New forest decree in Gabon opens way for benefit-sharing schemes

According to the 2001 Forest law, companies should have developed protocols with all neighboring villages, including provisions that allow for socio-economic development, as well as allow communities to practice their traditional rights, such as hunting and gathering, in well-defined forest areas. However, lack of adequate mechanisms coupled with poor oversight have often resulted in chaotic or non-existent application. Many communities decry lack of cooperation from forest operators, while some logging companies talk of “unrealistic expectations” from the communities.

There are now hopes that this situation will change. In May 2014, Gabon passed a decree that clearly outlines how companies and communities will engage in benefit-sharing schemes that will support well-defined rural development projects. It also includes provisions for clear monitoring. WWF was the first NGO to organize a detailed training on this decree for both companies and communities as well as authorities and civil society, who will be key accompanying partners in this process.

"The decree opens a whole new way of engaging with the communities," said Jules Cesar, who oversees the social component work of Compagnie du Bois du Gabon (CBG), an FSC-certified concession in the center of the country. "It will allow us to move forward according to a convention that everyone agrees on, that has benchmarks. And it will help avoid misunderstandings or even conflict."

The villagers of Peny, a community bordering CBG, also welcome the decree.

"Now we can plan in earnest for our village," said 45-year-old Augustin Nzai. "We will know exactly how much money we will receive every year and how to best spend it."

The revenues for each community will be calculated based on how much wood a company harvests from the areas where a community exercises its traditional rights. This, of course, requires clear demarcation of territory and clear tree inventories. Communities, in turn, have to stick to realistic rural development plans. Villagers can choose to invest in health, education, infrastructure building or agriculture projects. They can also ask companies to provide funding for various equipment, gas supplies, or even cover costs for special events, such as mourning ceremonies or national festivities.

All forest companies, certified or not, and all their neighboring communities will have to abide by the new decree. The authorities have an ambitious goal: 25 conventions to be signed every year. Although the framework is sufficiently straightforward, one immediate issue that arises is that only communities that have a legally recognized association can engage in this process. In the case of CBG, which is surrounded by some 15 villages, less than five communities are currently eligible. Peny is not one of them, but the villagers vowed to prioritize creating an association in the coming months.

Meanwhile, WWF and its civil society partners are intensifying their work in the area, informing villages about this new opportunity and helping them create internal associations. WWF is also currently accompanying two communities that are ready to engage with CBG as pioneer signatories of such conventions.