Transboundary Conservation
In March 1999 Central African leaders met in Younde to lay the groundwork for the protection of the natural resources of the Congo Basin forests. The Yaoundé Forest Summit resulted in the signing of the Yaoundé Declaration, in which the leaders pledged to create new forest protected areas, promote responsible forestry, and adopt plans to combat illegal logging and poaching.
The Summit recognised that forest protection requires a regional approach and coordinated policies that extend beyond national boundaries. A regional, ministerial-level committee, COMIFAC, was established at the end of the Summit. COMIFAC was charged with implementing commitments of the Declaration. A broad-based group of governments, donor and other partners were asked to address the issue of creating trans-border protected areas, harmonizing national forest policies, and encouraging greater participation of rural populations in forest management.