Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin

Congo Basin countries rely more on
wood-based biomass to meet their energy needs than most
other countries in the world. Wood fuel production is
increasing in Congo Basin countries. Urbanization often
produces a shift from fuel wood to charcoal consumption,
because charcoal is cheaper and easier to transport and
store. Charcoal is produced mostly using traditional
techniques, with low transformation efficiencies. Under a
business as usual scenario, charcoal supply can represent
the single biggest threat to Congo Basin forests in the
coming decades. This report aims at providing some thinking
on how Congo Basin could meet their energy needs in a
forest-friendly manner. It is one of a series of outputs
prepared during a two-year exercise to analyze and better
understand the deforestation dynamics in the Basin. It
presents the main findings related to the wood fuel sector
in the Congo Basin and its potential impact on forest cover.
It is based on an in-depth analysis of the sector (past
trends and future prospects). It also builds on results
derived from a modeling exercise conducted by the
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
that examined the national and regional trends in in
wood-based biomass energy use and the impacts on Congo Basin
forests. The report is structured as follows: chapter one
gives an overview of the wood fuel sector in the six Congo
Basin countries, including an analysis of its impact so far
on forest cover; chapter two presents the prospects of
energy needs and production in the near future, and the
potential impacts on forest under a business as usual
scenario; and chapter three identifies potential key levers
in the wood fuel sector that could limit adverse impacts on
forest cover.