Pre-feasibility studies for three local development projects and sustainable NRMs Central African Republic

Context of the service

Forests cover 45% of the territory of the CAR. The forestry sector generates 5% of GDP, 10% of tax revenues and 60% of exports, and is the largest private employment sector with 7,000 employees. However, deforestation threatens the sector. This is why the CAR has been engaged in the REDD+ process (reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation), and sustainable forest management since 2009. In 2016, the Board of Directors of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) approved funding for the development of a National Investment Framework (NIC), to operationalize the implementation of the REDD+ process. A Letter of Intent (LoI) must be validated between the CAFI and the Central African Government to define mutual commitments and milestones to be achieved. CAFI also wished to study the pre-feasibility of three regional projects for rural development and sustainable management of natural resources.

Services provided

SalvaTerra has been recruited from a consortium of specialized consulting firms to provide technical assistance to the Government of CAR. SalvaTerra's service consisted in particular of contributing to the realization of pre-feasibility studies of three projects in the following regions: Bangui outskirts, South-West Massif, Bangassou massif. The objective was to propose and test strategies and methods for capacity building and pilot interventions to consider larger-scale projects in the longer term and in other territories with high socio-economic and environmental challenges. SalvaTerra has mobilised experts specialised in sustainable agriculture and forestry to contribute to studies and consultation processes with local populations and stakeholders. The experts conducted two field missions to the CAR and actively contributed to the preparation of the three pre-feasibility studies.

Summary of the service

Completion of three pre-feasibility studies for regional local development and sustainable natural resource management programmes: (i) the Bangui area and its periphery; (ii) the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas complex, Mbaere Bodingue and corridor and (iii) the Bangassou forest. Documentation analysis, field missions, technical expertise in sustainable agriculture, forestry and project engineering.