Final evaluation of the P3FAC sustainable forest management project and DYNAFAC capitalization Gabon, Congo, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic

Context of the service

The forests of the Congo Basin cover nearly 200 Mha, of which 30 Mha (15%) are classified as protected areas and 54 Mha (27%) are classified as production forests.

The "Public/Private Partnership for the Sustainable Management of Central African Forests" (P3FAC) project, co-financed by the FFEM, was implemented between 2016 and 2022 by the DYNAFAC collective, which involves ATIBT, CIRAD, Gembloux AgroBioTech, Nature+ and other institutional and private actors.

Specifically, the project aims to:
- Evaluate the reaction of forest areas and their plant and animal populations to logging;
- Assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on ecological processes;
- Propose silviculture rules and management actions adapted to the different types of forests;
- Ensure ownership of the results by policymakers and national administrations.

The FFEM wished to conduct a final evaluation of the P3FAC project as well as a capitalization of 15 years of research in forest dynamics in Central Africa conducted by the actors of the DYNAFAC collective.

Services provided

SalvaTerra carried out the following tasks:

- Conduct the final evaluation of the P3FAC Project according to the CAD/OECD criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability). The final evaluation focused on the technical, social, environmental, organizational, institutional and financial aspects of the project.

- Contribute to the production of a large-format illustrated book accessible to stakeholders in the timber sector and the sustainable management of the forests of the Congo Basin highlighting the importance of adapting practices, not only for the conservation of Central African forests, but also for the economic viability of logging companies in the long term.

- Contribute to the production of a lighter capitalization document (4 pages) allowing these scientific results to be shared more widely and more succinctly, in an accessible format.

- Contribute to the production of a short capitalization video.

Summary of the service

Final evaluation of the Public/Private Partnership for Sustainable Management of Central African Forests (P3FAC) project, 2017-2022: Analysis of documentation and interviews with project stakeholders, members of the DYNAFAC collective (ATIBT, Nature+, CIRAD, GxABT-ULg, COMIFAC, FFEM, forestry companies, etc.), including during missions to Gabon and Congo; Co-development of capitalisation documents (illustrated book, 4 pages, video) of the DynAfFor and P3FAC projects.