Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo is a country located in the Congo Basin, with an area of 342,000 km².

The forest cover in Republic of Congo represents approximately 65% of the total land area and is composed mostly by primary and other naturally regenerated forest. The Congo’s forestry sector has been historically the main driver of the nation’s economy but remains today a major contributor to the national economy, just after oil and gas. All natural forests belong to the state, and there are 60 forest concessions in the country.

Congo’s deforestation rate is relatively low compared to many other tropical countries. The FAO estimated that the net annual change in forest area in Republic of Congo between 2010 and 2020 was -0.06% (FAO, 2020). The main drivers of deforestation are subsistence agriculture through slash-and-burn, artisanal forestry, and timber-fuel production.

According to the ITTO (2019), Republic of Congo produced 2,193,000 m³ of logs, 332,000 m³ of sawnwood, 47,000 m³ of veneer, and 30 m³ of plywood in 2017. About half of the logs and sawnwood production is exported. Congolese exports are sold mainly to China, Vietnam and Western Europe (ITC, 2020).

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EUFLEGT
Timber Trade Portal