The 2025 State of the Forests in the Congo Basin Report has been released: a look at the implementation of international conventions and agreements

The Central African Forest Observatory (OFAC) has just published its new report, State of Forests 2025, which focuses on the implementation of international environmental and forest conventions and agreements in Central Africa.

This report offers an in-depth analysis of 13 international and regional legal frameworks, examining both their effectiveness—that is, their actual level of implementation—and their efficiency, based on results observed on the ground. The authors identify structural barriers—insufficient national capacity, lack of funding, and standards that are ill-suited to local realities—and propose concrete recommendations to address them.

The document covers, in particular, the Rio Conventions, instruments regulating international trade in biodiversity products, subregional instruments initiated by Central African countries, as well as texts affecting human rights and cultural heritage.

Covering the eleven countries of the COMIFAC region, this report brings together contributions from researchers, government officials, regional organizations, NGOs, and the private sector active in Central Africa.

For ATIBT and its members, this report is a valuable resource. The forest-wood sector, a key player in the sustainable management of the Congo Basin’s forests, is directly affected by the issues addressed in the report, particularly those related to governance, legality, financing, and the international frameworks applicable to the sector. Certified companies, forest managers, and institutional partners will find in these analyses useful insights to inform their deliberations and their dialogue with public authorities.

The report State of the Forests in the Congo Basin 2025 is a publication of OFAC, a specialized technical body of COMIFAC. The OFAC-CE project is implemented with the participation of CIFOR, CIRAD, FRMi, UCLouvain, and COMIFAC. The OFAC-CE project is funded by the European Union.

Download the full report and summary