This review looks at the Bank's projects in the forest sector, projects with forest sector components, and projects with potential impacts on forests, as well as the Bank's non-lending services. These studies seek to judge whether the Bank has 'done the right things' and 'done things right'.

The forests and biodiversity of Cameroon constitute a significant portion of the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin accounts for about 80 percent of the remaining moist forests in Africa and 20 percent of the world's tropical moist forest second in size only to the Amazon. The Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy listed all the countries of the Congo Basin (except Equatorial Guinea) among the 20 countries with threatened tropical moist forests, implying that these countries deserved special attention in its programs. Since that time, the timber sector in Cameroon has significantly increased its logging...

Although the involvement of the World Bank in the forest sector has a relatively short history, starting in 1988, the impact of Bank projects dates back much further. The Bank's 1991 forest strategy stressed a multi-sectoral approach. Accordingly, this review looked at the Bank's projects in the forest sector, projects with forest sector components, and projects with potential impacts on forests, as well as the Bank's non-lending services. These studies seek to judge whether the Bank has 'done the right things' and 'done things right'.