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4.29. Since 14 June 2010 the Congolese State has defined the conditions governing the exploitation, conservation and management of biological resources in the coastal waters under its jurisdiction together with any associated activities (among others). The law lays down the various taxes that apply to coastal fishing and aquaculture operations, and provides for penalties for violations. Additionally, Orders Nos. 9102 MPA-CAB and 5060 MPA/MDMM, Decrees Nos. 2011 320, 2011 318 and 2011 319 from the same period, bolster the drive for organizational improvements to operations in the sector.

4.30. Parallel to the taxes laid down in law there is an extensive, complex system of parafiscal taxes whose origin lies chiefly in institutional regulations issued by administrative entities that have no authority to levy them. This parafiscal system is the work of a large number of actors and/or structures; it applies both to professional small scale marine fishing and to coastal fishing. Moreover, it has considerable impact in small scale marine fishing as shown in the summary of taxes (Table 4.1).

4.34. In order to revive the sector the Congo has adopted several regulatory texts on sustainable fishing, and those most worthy of note are as follows: Decree No. 2009-33 of 6 February 2009 laying down provisions on the mesh sizes of nets and maritime fishing gear; Decree No. 2011 317 of 26 April 2011 laying down the conditions for the pursuit of professional small scale marine fishing; Decree No. 2011 319 of 26 April 2011 establishing the procedures for the conduct of technical visits to fishing vessels in waters under Congolese jurisdiction, and Decree No. 2012 174 of 12 March 2012 on the status of observer on board a fishing vessel.

The strategy for this sector is set out in the "wood and forestry" plan, which aims at: (i) better forestry governance; (ii) generalization of sustainable forestry management; and (iii) introduction of a real industrial strategy focusing on the forestry cluster.

 With regard to sustainable management and development of forestry and fauna resources : (i) development of production forest; s (9,519,690 ha); (ii) enhancement of the value-added of the wood industry (second and third degree processing); (iii) reforestation and regeneration of forest;  resources (1 million ha of plantations); and (iv) development of parks and protected areas (3,680,424 ha).

4.38. The Congo's forests are found in three mountainous areas: (...) According to the authorities, the Congo's 14 protected areas cover over 3.7 million hectares, divided into three national parks, six reserves, three hunting areas and three sanctuaries.

4.39. Under the National Forestry Action Plan (PAFN) adopted in 1994, the main regulatory instrument in this subsector is the Forestry Code enacted in 2000. Some of the innovations introduced by the Code include the requirement that 85% of logs should be processed on the spot ; in practice, processing mainly takes the form of sawing and has not reached the 85% target, with the shortfall being the subject of a surcharge (section 3.1). According to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), this regulatory framework provides the basis for sustainable forestry management and is being implemented in the Congo, apparently making the country one of the first countries in the world to do so. The forests in the Congo Basin are covered by the Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa.

4.42. Under the Forestry Code, the UFAs are monitored by officials from the water resources and forestry administration. Concession holders draw up management plans (for 25 to 35 years) in collaboration with foreign or Congolese business consultants and forestry administration offices. Of the 12,669,300 hectares of forest given over to logging, 9,937,952 hectares, or 78.44%, is managed, of which 3,598,129 hectares are the subject of management plans that have already been approved by the Government of the Republic. The aim is that with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD), by 2015 the concession holders will be managing all the forest for which concessions have been granted; the AFD is currently implementing a support project for the sustainable management of forestry concessions in the centre and south of the Congo. The management plans must comply with the principle of sustainable development. The Congo's first forestry management plan was adopted in March 2006 and covers the Kabo UFA in Ouesso, an area of 296,000 hectares allocated to the Congolaise Industrielle du Bois (CIB). Other management plans covering a total area of 3,302,129 hectares have been adopted and allocated to Industrie forestière de Ouesso (IFO), CIB, Bois et plaquage de Lopola, Mokabi SA, and Likouala Timber. The overall management plan covers a total area of 3,598,129 hectares. Additionally, concessions covering the UFAs of Kabo, Gombe, Pokola, Loundaingou and Toukoulaka, an area totalling 2,478,943 hectares, is the subject of a sustainable management forest audit by the Société générale de surveillance (SGS) and has been given eco certification by the NGO Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

4.46. (...) Log production today has reached 1,500,000 m3. The FAO estimates the potential for some 50 types of commercial species to be around 2 million m3 of logs annually, without jeopardizing the forests' capacity to regenerate. The Ministry of Forestry Economics and the Environment has set the year 2007 as the date for achievement of this target, along with that of an output of 445,000 m3 of sawn wood.

4.44. Since 15 March 2008, the Republic of the Congo has been involved in the FLEGT negotiations with the EU aiming to conclude a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) which will allow only legally sourced wood to be imported into Europe. With a view to the signature of a VPA, the Congolese Government undertook to reform and improve its system by announcing a series of challenges relating to procedures for forest control and traceability of timber for the forestry administration to address.