Contexte général et ressources forestières de la République centrafricaine

Types of forest

The Central African Republic (CAR) covers approximately 62.3 million hectares, of which 45.09 million hectares (72.4%) are classified as forest, according to the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025.

CAR's forest ecosystems include dense humid tropical forests in the south and drier forest–savannah transition zones further north. Dense humid forests, predominantly semi-deciduous, are concentrated in the southwest and, to a lesser extent, around Bangassou in the southeast.

Commercial timber production is mainly concentrated in the southwest forest massif, which contains economically valuable timber species such as Sapelli (Entandrophragma cylindricum), Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon) and Fraké (Terminalia superba). Approximately 4.83 million hectares are designated for forest production.

Armed conflict and insecurity, historically concentrated in northern prefectures such as Ouham-Pendé, Ouham and Vakaga, also present challenges for forest governance and monitoring.

Forest ownership in Central African Republic

According to the latest available FAO forest (2025) ownership data (2020), approximately 95.7% of CAR's forest area is publicly owned, while 4.3% is privately owned.

The Central African forest law (2008) splits the national forest domain into two parts: the permanent forest domain (the south-west massif, the Bangassou massif and the savannas) and the non-permanent forest domain (public authorities' forest areas, private individuals' forests and community forests).

Deforestation and Forest Degradation

According to the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2025), deforestation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is estimated at 46,520 hectares per year between 2020 and 2025, representing approximately 0.1% of the country's forest area annually. Shifting cultivation and slash-and-burn agriculture are major sources of pressure on forest resources, alongside uncontrolled mining activities and charcoal production.

Illegal Logging

he risk of illegal logging remains high due to limited forest law enforcement capacity, insufficient human and logistical resources, and governance challenges.

Sustainable forest management in the Central African Republic faces several challenges:

• Limited institutional and technical capacity of forest law enforcement authorities;

• Insufficient financial and material resources to effectively monitor forest concessions and logging activities;

• Remoteness and poor accessibility of many logging areas;

• Increasing pressure on forest resources driven by local demand for fuelwood, timber and non-timber forest products;

• Expansion of artisanal and informal logging activities;

• Need to strengthen timber legality verification and supply chain traceability;

• Coordination challenges involving local communities and civil society organisations.

In this context, the effective implementation of forest governance mechanisms, particularly the national legal framework and measures to ensure timber legality and sustainable forest management, remains a major priority.

Global Forest Watch Map

• Step-by-step instructions : see here 
• Alert of deforestation : see here
• Map : see here

Need to analyse deforestation risk at plot level? — WHISP

Open Foris Whisp (“What's in that plot?”) is a free and open-source solution developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to support rapid, plot-level analysis of land use and deforestation risk. It combines geospatial datasets and satellite-based information to provide transparent insights for a specific location, helping users understand whether the area is forest, agricultural land, or potentially linked to deforestation or disturbance. 

WHISP uses GPS points or plot polygons to perform an analysis based on multiple public datasets on forests and land use.

The aim is to identify plots that may present a potential deforestation risk and those for which further checks may be necessary.

→ Use WHISP online

→ WHISP documentation

indices de risques

Sources:

Interprétation des indicateurs de risque

variations INFRANATIONALES des risques