A look at Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) and their relevance in Central African forest policy |
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| Institution: | 1. TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Central African Forests, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 2 Passage des Déportés, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium;2. École Régionale Post-Universitaire d''Aménagement et de Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux (ERAIFT), Campus UNIKIN, Commune de Lemba, BP 15373 Kinshasa, Congo;3. Nature Plus NPO, Winstar Park, rue Provinciale 62, 1301 Wavre, Belgium;4. Université d''Agriculture de Kétou, BP 43 Kétou, Benin;5. CIRAD, Biens et Services des Ecosystèmes Forestiers Tropicaux, Bâtiment D, Campus international de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier, France;6. Bangor University, School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, United Kingdom;1. CNR IVALSA, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;2. Washington State University, School of Economic Sciences, 301 Hulbert Hall, Pullman, WA 99164, USA;3. Université de Moncton, Campus d''Edmundston, 165 Boulevard Hébert, Edmundston, New Brunswick E3V 2S8, Canada;1. Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, C.P. 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico;4. CONAFOR, Periférico Poniente #5360 Col. San Juan de Ocotán, Zapopan, Jalisco C.P. 45019, Mexico;5. Development of Carbon Offset Projects, Tepic, Nayarit C.P. 63195, Mexico;1. Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, Building No. 201, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands;2. Centre for Independent Social Research, Bldg 87, Ligovskij Prospect, St. Petersburg POB 193, 191040, Russia;3. James Martin Senior Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Tropical forests are major providers of natural resources and ecosystem services but their ecological functions are at threat, due to increasing human pressure linked to economic development. The identification of priority areas for conservation is crucial for land use planning to ensure the protection of biodiversity and ecological function. Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs), as defined by Greenpeace and World Resources Institute (WRI), are areas of the forest ecosystems not subjected to human activities. They have been identified by mapping human disturbances through remote sensing. Contrary to similar global-scale concepts, IFLs have been integrated into the standards of the certification body Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and therefore have practical implications for forest management policies. The Motion 65, approved in the general assembly of FSC in 2014, mandates the protection of IFLs located in FSC certified logging concessions. Until the implementation of national standards, forestry operations are banished from 80% of the IFL area within each forest management unit. To trace the history and evaluate the suitability of IFLs in the Central African context, we searched for documents related to the IFL method, and related approaches focusing on the identification of areas devoid of human disturbances. The IFL method is simple and cost-effective and allows for a global assessment of the influence of human infrastructures and industrial exploitation on forests. However, the method does not consider the situation below the canopy and those forest components not visible by satellites. For example, hunting, one of the main threats faced by wildlife in Central African forests today, cannot be detected with satellite imagery. On the other hand, other anthropogenic activities which remote sensing may detect may be compatible with forest ecosystem conservation. To better tailor the IFL approach to Central African forests, we recommend (i) the consideration of wildlife communities in the intactness analysis, (ii) a thorough evaluation of the impacts of human activities on forest ecosystems, and (iii) the integration of local stakeholders and governments in the design of land management strategies to respond to social, economic and environmental needs. |
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