West and Central Africa are home to some of the world’s richest forests. We work with local lawyers and communities to design, strengthen and enforce laws around the use of forests and land in Ghana, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia and the Republic of Congo.
We’re protecting forests and the people who depend on them
What we do
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Community-led conservation
We work particularly with women and indigenous people, supporting efforts to ensure they are at the heart of decision-making around how forests are used.
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Designing community forestry laws
We collaborate with national non-profits to support the design of community forestry laws. This ensures that the rights of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods are recognised in law.
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Combatting illegal timber, cocoa and other goods
We work across Africa and Europe to ensure that important EU regulations like the EU Timber and Deforestation Regulation, are implemented, well understood and properly enforced, to stop deforestation-linked products from entering EU markets.
What we've achieved
Recognising Indigenous rights in the Republic of Congo
Since 2022, ClientEarth and national partners have been advocating for an update to outdated laws. We’re calling for a new, community-led based conservation model, which recognises the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in governing protected areas.
Community forestry in Gabon
Working with partners Brainforest and CEO-SE, we provided communities with legal training, dispute-resolution support and practical tools to turn rights on paper into effective forest governance.
The experience shows that community forestry requires long-term legal support, plain-language guidance, dispute-resolution capacity and administrative accountability to prevent elite capture.
Atewa Forest, Ghana: Defending a critical forest ecosystem
The Atewa Forest Range in Ghana is home to more than 78 threatened species, stores 9.3 million tonnes of carbon and provides a critical water source for nearly five million people. But the Government of Ghana selected Atewa as a site for bauxite mining, putting one of Ghana's most important forest ecosystems at risk.
In 2020, we supported A Rocha Ghana, civil society organisations and plaintiffs to use the law to challenge the government's decision to permit mining in Atewa. The case remains before the courts, with a decision expected before the end of 2026.
Supporting Ghana’s sustainable timber licensing
In late 2025, Ghana became a trailblazer as the first African nation to announce and implement a sustainable licensing scheme for timber exports to the EU. Under the scheme, every log is barcoded and tracked from forest origin to export to guarantee its legality.
Read the latest
23 February 2024
The EU has signed a major deal with Côte d'Ivoire to protect and restore the country’s forests
16 November 2023
Why we’re calling for new climate laws at COP28
7 August 2020
How the Republic of Congo’s new forest law can help preserve world’s ‘second lung’
21 May 2020
What is community forestry?
Where we work
Ivory Coast
Ghana
Gabon
Liberia
Republic of Congo
