First Pan-African Workshop on ABS and Forests

The workshop was intended to provide a specific focus on forests within the context of ABS, as they harbour a large majority of Africa’s terrestrial genetic resources. The governance of these forests is therefore central to ABS discussions, in both informing those involved in ABS discussions and those concerned with forest governance. Previously, these two issues have been discussed separately, but this workshop sought to have as many role-players as possible discussing the issues in concert.

The complexity of the issue of forested land is that it includes issues such as land tenure, (notably private, communal, open access and state), and also timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). NTFPs are currently viewed under regulations as commodities in trade and not as “ABS-eligible” genetic resources. Special consideration is therefore needed when considering designing appropriate and practical ABS schemes when dealing with issues such as land and access rights.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

• Identify aspects of national and international forest governance that may support ABS processes.
• Identify potential benefits of considering ABS for the sustainable governance of forests.
• Identify interfaces and linkages between forest governance and ABS at the national and international levels.