Le bois est partout : nous l’utilisons pour les poutres de nos maisons, pour la fabrication de fenêtres, de chaises et de papier. Même pour le charbon de bois de nos barbecues. Il serait difficile de s’en passer. Et il soutient de nombreux secteurs : concessions forestières, scieries, industries papetières et bien d’autres.

Nombre d’entre nous pensent que si l'on coupe des arbres, alors on déforeste. Or, c’est FAUX.

Dans cet épisode, nous vous présentons le règlement zéro déforestation de l'UE et sa mise en œuvre en Afrique, et nous vous expliquons comment les forêts peuvent être gérées de manière durable. Il est essentiel de comprendre que l’UE n’est généralement pas le principal acheteur de bois et de produits en bois africains, mais que l’Asie représente souvent 70 % des exportations africaines de grumes ou de produits dérivés.

Nous apportons des éléments sur les forêts d’Afrique centrale, où le bassin du Congo constitue le deuxième poumon vert de la planète après l’Amazonie. Le Gabon et le Congo Brazzaville sont plus avancés que d'autres pays en matière d'engagements et de développement durable, mais les forêts tropicales Africaines sont confrontées à de nombreux défis : corruption, conflits, exploitation forestière illégale, etc.

Nous avons analysé également le secteur du bois en Afrique de l'Ouest, et nous voyons en quoi la situation de l'Afrique du Sud est tout à fait unique : la plupart des forêts sont des plantations (eucalyptus, pins, etc.) et le pays dispose d'une solide industrie papetière. Enfin, nous terminons avec la Namibie qui est confrontée à un défi écologique majeur avec une invasion d'espèces indésirables et de broussailles, et est devenue le principal exportateur africain de charbon de bois vers l'UE.

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Wood is everywhere: we use it for the beams of our houses, to manufacture windows, chairs and paper. Even for the charcoal we use for a BBQ. It would be difficult to live without it. And it supports many sectors: forest concessions, sawmills, paper industries and many others.

Many of us believe that if we cut down trees, we are basically deforesting. But this is WRONG.

In this episode, we give you some information about the EU deforestation-free regulation and its implementation in Africa and we explain how forests can be sustainably managed. It is key to understand that the EU is generally not the main buyer of African timber/wood products, but Asia often accounts for 70% of African exports of logs or wood products.

We provide some elements on forests in Central Africa, where the Congo basin constitutes the 2nd green lung of the planet after the Amazon. Gabon and Congo Brazzaville are more advanced than other on sustainability commitments and the tropical forests face many challenges - corruption, conflicts, illegal logging etc.-

We also analyse the timber sector in West Africa, and later on, we see how South Africa is really unique : most of the forests are plantations (eucalyptus, pine, etc.) and the country has a solid pulp & paper industry. And finally Namibia faces a huge ecological challenge with the "bush encroachment" phenomenon, and succeeds to be the main African exporter of charcoal to the EU.

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You are at a restaurant, and you are enjoying a good steak with fries. When it is time to pay the bill, you take out your beautiful leather wallet and leave the establishment with your suede jacket on your shoulders. But did you ever ask yourself where they come from, and what impact they have on deforestation?

It is interesting to look at the livestock sector because 85% of the world's livestock farmers are located in sub-Saharan Africa, and with climate change, the transhumance routes of Sahelian herds evolve and tend to reach new grazing sites and forests. Beyond the environmental impact, this can generate additional conflicts between pastoralists (herders who practice pastoralism) and farmers. Despite the importance of the sector, the European Union buys very little beef from Africa—Namibia is the main African exporter, followed by Botswana. How is this possible, particularly given European health requirements? And does the country meet the requirements of the EU Deforestation-free Regulation?

For hides and skins and leather, while the main industrial tanneries are located in North Africa, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, sustainability, environmental and traceability issues are very challenging.

The soybean production is still limited on the continent, but it is increasing because it is profitable and requires fewer inputs than corn, rice, etc. And Togo, a small West African country, is now the EU's leading supplier of organic soybeans, ahead of India and Ukraine.

Let's explore these sectors on the African continent to understand how the supply chains operate and to see the challenges related to sustainability and deforestation.

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