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Commonwealth
Forests | | |
 Major achievements
Most of the West African countries are forest-rich and research departments were established
early on. Particular achievements have been detailed studies on forest botany and silvics of
major species, especially in the moist forest zones. The Forest Research Institute of Nigeria,
(FRIN) based in Ibadan, the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) in Kumasi and the
Limbe Botanic Garden in Cameroon are particularly well-known. In Eastern Africa all the
countries have competent and productive research institutes, covering forest biology and forest
utilisation, as well as several well-established universities covering forestry in education and
research.
Considerable progress has been made in research on forest plantations and on community
forestry as well as in forest botany and ecology. In southern Africa the outstanding capacity
and facilities of South Africa have become more accessible to support research in
neighbouring countries of SADC, where, however, facilities are still under-funded despite often
having a good record of research activity and publication. Outstanding achievements in
industrial plantation management and forest products utilisation were achieved through both
government and private sector research. Research into the ecology of the major vegetation
types, including for example Brachystegia (miombo) and Colophospermum mopane (Mopane)
woodland has been aided by collaboration with CIFOR.
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