CAMEROON – The economic value of biodiversity might seem like a complicated concept, but its core theory is rather simple: diverse organisms are crucial to the short and long-term economic health of humankind. Think of the Amazon rainforest. Millions of people rely on the expansive biome’s unique biodiversity to sustainably produce valuable species like rubber trees …
The Republic of Congo recently signed a $41.8 million USD agreement with the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). Republic of Congo is home to part of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest continuous tropical forest in the world, a biodiversity haven and a …
The U.S. Forest Service recently conducted an eco-tourism assessment of the Mount Nimba landscape, which includes parts of Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia. The Forest Service assessment focuses on the Liberia side of the Mount Nimba range, much of which used to be an open-pit iron ore mine that was then converted into protected areas …
Promoting Ecotourism Opportunities in the Mount Nimba Landscape of Liberia Read More »
Across the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. Forest Service is engaging with passionate activists and practitioners to help grow green cities through urban agriculture, rooftop gardens, innovative waste management solutions, and community engagement. Green infrastructure investments contribute to human health, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability. “People live in cities, and we should find …
On average, U.S. Forest Service domestic experts donate more than 300 salary days each year to helping their international colleagues advance best practices in Africa and the Middle East. We recently had a chance to chat with Lathan Sidebottom, Special Agent, to hear about how he contributed to advancing law enforcement good practices in Gabon …
Since 1995, the U.S. Forest Service has been assisting Central African governments, universities, civil society organizations, and local communities with sustainable land-use planning, forest inventory, and management of wildland fire and protected areas. Its assistance in sustainable forest management contributes to USAID’s largest environmental conservation program, called the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment …
Strengthening Forest Resource Management Capacity in Central Africa Read More »
A recent report by the Environment Investigations Agency (EIA)[1] detailed the extent to which corruption, transnational criminal activity and poor forest governance are negatively impacting forests of the Congo Basin. Republic of the Congo and Gabon were singled out for concern. Republic of the Congo While most of Central Africa is prone to unlawful timber …
Countering Illegal Logging and Transnational Organized Crime in Central Africa Read More »
The US Forest Service International Programs Wood Identification & Screening Center, WISC, has opened new facilities at Oregon State University and expanded its team of scientists. The team of four, now embedded within OSU’s College of Forestry, offer wood species identification services to various US government agencies. From guitars to furniture, WISC can confirm what …
New Wood Identification & Screening Center Offers More Support For Lacey Act Enforcement Read More »
As the benefits of urban green spaces become apparent, passionate activists across the Middle East & North Africa are changing their cities through urban agriculture, rooftop gardens, innovative waste management solutions, and community engagement. In January 2020, the U.S. Forest Service brought together a group of individuals from Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and the Palestinian …
In February the United States Forest Service and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the Guinean Association Mines Sans Pauvreté (Mines without Poverty) to organize a West African mining and environment study tour. The tour brought together 30 representatives from mining companies, government agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, media and communities …