By Leocadia Bongben
Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG) has unveiled activities to be carried out during the extension phase of its project, ‘Strengthening Cross-Border Collaboration to Combat Illegal Logging in the Congo Basin’. The four-month extension phase aims to consolidate the actions already underway while strengthening ownership of tools – Open Timber Portal, Forest Atlas, Global Forest Watch, eCITES, and SIGIF II – and collaboration mechanisms developed in the earlier phases of the project.
It should be noted that the Open Timber Portal (OTP) is a transparency portal on the legality of the timber trade, which centralises allocation documents, permits, and audits to combat illegal logging to ensure traceability and governance. The Interactive Forest Atlas provides insights into concessions, protected areas, and land uses. Enables cross-referencing of forestry and administrative data for a precise territorial overview. Global Forest Watch (GFW) A global platform for real-time monitoring of forest cover via satellite imagery, up-to-date data on deforestation, fires, and land-use changes.
According to TAMBE Gertrude NDIP, an intern at FLAG, the extension phase began in April 2026 and was formally launched on June 02 in Yaoundé. Teachers at the forestry schools, CRESA Forço-Bois in Yaoundé, ISABEE in Ebolowa, Belabo, and the Garoua Wildlife School, have received training in the use of technology for forest monitoring.
Marc Clément Benenguegné, FLAG Technical Expert, presented to stakeholders the main directives of this extension phase, planned activities, implementation procedures, and the provisional timeline for the interventions. The launch also served as a forum for discussion and consultation to enrich the implementation of the planned activities, ensuring they are fully aligned with the realities on the ground.
The extension is precisely to cover what has not been covered as planned, such as activities with certain schools to train teachers to integrate the tools into the training programmes in forestry institutions for the future personnel in forestry control. A joint mission will be carried out with all the administrations and their representatives; personalised support will be provided to all those who have benefited from the training; and an evaluation of the work for which the extension was necessary will be carried out.
One of the participants at the meeting, Pierre Tabi, Head of Infractions Monitoring and Enforcement of Forest Revenue Security Program (PSRF) at Taxation, maintained that since the project started in 2022, there has been a smooth collaboration with FLAG in the exercise of their activities. “Technically, we can easily access the documents to help us increase the forest revenue.” He said.
“What I think is quite interesting is that the extension phase can also take into account the different schools of forestry, and tools can already be taken into account in school programmes for students. This means that if the projects end today, we are sure that different actors will be able to use the tools in their work to ensure sustainability,” Tabi added.
Horline Njike Bilogue Mvogo, FLAG Secretary General, stated, “The extension phase of this project represents much more than a technical extension: it confirms that the fight against illegal logging in the Congo Basin requires sustained and coordinated action.” “Four years of fieldwork have shown us that technological tools, when fully embraced by field staff and institutions, are true catalysts for change. Today, we invite all our stakeholders to work together to consolidate our achievements and take a new step forward in protecting our shared forest heritage.”
Gains of the project
The Congo Basin is the world’s second-largest tropical forest; however, its preservation is a major concern for biodiversity, the climate, and the sustainable development of the countries. In the face of persistent challenges related to illegal logging and the trafficking of natural resources, no single institution can act alone. Cooperation, information sharing, and continuous capacity building remain essential tools for addressing these challenges.
Within this backdrop, for the past four years, FLAG and its partners have been implementing the project to strengthen the capacities of those responsible for enforcing forestry legislation in Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo through the use of specialised technological tools for forest monitoring and traceability.
Training sessions were organised for staff from the Water and Forestry Department, Customs, the Forest Revenue Security Unit, and the judiciary. Awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives were also carried out at forestry training institutions, notably at the National School of Water and Forests in Mbalmayo (ENEF), the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences in Dschang (FASA), the Higher Institute of Agriculture, Water, and Environment (ISABEE) in Ebolowa and Belabo, and the CRESA Forest-Wood Center in Nkolbisson. The second phase of the project expanded this initiative to new sectoral agencies and forestry schools (Garoua Wildlife School (EFG); ISABEE in Ebolowa and Belabo; and CRESA Forêt Bois in Yaoundé), with support from U.S. partners: the United States Forest Service (USFS), the United States Department of Justice (USDoJ), and the African Alliance for Development Action (AADA).
About 100 staff and more than 500 students were trained on the use of Open Timber Portal, Forestry Atlas, and Global Forest Watch/Forest Watcher, besides the integration of new techniques of timber identification.
Benenguegné, on behalf of the FLAG team, expressed gratitude to the technical partner, the World Resources Institute (WRI), for its ongoing support and the quality of its expertise, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (US-INL), whose financial support has made the implementation of this project possible and enabled its expansion phase.