Pushing the PCI
Action is needed tospeed up theimplementation ofSFM principles,
criteria andindicators in
Gabonese forests
By PhilomèneNkoulou
ITTO Regional Office for Africa
Philonkoulou@yahoo.fr
Ms Nkoulou received an ITTO
fellowship in 2007 to undertake amaster’s program in economics
and SFM at the Institut Nationaldes Sciences de Gestion inLibreville, Gabon. This article isbased on her master’s thesis titled
The operationalization ofprinciples, criteria and indicatorsof sustainable management offorests in Gabon.

Outreach: The author in a biodiversity reserve near Libreville, Gabon. Photo: P. Nkoulou

Principles, criteria and indicators (PCI) for sustainable
forest management (SFM) are a planning framework
for the sustainable management of production
forests and a tool for operationalizing SFM. Gabon, which isa member of both ITTO and the African Timber
Organization (ATO), has developed a harmonized, national
set of PCI based on ATO/ITTO PCI (hereafter referred to as
the Gabon PCI) to conserve and sustainably manage itsforests. It is dismaying to note, however, that the Gabon PCI
have been largely unimplemented since they were validatedin 2004.
To determine the reasons why this tool is not being used byforest stakeholders and to propose solutions to optimize itsuse, I conducted master’s research in Libreville andsurrounds. The study was supervised by Dr François Hiol
Hiol, coordinator of ITTO project PD 124/01 Rev.2 (M), andDr Rose Ondo Ntsame, chair of the Pan African ForestCertification (PAFC) program in Gabon.
We conducted a survey of potential Gabon PCI users in theforest administration, the private sector and civil society, inorder to test the three (not mutually exclusive) hypotheses
shown in Figure 1.
Tables 1 shows that a majority of stakeholders are aware ofthe Gabon PCI and Table 2 shows that only about 12% ofstakeholders are using them. Table 3 suggests the reasons
behind the lack of use.
The majority of stakeholders know of the Gabon PCI.
However, only a minority has a copy of the Gabon PCI
document that was validated during a national workshop
conducted in July 2004. More than half of respondents

18

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

Testing ideas

Figure 1: Hypotheses for the lack of implementation ofthe Gabon PCI

Hypothesis 1Lack of extension services

Hypothesis 2
Alternative tools available(operational equivalents)

Non-use of Gabon PCI

Hypothesis 3
Lack of validation ofGabon PCI by reputable
certification scheme

confessed that they were not aware of its contents orrelevance.
More than half of respondents indicated a lack of outreach,dissemination, training and extension work as a reason for
the non-use of the Gabon PCI. The lack of dissemination ispartly because the PCI are unofficial, despite their 2004
endorsement. Their non-binding nature is another reason
for their current low use in Gabon.

Solutions
To better promote the effective use of the Gabon PCI, thefollowing actions should be pursued:•Conduct extension work on Gabon PCI among potentialusers.

•Make the use of the Gabon PCI binding by making forest
audits based on them mandatory in production forests.

Know about them ...

Table 1 Awareness of the Gabon PCI among stakeholders
Respondents
Response

Forest administration

Private sector

NGOs

14
1125

102
12

Yes
14No
5
Total
19Source: Survey conducted in January–March 2009.

Total%38
1856

68
32
100

... Don’t use themTable 2 Use of Gabon PCI by Gabonese forest stakeholders
Respondents
Response

Forest Administration

Yes
5No
14Total19
Source: Survey conducted in January–March 2009.

Private sector

NGOs

2232501212Total

%

74956

12.5
87.5
100

The reasons why

Table 3 Reasons for the non-use of Gabon PCIReasons

Stakeholders
Forest Administration
15

Private sector
16

Total
NGOs
12

Lack of outreach, dissemination, training and extension
work
Unofficial status0130
Non-binding status
180Lack of linkage to certification
060No response
300Total
1943
12* T he total number of responses exceeds the number of respondents because some respondents selected more than one reason.
Source: Survey conducted in January–March 2009.

•Consider the regional-scale development of an audit manual adapted toGabonese forests by drawing on the audit manual produced by theregional ATO/ITTO project.

•Facilitate the operationalization of the national PAFC system for Gabon.

•Promote the use of the Gabon PCI through legal compliance initiatives,
such as the voluntary partnership agreement, the Forest Concession
Monitoring System in Central Africa and other schemes (e.g. the Forest
Stewardship Council).

•

Build the capacity of Gabonese forestry stakeholders throughappropriate training programs.

Prioritize the promotion of the Gabon PCI.

•Ensure the consistency of various tools used in forest management inGabon with the Gabon PCI.

•In the development and implementation of its forest policy, impose,through its Ministry of Water and Forest Resources, the national PAFC
scheme for Gabon.

581396374*

181284100•

Develop a joint action plan with the forestry
administration to build capacity in the use of the Gabon
PCI and a regulatory framework for internal audits offorest concessions based on the Gabon PCI.

•Continue to provide all stakeholders with training on
the role, importance, benefits and use of the Gabon PCI.

To ATO:•Raise awareness in Gabon of the importance of theATO/ITTO PCI and the Gabon PCI and the need to usethem.

•

Revive and support Gabon’s National Working Group,
which is a key actor in the SFM process at the nationallevel.

•Encourage member countries, including Gabon, topromote pan-African certification.

To the Government of Gabon:•43

To the ATO/ITTO regional project:

Recommendations
A number of recommendations are directed at specific stakeholders.

%

To ITTO:•Continue providing technical and financial support toGabon in its efforts to honour its policy commitments
to adapt the ATO/ITTO PCI to the local context and touse them effectively.

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

19