Congo Basin Timber: Certification, Carbon Credits, and the Sustainability Shift
Congo Basin timber exports generate $1.2 billion annually across six countries. EU Deforestation Regulation requirements from 2025 are accelerating the shift to FSC-certified supply chains.
The Congo Basin rainforest spans 3.4 million square kilometres across DRC, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, storing approximately 30 billion tonnes of carbon. Timber exports from the region, primarily sapele, sipo, iroko, and okoumé hardwoods, totalled $1.2 billion in 2023. China absorbs over 70 percent of regional volume. Gabon banned the export of unprocessed logs in 2010, forcing domestic processing investment and increasing retained value per cubic metre felled.
Certification as Market Access
The EU Deforestation Regulation, effective from 2025, requires importers to demonstrate timber is not sourced from recently deforested land, reshaping buyer behaviour toward FSC-certified Congo Basin producers. Certified concession area in the region has grown from 3 million to 11 million hectares since 2015. REDD+ carbon credit revenue provides a complementary income stream for forest conservation alongside timber extraction. Forestry operators and timber traders can access market information and certification guidance on intra-africa.com.
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