China’s growing economy is driving a commodities boom in Africa, especially in forest management and logging enterprise as well as timber and other forest products.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) reports that a better understanding is needed of the China-Africa relationship and its potential impacts as many Africans don’t know much about the Chinese investments in their countries.

Research on forest-based trade investments between Africa and China carried out by the World Agroforestry Centre and Center for International Forest Research suggests that most timber imports to China from Africa are done by a relatively small number of geographically clustered firms. These include Gabon, Ghana, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. But many more small Chinese-backed independent enterprises operate informally and generally invisibly as loggers, lumber producers or timber buyers.

“More research and dialogue is needed to develop a shared understanding of how investments can support good forest management and a sustainable forest product trade between Africa and China,” says the article.

In March 2013 IIED held the China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform to build greater understanding among forest governance researchers and opinion formers from both China and Africa. Participants agreed that through research, dialogue and joint action, forest governance could be improved in China and Africa.

Read the full story: China in Africa’s forests