo Basin. It details a monitoring framework consisting of 50 indicators across four themes—forest goals, sustainable production and development, forest financing, and forest governance—and provides a comparative summary of the laws, governing entities, and policies used to address deforestation in Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo.

• The Forest Declaration Assessment utilizes a framework based on the Chatham House think tank methodology to monitor forest legality and governance in the Congo Basin. This pilot framework tracks 50 indicators categorized into four primary themes: forest goals, sustainable production and development, forest financing, and forest governance.
• The assessment framework evaluates forest goals through several specific metrics, including national deforestation rates, the loss of intact forest cover, and the index of forest area integrity. It also tracks high-level commitments to combat deforestation, forest cover gain via forest landscape restoration (FLR), and the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in restoration activities.
• To address sustainable production and development, the framework assesses whether national development policies align with forest protection, the existence of poverty reduction initiatives for forest-dependent people, and the adoption of deforestation policies by companies in their supply chains. It also monitors the use of technological innovations for traceability and the impact of extractive and infrastructure projects on forests.
• The financing theme examines both international and domestic green finance, specifically looking for the redirection of 'grey finance' (harmful to forests) toward mitigation activities. It also evaluates the availability of sustainable financing instruments, the role of voluntary carbon markets, and whether forest agencies receive adequate funding in national budgets.
• Forest governance is measured by the presence of high-level political mechanisms, specific legal frameworks, and the integration of gender issues. The framework also assesses the security of tenure for Indigenous peoples, the ability of citizens to access forest-related information and justice, and the capacity of government institutions to prosecute forest crimes and corruption.
• The document lists specific national laws governing forests in the Congo Basin region: Cameroon's Forestry Code (Law n°94/01 of January 20, 1994), Gabon's Forestry Code (Law n°016/2001 of December 31, 2001), the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Forestry Code (Law n°011/2002 of August 29, 2002), and the Republic of the Congo's Forestry Code (Law 33/2020 of July 8, 2020).
• The four studied countries have different technical definitions of a forest. Gabon defines it as land over 1 ha with trees 5 m or taller and 30% cover. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo both define it as land over 0.5 ha with trees 3 m or taller and 30% cover.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2022). FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT Regional Assessment 2022. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022RegionalAnnex_ENG.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT Regional Assessment 2022. 2022. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022RegionalAnnex_ENG.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT Regional Assessment 2022 |date=November 2022 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022RegionalAnnex_ENG.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2022forest, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT Regional Assessment 2022}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022RegionalAnnex_ENG.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }