Conference debates national policy on water, forestry

A national conference to draft a new policy on water and forestry in the Central African Republic (CAR) opened on Monday in the capital, Bangui, with 250 delegates in attendance. CAR leader Francois Bozize opened the four-day conference, which the minister for water, forestry, fishing and hunting, Maurice Yondo, said was to "value and guarantee forestry resources" in the country. The delegates, comprising local and foreign experts on water and forestry are debating issues such as forests, fauna, water, fishing and fish breeding, and legal and institutional matters. Mostly covered by equatorial rain forests in the south, the CAR suspended in March all lumbering activities. Several timber firms belonged to former President Ange-Felix Patasse. A similar conference on mining, held in early July, recommended greater productivity and control over illegal exploitation of the country's natural resources. Timber is the leading source of revenue for the CAR government, followed by mining.