A critical evaluation of the tropical forest industry in the Republic of Congo as it conforms to the International Tropical Timber Organization sustainable management objectives

One of the innovations in the management of forest resources in the 1990s is the use of criteria and indicators (C&I) as a tool to measure the sustainability of forest management practices in general, as well as, specific forest related activities such as timber industry. The International Tropical Timber Organization has developed a set of criteria and indicators for the measurement of sustainability in natural tropical forests. This study uses these criteria and indicators to critically evaluate the current status of the forest industry in the Republic of Congo as it conforms to the ITTO sustainable management objectives. The study identifies both the progress made to achieve the ITTO "objective 2000", and weaknesses that need to be addressed in order to reach an overall sustainable forest industry. Recommendations are made to correct the identified weaknesses.