header: Africa Madagascar WWF logo
line F o r e s t s   F o r   L i f e

Landscape

During more than three decades of conservation work, WWF has always had more projects in Africa than any other part of the world. In the early days the organisation focused on protecting endangered species. Though this still continues, increasing emphasis is being placed on the conservation of the region's declining forests.

The tropical forests of west and central Africa are being degraded by logging and clearance for agriculture. WWF is working against this erosion by mobilising support from the Dutch government, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the WWF network to establish protected areas throughout the Congo Basin, the second largest contiguous forest in the world. This, in itself, is not sufficient and WWF is working with local communities, governments and the logging industry, to promote sustainable forest management as an alternative to over-exploitation.

[ Cameroon / Gabon / Ghana ]   [ Kenya ]   [ Nigeria ]

line F o r e s t   F a c t s
Pale leaf

Land area of Africa/Madagascar Programme region 2,363,566,000 ha
Red line
Area of forest and other woodland 1,125,539,000 ha
Red line
Annual change in forest cover Ð2,755,100 ha
Red line
Number of WWF forest projects 72
Red line
1996 expenditure Sfr 13,964,306
Red line
1997 budget Sfr 26,324,184
Red line
Number of certified forests 2
Red line
Coverage 26,250 ha
Red line
Number of protected areas 196
Red line
Coverage 33,098,264 ha
Red line
C O N T E N T S ----> line