Tropical Forest Conservation and Industry Partnership. An Experience from the Congo Basin

Historically, the conservation of forests and wildlife has focused on the creation of national parks and reserves. However, only 9% of protected areas are larger than 14,000 hectares, likely making them too small to conserve ecosystem services and prevent loss of wide-ranging keystone species such as elephant and leopard. New approaches are needed that extend conservation beyond protected area boundaries into areas where economic considerations prevail. The book describes one such emerging model of conservation: the integration of the private sector into partnerships to protect biodiversity and improve forest management. While such partnerships are being created in nearly…