Portal for information on forest destruction, ecology, protection, regions, types and advocacy. Links to current and archived African rainforest news stories.

An initiative by USAID to address the issue of deforestation in the Congo Basin forest zone, and build local capacity to sustainably manage forest resources. CARPE Themes are:
(a) Logging Policies and Practices
(b) Protected Areas With a Live-In Landscape
(c) Environmental Governance
(d) Feasibility of Household Level Interventions
(e) Monitoring of Forest Resources
(f) Building Environmental Information Analysis and Strategic Planning Capacity
(g) Global Climate Change
The web site includes newsletters, downloadable reports, abstracts, briefing sheets and GIS datasets.

CBNRM information database. Enables CBNRM practitioners and policy-makers to exchange experiences, manage relevant knowledge, and support learning across countries, sectors, cultures, and languages, and in this way achieve better results. The context for these changes includes increased emphasis on culture, local institutions, traditional knowledge, participation and participatory approaches, and NGOs and civil society, within an overall nation-state framework characterized by increasing weight on decentralization, governance and transparency.

ECOFAC is an EU programme for sustainable forest management in Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, CAR, Sao Tome & Principe. The site also contains an overview of the programme, key issues and methodologies.

Conservation International (CI) aims to preserve threatened ecosystems in over 30 countries across four continents. CI initiatives focus on biodiversity hotspots, major tropical wilderness areas, key marine areas, and select major wetlands. These areas are rich in biodiversity but severely threatened by human activities. CI works closely with local people in biodiversity-rich areas to develop alternatives to destructive land-use practices, and to educate communities, businesses, and government leaders about the need to protect their natural resources. CI also builds upon its successes to influence the way governments and corporations make decisions.

This page describes Conservation International’s activities in Africain West Africa it works to increase scientific understanding of biodiversity, strengthen capacity for biodiversity conservation, reduce the bushmeat trade, provide connectivity to fragmented forests, raise public awareness about threats to biodiversity conservation, and create necessary political and financial frameworks for sustainable conservation. In Central Africa Conservation International works with ECOFAC, a forest conservation and utilisation programme, sponsored by the European Union. In Southern Africa it works to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable management of the Cape Floristic Province, Succulent Karoo, and the Okavango Delta. CI’s activities in Madagascar concentrate on developing better park and forest management, protecting endangered species and working with the private sector to establish biodiversity-sensitive practices.

In 1996, TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa initiated an 18-month review of the African trade in wildlife medicinals, with the aim of identifying species most in need of conservation, management and/or research attention. The review also entailed collecting information about trade patterns, markets, source areas, and impacts of harvest in 17 countries. This page provides an overview of the resulting report, “Searching for a Cure: Conservation of Medicinal Wildlife Resources in East and Southern Africa", by Nina Marshall, published in September 1998. The report identifies 102 medicinal plant species and 29 animal species as priorities for conservation and management action.

The CBD is a global, comprehensive agreement addressing all aspects of biological diversity: genetic resources, species, and ecosystems. Primary site for information, implementation, reports, documents and links.

CITES is an international treaty drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against over-exploitation, and to prevent international trade from threatening species with extinction. Web site includes text of the convention, publications, research programs, databases of CITES-listed flora and fauna.

A very brief description of the Tanzanian component of "Reducing Biodiversity loss at selected crossborder sites in East Africa", a GEF project. The project aims to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss at four cross-border sites of global significance in East Africa. Primary project activities include faciltitating communities and district development agencies to work together with forestry, wildlife, and environmental agencies in promoting sustainable resource use. The project also works to balance resource demand and supply through the encouragement of resource management plans and alternative economic activities. The project functions at both national and district levels. Links are given to the GEF, Tanzanian Association of Foresters, FAO, World Wide Fund for Nature etc.

The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS) conserve East Africa’s wildlife and wild habitats by: supporting the National Parks infrastructure and the region’s anti-poaching measures and wildlife sanctuaries; educating the public on conservation through community initiatives, student outreach programmes, public discussions and the dissemination of conservation materials; carrying out effective research to enhance the conservation and protection of life in the wild; and translocating endangered species to safer areas. The site provides an overview of EAWL projects and a link to its magazine, Swara.

Provides information and coordination for institutions and organizations working in the forested systems of the Eastern Arc Mountains.

Fauna and Flora International's remit is to protect the entire spectrum of endangered plant and animal species on the planet, through partnerships, technical assistance, direct funding and consultancy. This page provides highlights of the Africa regional programme.

FRAME creates an opportunity for analysts and decision-makers to think strategically about environmental and natural resource management issues as they relate to the challenge of sustainable development in Africa. It was created to help USAID judge the overall impact of its programmes in southern Africa, make rational resource allocation decisions between and among ongoing programs, and evaluate whether more impact would be achieved tackling other environmental issues. The site is not only a library of technical reports and country data, but also a gateway to other databases and mechanisms that help you sort through the mountains of data and analyze it in ways that suit your needs. Useful analytical tools include the Natural Resource Management Tracker; Environmental trends analysis; EIA training modules; Environmental Valuation and Environmental Indicators; and the Sustainable Rural Development Information System (SRDIS).

Established to benefit the southern African region and Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the development of modern skills in conservation and natural resource management. There are three main programme areas: 1) Ecosystems Programme - conserving and managing regional biodiversity, wetlands and their catchment, and collaborative forestry management. 2)The Regional Policy Programme (RPP) strengthens the capacity to understand and incorporate social, institutional and economic concerns in natural resource management.
Current priority issues include policy reforms and reviews, resource based conflicts, land tenure issues, transboundary natural resource management and environmental economics. 3) Support to country offices in Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa.

The IUCN SSC Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SUSG) comprises 17 decentralized networks of Regional SUSGs who analyze and compare local use systems through case studies, regional reviews, workshops, and symposiums. The aim of the SUSG is to: improve the understanding of the social and biological factors that enhance the sustainability of uses of wild living resources; promote that understanding to IUCN's members, decision-makers, and others; and assist IUCN members, partner organizations, and governments in the application of that understanding. Resources available on the web site include briefing papers for decision-makers, case studies and technical reports on sustainable use issues.

A case study of how botanic gardens can support forest conservation, and approaches to long-term financing for conservation centres in Africa. Limbe Botanic Garden is used to demonstrate the cycle of neglect and rehabilitation that has affected many botanic gardens in Africa, and highlight the role they can play in supporting conservation. A strategy is proposed to ensure their future survival and to increase their contribution to the conservation of remaining African rainforests.

Overview of MCP research at Limbe. The mountain is a 'hot-spot' for rare and endemic plants, and also has rare animals and birds. Partnerships have been forged with the industrial plantation giant Cameroon Development Corporation, to assist in environmentally sound land development, and with the medicinal plant exporter Plantecam, to encourage sustainable cropping of medicinal plants from the mountain. Local communities are also being brought into the planning and execution of forest management and conservation initiatives.

The Tandroy Conservation Trust exists to conserve biodiversity and encourage sustainable development in the Tandroy Region of Southern Madagascar. The Trust runs volunteer programmes, facilitate research done in the Spiny Forest, and developing Forest Management Plans with local people.

Wildlife trade monitoring program of the World Wildlife Fund/IUCN which aims to help ensure that wildlife trade is at sustainable levels and in accordance with domestic and international laws and agreements. This is achieved through the investigation, monitoring and reporting of such trade.

The Tropenbos Cameroon Programme (TCP) is located at a logging concession in Southern Cameroon near the harbour city Kribi. The area is largely covered with forests used by native Bantus and Bakola (Pygmies) for shifting cultivation, cacao plantation and forest produce. Timber production is a major economic activity. is mainly directed at the sustainable production of timber and other forest products. It therefore deals with: forest land inventory and evaluation; economic, ecological and social aspects; improved methods for forestry and indigenous land-use; and local people's participation in management.

A long term management plan for the conservation of Taï national park.
The Tropenbos-Côte d'Ivoire programme designed with three major areas of interest: 1)Providing an ecological, economic and social basis for a management plan of Taï National Park; 2) Reducing the pressure on the park by sustainable development of the peripheral zone and 3)Synthesis of past research efforts and analysis of research needs. The web site gives an overview of the projects and institutions involved.

Tropical forest research organisation. Information about the new Ghana programme which is still under formulation.