“This landscape is ideal for wildlife viewing compared to other natural forests in the area. The forest is more open, making it easier to see and spot gorillas and other wildlife. This feature has made sites such as Mondika one of the world’s most interesting spots for the study of great apes.
It may surprise some to hear that critical gorilla and chimpanzee habitats around the buffer zones of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, are also where sustainable timber harvesting is practiced.”
Forests are fundamental to our livelihoods, provide a critical barrier against climate change and are a vital natural resource. We sustainably and responsibly manage natural forest concessions covering over 2.1 million hectares in the Republic of the Congo. Our concessions are a source for 100% Forest Stewardship Council®* (FSC®) certified timber, and our wood products make their way to Europe and the rest of the world as a sustainable building material.
Our experience in the forests of the Congo Basin is the result of decades of unwavering commitment to ensure that business, people, and nature can co-exist and thrive. Here is what we’ve been doing to make this possible.
Pioneering sustainable forestry – with some help
The forests of Congo are home to rich biodiversity, the source of vital ecosystem services, a carbon sink – and a key source of livelihood for the thousands of people involved in our wood business.
Pioneering management measures across our concessions in Kabo, Pokola, Loundoungou-Toukoulaka and Mimbeli-Ibenga help ensure that we continue to protect the forests that we source from. These measures are developed in close consultation with all relevant.
Selective, low impact harvesting in our concessions helps preserve high-integrity forest areas and the biodiversity within them. We have a low harvest rate of less than one tree per hectare per year. We follow a rotation cycle of more than 25 years, meaning we go back to the selectively harvested area after more than 25 years.
Years of experience in the region have taught us the value of transparency and collaboration with NGO and research partners, which has contributed to the advancement of techniques for responsible harvesting, that now serve as models in other regions.