National Land Allocation Commission

Description

Located in the heart of the Congo Basin, home to the world's second-largest rainforest, Gabon is one of Africa's most forested countries, with an estimated forest area of ​​approximately 23.6 million hectares. Forests cover 88% of the national territory, while the land use, land-use change, and forestry sector alone accounts for 93% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions (Nationally Determined Contribution, 2023). In line with the President's political vision, Gabon intends to regulate its land use through a National Land Use Plan. To this end, the Gabonese government has established an inter-ministerial commission with the support of REDD+ funding (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries): the National Land Use Commission. The commission was established through a partnership between the Government of Gabon and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), which signed a Letter of Intent on June 27, 2017. The objective of this agreement was to mobilize funding to help Gabon reduce its forest-related emissions. CAFI funding allocated to Gabon was distributed as follows: CAFI 1: USD 18,000,000; CAFI 2: USD 12,000,000; CAFI 3: USD 150,000,000. The National Commission for Land Use Planning (CNAT) was subsequently created by Decree No. 00212/PR/MEPPDD of July 21, 2017. The commission regulates and defines land use, ensures the compatibility of socio-economic activities, preserves environmental integrity, and seeks to optimize the management of the country's natural resources. In this way, it establishes a link between the allocation of REDD+ funding and the distribution and management of a national resource, namely forests. Furthermore, the commission aims to prevent and manage land-use conflicts between different sectors, including agriculture, forestry, mining, and conservation.