Different contexts, same concerns? Wood gap and forest restoration in Indonesia and Cameroon

The gap between demand and supply of sustainable wood, in countries rich forest with a poor governance, is one of the major causes of forest degradation. This phenomenon, which is combining with other major forest degradation causes as agriculture and fires, should not be overlooked as it results in dire deforestation. In Indonesia, uncontrolled development of wood industries, led to a growing wood demand disconnected with sustainable forest management capacity. This started in 70s with log exports development, followed by the plywood industry in the 80s\u0027, pulp and paper in the 90s\u0027 and the forest conversion to agro-plantations. Tree cover in permanent forest lands dropped from 113.1 million ha to 87.4 million ha, or by 23% in 34 years, from 1982 to 2016. In Cameroon, the growing demand for timber is accelerated by domestic market paired with the population growth above 2.5% per year. Domestic timber and firewood are sourced from poorly managed non-permanent and permanent forest. The rate of deforestation at the national level remains low (0.2 % per year), but deforestation is rapid around cities and along roads. Comparing the two countries, some similarities have been identified, I) in each case wood gaps are filled by illegal practices, 2) there are miss-perceptions about sustainable wood supplies from forests, 3) governments are now planning forest restoration and 4) low wood prices are discouraging investment into forest plantations, secondary forest silviculture and forest restoration. Finally, we compare how, governments are addressing wood gap and forest restoration.