Gabon

The trajectory of climate and forest policies in Gabon

Historically, the first National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) was developed following the 1992 Rio Convention, with the aim of adopting a new approach to economic issues from a sustainability perspective. At that time, Gabon's NEAP did not specifically address climate strategies, but rather emphasized the preservation of the country's natural heritage, characterized by " exceptional biodiversity, vast forest areas including fragments of intact primary forest and harboring rich fauna " (Pourtier, 2003). Since the signing of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty on climate change, climate objectives have been explicitly formulated in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. A National Climate Plan was then established to define climate strategies for the various economic sectors. By aligning itself with international frameworks—the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and REDD+—Gabon has committed to fulfilling its climate obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Gabon's climate strategy, centered on forests, was further strengthened by the signing of the agreement between Norway and Gabon, which led to the establishment of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) program. The underlying rationale was that, while forest cover represents a major ecological asset, it has been exploited since 1957, notably through the export of okoumé[1] and timber[2], and more recently, through the development of agricultural activities, particularly oil palm cultivation, which can accelerate deforestation.

Thus, in a context where forests constitute a dual economic resource, both for agricultural production and for timber exports, while simultaneously being at the heart of environmental and societal concerns (Robert and Boughedada, 2025), the Gabonese state seeks to pursue its objectives of forest conservation and sustainable forest resource management. Agriculture is part of this forest-oriented public policy trajectory, which establishes a close link between the two sectors. In other words, agriculture is shaped by public policies that have historically prioritized the management and economic development of forests. For example, access to land, the allocation of forest concessions, and the types of crops encouraged can be influenced by policies related to forest exploitation and conservation.

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[1] Okoumé is a valuable tropical wood and one of the main species harvested in Gabon. It is notably used in the manufacture of plywood, joinery, and shipbuilding.

[2] FORAFRI Project (1999), “ Forest management in Gabon – history, assessment, perspectives ”. Sébastien Drouineau, Robert Nasi, in collaboration with Faustin Legault and Michel Cazet, 64 p.

National climate policy timeline

Chronology of the national climate agenda. Developed by the author Viala, adapted from the report "Reference level of forest emissions proposed by Gabon within the framework of REDD+" (CNC, 2021).

The instruments studied in Gabon