Diversité des chenilles comestibles et de leurs plantes hôtes en République du Congo

peer reviewedA systematic study of edible caterpillars and their host plants was carried out in different departments and localities of the Republic of the Congo. Twenty-nine (29) species of edible caterpillars were identified, of which 22 were determined to species level, i.e., namely 75.9 % of the species collected. The dominance of the Saturniidae and Notodontidae taxonomic families was established. The botanical study of the hosting plants revealed 90 plant species, belonging to 26 botanical families. The Fabaceae family was predominant (with a total of 33 species or 36.7% out of 90), followed by the Phyllanthaceae family (11,1%). Climate change could likely cause a light decrease of the host plants population by the year 2050. This information aims to guide conservation efforts and ensure sustainable use of edible caterpillars as food. It is recommended to particularly focus on the promotion of semi-domestication of edible caterpillars and awareness raising on cultivation techniques of host plants

Preliminary studies on Imbrasia oyemensis, a valuable non-wood forest productinCameroon

La consommation d’insectes occupe une grande place dans le domaine de la sécurité alimentaire des peuples d’Afrique, d’Asie et d’Amérique latine. Imbrasia oyemensis (Saturniidae) est une chenille comestible, classée comme Produit Forestier Non Ligneux (PFNL). Elle est inféodée à Entandrophragma cylindricum dénommé « Sapelli », classée parmi les principales essences de bois d’œuvre d’Afrique centrale destinée à l’export. L’exploitation de cette essence de bois d’œuvre pourrait donc être concurrentielle pour les populations locales, qui pourraient se trouver privées de cette ressource non ligneuse qu’est la chenille. Ce papier présente les résultats préliminaires d’une étude qui visait à déterminer les caractéristiques morphologiques des arbres impliquées dans la sélection du site de ponte des papillons. Les larves d’I.oyemensis se retrouvent principalement sur des individus co-dominant ou dominant ayant déjà atteint le diamètre de fructification régulière. Ces résultats fournissent des pistes utiles comme point de départ aux études sur l’écologie de la chenille en relation avec son arbre hôte

Making international standards more credible: The case of the FSC forest management label

International audienceThe global organisation Forest Stewardship Council (FSC International) regulates the FSC forest management label, which is translated into national standards according to the context in each country. The initial version of the Principles and Criteria for this label, published in 1994, was revised and, in 2015, new Principles and Criteria were published, along with a list of generic indicators. This new version should be used to update national standards. This issue of Perspective proposes recommendations for drafting these new national standards and reviewing certain audit procedures. The study’s recommendations are illustrated with specific cases in Brazil, Indonesia and the countries of the Congo Basin. Indicators for the new national standards need to minimise any scope for interpretation during certification audits. Audits should no longer accept recurrence of the same non-conformities, even when these issues are minor. With Gabon announcing in September 2018 the obligation to obtain FSC certification in order to allocate or maintain forest concessions from 2020 onwards, it is important to reduce existing weaknesses in this certification

Rendre les standards internationaux plus fiables : le cas du label FSC de gestion des forêts

International audienceL’organisation mondiale Forest Stewardship Council (FSC International) régit le label FSC de gestion des forêts, qui se décline en standards nationaux selon le contexte de chaque pays. La version initiale des principes et critères de ce label, éditée en 1994, a été révisée et, en 2015, de nouveaux principes et critères ont été publiés ainsi qu’une liste d’indicateurs génériques. Cette nouvelle version doit être utilisée pour actualiser les standards nationaux. Ce numéro de Perspective propose des recommandations pour formuler ces nouveaux standards nationaux et pour revoir certaines règles d’audit. Ces recommandations sont illustrées de cas concrets au Brésil, en Indonésie et dans les pays du bassin du Congo. Les indicateurs des nouveaux standards doivent réduire le plus possible la marge d’interprétation pendant les audits de certification. Les audits ne doivent plus accepter la récurrence des mêmes non-conformités, y compris lorsqu’elles sont mineures. Alors que le Gabon a annoncé en septembre 2018 l’obligation de la certification FSC pour attribuer ou maintenir les concessions forestières à partir de 2020, il est important de réduire les fragilités existantes de cette certification

Social impacts of the forest stewardship council certification in the Congo Basin

We assess whether the implementation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme in the Congo basin has had positive additional impacts—as compared to existing regulatory frameworks applied in noncertified Forest Management Units (FMU)—on (1) the working and living conditions of logging companies’ employees and their families, (2) the effectiveness and legitimacy of the institutions and benefit-sharing mechanisms set up to regulate relationships between logging companies and neighbouring communities, and (3) the local populations’ rights to and customary uses of forests. Results on (1) and (2) suggest that several significant differences exist between certified and noncertified FMUs. Results are instead mitigated on (3): Companies in certified FMUs tend to better enforce the law, but this may have unwanted negative impacts on customary uses. We discuss the reasons why several positive social outcomes materialised in certified vs. noncertified areas, and suggest possible improvements as well as required further research.This document presents research funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the UKAID-funded KnowFOR (Forestry Knowledge) program and the CGIAR research program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA

Cameroonian community forests and forest law enforcement, governance and trade action plan (flegt): Legality at what price? [Forts communautaires camerounaises et Plan d'action Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) : Quel prix pour la legalite?

Cameroonian community forests and forest law enforcement, governance and trade action plan (FLEGT): Legality at what price? illegal logging is a threat to the world's tropical forests. To act against overexploitation of timber, the European Union has se