. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Gabon Forest management practices are defined by a law dating from July 1982 (No. 1/82/PR), but legislation relating to selective log- ging is not yet complete. Minimum diameters, between 55 and 70 cm, are fixed for the species of trees which are commonly logged and a minimum interval of 20 years should elapse between suc- cessive logging of any area of forest, but neither of these stipula- tions is stnctly enforced. For management purposes, forests in which okoume occurs are divided into two zones covering about 90 per cent of the geo- gra
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Gabon Forest management practices are defined by a law dating from July 1982 (No. 1/82/PR), but legislation relating to selective log- ging is not yet complete. Minimum diameters, between 55 and 70 cm, are fixed for the species of trees which are commonly logged and a minimum interval of 20 years should elapse between suc- cessive logging of any area of forest, but neither of these stipula- tions is stnctly enforced. For management purposes, forests in which okoume occurs are divided into two zones covering about 90 per cent of the geo- graphical range of okoume. The first is the coastal zone where licences are issued only to Gabonese nationals, while the second zone, encompassing the inland forests, is open to all-comers. in this zone is closely linked to the recently completed railway line that runs from Libreville to Franceville in the south- east. The 650 km railway has made selective logging an economi- cally feasible activity by providing the means of transporting logs to the coast. Licences for concessions near the track were offered in advance of the completion of the railway and the fees contributed to the construction costs. Currently, approximately 50 companies are involved in selective logging. In 1988 it was estimated that 46 per cent (105,000 sq. km) of Gabon's forest had already been selectively logged at least once and that, each year about 2500 sq. km of forest is logged, 60 per cent of which is primary- forest (UICN, 1990). Extraction rates for okoume are low, averaging trees per hectare, and an estima- tion of the direct and indirect damage caused by logging to the for- est is that between 10 and 20 per cent of the canopy is destroyed. Okoume is marketed by the state company Societe Nationale des Bois du Gabon (SNBG) which has a monopoly on sales of okoume and ozigo Dacryodes buetlneri. Other species can be sold directly by forestry companies. The SNBG has experienced diffi- c
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