Mission to the Congo Basin
As part of a study financed by the World Bank on accounting for the natural capital of forest ecosystems in the six countries of the Congo Basin (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, CAR and Equatorial Guinea), Julien Philippart - Deputy Director of Eticwood - assisted the South African consultancy Anchor Environmental in presenting the final results of a year's work to the countries concerned.
As a forestry expert supporting the Anchor team and the only French-speaking member of the team, he was responsible for presenting the results and translating the answers to the questions asked during the workshops.
In 2024, in preparation for these meetings, Julien also led several online training sessions for the sectoral focal points in each of the countries, covering the five components of Natural Capital accounting.
The aim of this work was to assess the value of forest ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide (climate regulation, sediment retention, timber, fuelwood, NTFPs, tourism) and to support governments in integrating this value into national accounts. The aim is to improve decision-making, strengthen the protection of ecosystems, and act as a lever to mobilise funding linked to the Economic Support Programme (ESP).