August 2013

The African Model Forest Network, or AMFN, was established in 2009 with support from the Government of Canada. The AMFN is member of the International Model Forest Network (IMFN), a global community of practice whose members and supporters work toward the common goal of the sustainable management of forest-based landscapes through the Model Forest approach. A Model Forest is a large-scale, forest-based landscape that encompasses a variety of land uses and values, resource management administrations, and land ownership.

The AMFN’s mission is to facilitate the development of a pan-African network of Model Forests representative of the continent’s wealth and diversity.

The African Network currently includes two Model Forests in Cameroon, with others in development in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the Congo Basin.

The AMFN aims to to:

• Establish a well-governed Network that will work towards community sustainability as part of the sustainable development of forested landscapes
• Support African Model Forests and their national networks in their efforts to build and consolidate a local governance model based on cooperation, innovation and partnership development
• Contribute to the design and implementation of sustainable African policies in areas of environment and development
• Work to reinforce international cooperation between Model Forests in Africa and those elsewhere in the world
• Facilitate learning in all subjects relevant to Model Forests, in a spirit of environmental responsibility, sustainable development, innovation, African unity and international solidarity