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Gabon : Developing a National Land Use Plan and a Forest Monitoring System - Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI)
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Gabon : Developing a National Land Use Plan and a Forest Monitoring System

Countries: Gabon
Topics: Land Use PlanningForest sector
Status: Funds Transferred
Amount: $ 18,428,689
Start Date: 20/09/2018
End Date: 28/09/2025
Implementing Organizations: AFD
National Partners: Ministry of Forests and WatersMinistry of Land Use Planning

Diversifying the economy and strengthening food security, particularly by developing industrial agriculture, are high on Gabon’s political agenda. Eighty-eight percent of the country’s territory is covered by forests. In its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Gabon committed to reduce its emissions by 50 percent by 2025 compared to 2005. These reductions will come primarily from the land use, conversion and forestry (LULUCF) sector.

Although Gabon is highly urbanised, community and village land use is an important topic, as most Gabonese maintain close ties to their rural families and the land. However, there is little consistent information available to characterise rural land use and tenure, let alone to plan for future land use.

The Project to develop a National Land Use plan and Forest Monitoring System seeks to improve land use planning and monitoring to reduce and minimise deforestation and forest degradation, while maximising development co-benefits.

Timeline

2018
2018
2022
2022
2023

Objectives

Develop a National Land Use Plan (in French, PNAT, Plan National d’Affectation des Terres) to limit future emissions and enable economic development. The PNAT will plan and guide the expansion of land use-based economic activities, for example, through agriculture, enable the optimal allocation of forest areas to different uses, excluding, to the extent possible, primary forests and High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) areas. The PNAT will update and provide access to a robust database, integrating a LULUCF sector climate change vulnerability map and a map of the development potential of the agricultural, forestry, mining and petroleum sectors developed by the programme. Finally, a law proposed to Parliament will ensure that the PNAT continues to be implemented after the project ends. 2. Finalise a National Natural Resources and Forestry Observation System (SNORNF) in order to locate and specify which forest areas can be used for which purposes and to effectively monitor PNAT implementation. This will enable monitoring changes in national forest cover and to detect deforestation events, including an alert system, to understand which sectoral activities have an impact on forest conversion. The SNORNF will also improve the accuracy of data on carbon stocks and flows in the LULUCF sector that are reported under the Climate Convention. Develop a National Land Use Plan (in French, PNAT, Plan National d’Affectation des Terres) to limit future emissions and enable economic development.
  • The PNAT will plan and guide the expansion of land use-based economic activities, for example, through agriculture.
  • The plan will enable the optimal allocation of forest areas to different uses, excluding, to the extent possible, primary forests and High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) areas.
  • The PNAT will update and provide access to a robust database, integrating a LULUCF sector climate change vulnerability map and a map of the development potential of the agricultural, forestry, mining and petroleum sectors developed by the programme.
  • A law proposed to Parliament will ensure that the PNAT continues to be implemented after the programme ends.
2. Finalise a National Natural Resources and Forestry Observation System (SNORNF) in order to locate and specify which forest areas can be used for which purposes and to effectively monitor PNAT implementation. This will enable to monitor changes in national forest cover and to detect deforestation events, including an alert system, to understand which sectoral activities have an impact on forest conversion. The SNORNF will also improve the accuracy of data on carbon stocks and flows in the LULUCF sector that are reported under the Climate Convention. A mapping of village land will clarify land rights across the country. Participatory, geo-referenced and accessible village maps will be developed to define land use areas and improve knowledge of rural land tenure. In the field, a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) will collect data on forest biomass, carbon and biodiversity. The NRI will include 500 permanent plots and 200 to 300 biodiversity transects. The data will help to refine the national map of HCV and HCS areas in Gabon.A mapping of village land will clarify land rights across the country. Participatory, geo-referenced and accessible village maps will be developed to define land use areas and improve knowledge of rural land tenure. In the field, a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) will collect data on forest biomass, carbon and biodiversity. The NRI will include 500 permanent plots and 200 to 300 biodiversity transects. The data will help to refine the national map of HCV and HCS areas in Gabon.

million dollars approved

million dollars transferred

million dollars spent

participatory village maps

hectares of land with documented land conflicts

first legal framework for land-use conflict resolution

Results to date

By June 2025, under the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and in partnership with the Conseil National Climat (CNC), Agence Gabonaise d’Études et d’Observation Spatiale (AGEOS), and Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN), the project project has: 
  • produced 462 participatory village maps (validated January–May 2025)
  • resolved or documented 295 land-allocation conflicts covering 4,546,732 hectares.
  • Supported the CNAT (Commission Nationale d’Affectation des Terres), including a procedures manual and draft land conflict law, technically validated in 2024, creating Gabon’s first legal framework for land-use conflict resolution.
  • generated 150 thematic maps, 16 change-alert maps for forestry, and 12 for mining
  • transferred PNAT/CNAT platforms to state management under Agence Nationale des Infrastructures Numériques et des Fréquences (ANINF) in January 2025.
  • Established five departmental information centres with local focal points  in Woleu-Ntem by March 2025. 

Documents

Document Name Date Download
Project document - LUP - AFD 20/09/2018 Download
2024 Annual report - LUP - AFD 31/12/2024 Download