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Good news for certification in the Congo Basin: Likouala Timber obtains its legality certification in Congo

07.10.2022

ATIBT wishes to congratulate Likouala Timber which obtained its Origin and Legality of Timber (OLB) certificate in September, issued by Bureau Veritas.

Likouala Timber

Likouala Timber manages 525,000 hectares of forest in two concessions in Betou and Missa, in the northeast of the Republic of Congo.

At the end of 2021, there were approximately 3 million hectares of certified sustainable management and just over 2 million hectares of certified legal forest in Congo. Likouala Timber's achievement of OLB certification represents a major step forward in certification and the fight against illegal timber in the Congo Basin, with a 25% increase in legally certified forest area in Congo.

Legality certifications have been proposed since the early 2000s as a tool to offer buyers a first level of guarantee, and to take a first step towards sustainable forest management certification.

Likouala Timber is also invested in the development of local wood processing, and has the necessary infrastructure on its sites for the production of finished products.