Degradation of forests and forest lands is a problem in many parts of the world and is particularly serious in south China. Chinese forest policy reforms in recent years have enabled rural households to generate income from forests, to own the trees they have planted, and have offered new opportunities to manage forests sustainably. Rehabilitation of degraded forests and forest lands is one of the possible pathways to improve livelihoods of poor farmers and others in the rural communities.

Gabon’s oil wealth coincides with the fact that it is one of the most forested countries in Africa; about four-fifths of its land area is covered by forests. But this is not really a coincidence. The central hypothesis of this report is that oil rents have enabled a series of pro-urban, anti-rural policies that, together with the low demographic pressure, have been key in protecting forests from degradation and deforestation. In particular, forest conversion to cropland has been contained. Most probably, oil has helped expand forest cover in absolute terms.