The Gabonese Republic is located in the western part of central Africa, and its Atlantic Ocean shoreline extends roughly 800 km. It has a land area of 267,667 km2, and according to the latest data from the United Nations Statistics Division, its population in 2015 was roughly 1,711,000.

     Gabon is part of the Congo Basin, which is home to the world’s second largest tropical rainforest next to the Amazon, is known as the Earth’s “second lung,” and is globally recognized as a crucial carbon sink that counters climate change and protects biodiversity.

     Unfortunately, rainforests in many of the countries in the Congo Basin are disappearing as a result of agricultural development, civil wars, illegal logging and many other human activities. Preserving these rainforests is a pressing issue that affects the entire world.

     The deforestation rate in Gabon is relatively low, and “Green Gabon”, one of the pillars of the “Strategic Plan for an Emerging Gabon” put forth by the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, contains a pledge to make proactive efforts toward the sustainable use and preservation of Gabon’s forest resources.

     To fulfill this pledge, it is necessary to fully understand the current state of forests throughout Gabon, and to manage them sustainably.

     In light of these facts, the Gabonese government requested the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with creating a national forest resources inventory system, and in August 2012 launched the Project of Enhancing National Forest Resources Inventory System Contributing to Sustainable Forest Management.